How to Configure Foxit PDF Editor for Epic Systems

This article explains how to configure Foxit PDF Editor to work with Applied Epic Systems enterprise content manager (ECM). Starting with version 2025.2, Foxit provides a UI option and registry setting to enable multi-instance mode, ensuring Epic Systems can properly track document changes across multiple simultaneously opened files.

Applied Epic Systems is an enterprise content manager (ECM) used by insurance and financial services organizations. Epic Systems monitors document changes by tracking the Process ID (PID) of applications that open files. When a document is modified and closed, Epic expects a unique PID for each document to properly detect and prompt users to save changes back to the ECM.

The Issue: In Foxit PDF Editor subscription versions prior to 2025.2, the "Always open files in a new window" setting opens all documents under a single PID. This behavior conflicts with how Epic Systems tracks document changes, preventing users from being properly prompted to save modifications when working with multiple documents simultaneously.

The Solution: The multi-instance mode (bForceMultiInstance) creates a separate process for each document opened from Epic, allowing Epic to properly track changes to individual files.

For individual users or small deployments, the multi-instance feature can be enabled directly through the Foxit PDF Editor Preferences dialog.

1. Open Foxit PDF Editor Preferences
   1. Launch Foxit PDF Editor.
   2. Navigate to File > Preferences, or press Ctrl+K.
2. Navigate to Documents Settings
   1. In the left panel, select Documents.
3. Enable Multi-Instance Mode
   1. Locate the option labeled "Always open files”
   2. Check (enable) this option and change to “in a new instance”.
   3. Click OK to save the changes.
4. Restart Foxit PDF Editor
   1. Close all instances of Foxit PDF Editor.
   2. Reopen Foxit PDF Editor. Each document opened from Epic will now be launched in its own process.

Expected Result: When opening documents from Epic Systems, each file will launch as a separate Foxit PDF Editor process. When you save and close a document, Epic will properly detect the changes and prompt you to update the file in the ECM.

Part 2: Enable Multi-Instance Mode via Windows Registry

For enterprise deployments or when you need to configure the setting before installation, you can enable multi-instance mode through the Windows Registry.

Registry Location

Manual Registry Edit via Registry Editor

1. Open Registry Editor
   1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog.
   2. Type regedit and press Enter.
   3. Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control.
2. Navigate to the Registry Path
   1. In the Registry Editor, navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\Continuous\Preferences\Documents

1. 1. Note: If the path does not exist, you may need to create the missing keys by right-clicking and selecting New > Key.

1. Create the Registry Value
   1. Right-click in the right pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
   2. Name the new value bForceMultiInstance.
2. Set the Value
   1. Double-click the bForceMultiInstance value.
   2. Set the Value data to 1.
   3. Click OK.
3. Restart Foxit PDF Editor
   1. Close and reopen Foxit PDF Editor for the changes to take effect.

Command Line Method

You can also set the registry value using the command line. Run the following command in an elevated Command Prompt:

reg add "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\Continuous\Preferences\Documents" /v bForceMultiInstance /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

For large-scale enterprise deployments, IT administrators can configure the multi-instance setting using Group Policy or the Foxit Customization Wizard.

Method A: Group Policy Object (GPO)

Deploy the registry setting to all users via Group Policy Preferences:

1. Open Group Policy Management Console
   1. Open gpmc.msc on your domain controller or management workstation.
2. Create or Edit a GPO
   1. Create a new GPO or edit an existing one linked to the appropriate OU.
3. Navigate to Registry Preferences
   1. Go to User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry.
4. Create New Registry Item
   1. Right-click and select New > Registry Item.
   2. Configure the following settings:

Method B: Foxit Customization Wizard

The Foxit Customization Wizard (FCW) allows you to create a transform file (MST) with the multi-instance setting pre-configured:

1. Download and launch the Foxit Customization Wizard
   1. Download the Foxit Customization Wizard from the Foxit Downloads page.
   2. Launch the wizard and open your Foxit PDF Editor MSI file.
2. Navigate to Preferences Tab
   1. Select the Preferences tab in the wizard.
3. Change option for “Always open files in a new window or instance”
   1. Locate the Always open files option.
   2. Set as “in new app instances”
4. Save the Transform File
   1. Save the configuration as an MST file.
   2. Use this MST file with your deployment tools (SCCM, Intune, etc.).

Part 4: Verifying the Configuration

After enabling multi-instance mode, verify it is working correctly with Epic Systems:

1. Open a PDF document from Epic Systems.
2. Open a second PDF document from Epic Systems.
3. Verify in Task Manager that there are separate Foxit PDF Editor processes for each document.
4. Make changes to the first document, save, and close it.
5. Confirm that Epic Systems prompts you to save the changes back to the ECM.

Issue: Multi-instance mode is enabled but Epic still does not prompt changes.

Solution: Ensure all instances of Foxit PDF Editor are closed before opening documents from Epic. The setting only applies to newly opened processes. Also verify that Epic Systems is using a compatible version (v8.0.3 or newer is recommended for improved multi-document save detection).

Issue: The registry key does not exist, or the setting is not being applied.

Solution: The registry path may need to be created manually if Foxit PDF Editor was freshly installed. Launch Foxit PDF Editor at least once to generate the initial registry structure, then apply the setting. Alternatively, create the full path manually in the Registry Editor.

Issue: The UI option is not visible in Preferences.

Solution: The UI option for multi-instance mode is available starting in version 2025.2. For earlier versions, use the registry method described in Part 2. Consider upgrading to the latest version for full UI support.