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How to uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud on Mac completely

The Creative Cloud desktop app is not one app you can drag to the Trash: it installs shared components, a sync service and helpers in several folders, and it manages Photoshop, Illustrator and the other Adobe apps. Adobe has its own uninstaller for it, but it only works after the other apps are gone. Here is the order that works and what to check afterwards.

Uninstaller: a list of apps sorted by size with when each was last opened, Google Chrome selected with its app and cache sizes
  1. Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
  2. Click Show Apps and check Creative Cloud in the list.
  3. Click Remove and confirm. Files that may be yours are listed as Possible and stay unchecked.
Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Before you start

  • Make sure your files are synced to your Creative Cloud account. Adobe warns that files not synced yet could be lost.
  • Save your work and quit every Adobe app.
  • If your Mac is managed by your company, you may not have the rights to remove Creative Cloud: ask your administrator.

Step 1: uninstall the Creative Cloud apps

Adobe’s uninstaller removes the desktop app only when no Creative Cloud apps (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and the others) are left on the Mac. Remove them from the desktop app first:

  1. Open the Creative Cloud desktop app.
  2. Go to Apps › All Apps and click More actions (three dots) next to an installed app.
  3. Choose Uninstall.
  4. Choose Remove to delete the app’s preferences, plugins and interface settings too, or Keep to leave them for a later reinstall.
  5. Repeat for every installed app.

Step 2: run Adobe’s Creative Cloud Uninstaller

  1. Download the macOS uninstaller from Adobe’s help page «Uninstall Creative Cloud desktop app» on helpx.adobe.com. There are separate downloads for Apple silicon Macs and for older macOS versions.
  2. Extract the zip file and open Creative Cloud Uninstaller. If macOS warns you about opening it, click Open.
  3. Click Uninstall. The window also offers Repair: try it first if you only want to fix a broken Creative Cloud app.
  4. When it’s done, click Close.

What Creative Cloud leaves behind

After the uninstaller, check these places. Folders starting with ~ are in your home folder:

  • /Applications/Adobe Creative Cloud and /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Creative Cloud — the desktop app and its components.
  • /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Desktop Common and ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Desktop Common — components shared by Adobe’s apps.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CoreSync — the file sync service’s data.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Creative Cloud Libraries — local copies of your Creative Cloud Libraries.
  • /Library/Application Support/CEPServiceManager4 — the service that runs extension panels in Adobe apps.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.adobe.acc.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist — settings.

Libraries and files in your Creative Cloud account stay on Adobe’s servers. If you use Adobe apps that you didn’t get through Creative Cloud, leave the shared Adobe folders in place.

Remove the leftovers by hand

  1. In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder (Shift-Command-G), type a path from the list above and press Return.
  2. Move the folder or file to the Trash. Files in /Library and /Applications need your administrator password.
  3. Repeat for the other paths.
  4. Restart your Mac, so no Adobe background process is still running, then empty the Trash.

Creative Cloud isn’t the only app that leaves files behind: see how to uninstall apps on Mac completely.

With MacWashing, it’s one click

Uninstaller: a list of apps sorted by size with when each was last opened, Google Chrome selected with its app and cache sizes

The Uninstaller in MacWashing knows the files Creative Cloud creates — in your Library folder, in Applications and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app.

Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Will MacWashing delete my own files when it removes Adobe Creative Cloud?

No. The Uninstaller checks only what belongs to the app: its settings, caches, logs and background items. Folders that may hold your own files are listed as Possible and stay unchecked until you check them yourself, and apps go to the Trash by default, so you can put them back.

What if Adobe Creative Cloud is still running?

MacWashing waits for it to quit, or quits it at your request, and only then removes its files.

Is it free to uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud with MacWashing?

Yes, within the free trial: System Junk and the Uninstaller free up to 25 GB in total, with no account or card needed.

Why does the uninstaller refuse to remove Creative Cloud?

It works only when no Creative Cloud apps are installed. Uninstall Photoshop, Illustrator and the rest from the desktop app first, then run the uninstaller again.

Does uninstalling Creative Cloud cancel my subscription?

No. The subscription belongs to your Adobe account, not to the Mac. To cancel it, sign in to your account on adobe.com.

Will I lose my files and Libraries?

Files and Libraries synced to your Creative Cloud account stay there. Files that hadn’t finished syncing could be lost, so check the sync before you uninstall. Documents saved on your Mac are not touched.