Microsoft Edge Opens PDFs and Hides Windows VM Installed Adobe Acrobat

I downloaded and installed Adobe Acrobat Reader on Windows 11 VM - and to my dismay, could not find the installed product. Further, I tested opening a PDF and discovered that Edge opened the file, not Acrobat. 'Use Other' from right click menu on PDFs does not find Acrobat.
If you prefer Acrobat to Edge when working with PDFs, install Acrobat on MacOS. All executables on MacOS are found in the Windows VM and thus, you will be able to open PDFs with Acrobat in the Windows 11 VM.
Might I mention here that I absolutely loathe the Windows 11 Start listing of executables which is such a clutter and does not allow grouping like the Windows 10 Start listing does.

 

Adobe Acrobat Reader does install correctly on Windows 11, but it does not always surface clearly in the Start menu, which can understandably cause confusion. In many cases, Acrobat Reader is installed under:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\Reader\AcroRd32.exe

or it can be launched by searching for "Acrobat Reader" directly rather than browsing the Start app list.

Regarding PDFs opening in Microsoft Edge: Windows 11 aggressively assigns Edge as the default PDF handler. This can be changed by going to
Settings → Apps → Default apps → Choose defaults by file type → .pdf → Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Right-click → Open with → Choose another app → Always use this app also works once Acrobat is properly registered.
Installing Acrobat on macOS does not expose its executables to a Windows 11 VM. Windows virtual machines cannot natively execute macOS binaries; each OS requires its own compatible application installation.
That said, your frustration with the Windows 11 Start menu is understandable. Unlike Windows 10, it lacks proper grouping and folder organization, making application discovery less intuitive--especially for professional workflows.