How to delete Adobe Creative Cloud on Mac: an ultimate guide

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Before we start

Having spent some years coding applications for macOS, we’ve created a tool that everybody can use. The all-round problem fixer for Mac.

So here’s a tip for you: Download CleanMyMac to quickly solve some of the issues mentioned in this article. But to help you do it all by yourself, we’ve gathered our best ideas and solutions below.

Features described in this article refer to the MacPaw site version of CleanMyMac X.

Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) is a collection of 20+ desktop and mobile apps like Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator, and more. Although these tools are useful, you may need to uninstall the CC Suite.

But what are the reasons to delete Adobe Creative Cloud from Mac? Obviously, you may want to remove it because you no longer need it. Some other reasons are freeing up space, reducing system resource usage, or resolving conflicts with other apps installed on your Mac.

Be aware that dragging the app icon to the Trash is insufficient because it does not delete leftover files. But worry not, we’ll show you how to delete Creative Cloud from Mac effectively.

Before you uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud from Mac

Before deleting Creative Cloud, here are several things you need to do:

• Uninstall all Creative Cloud apps, such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, or Illustrator — keeping them on your Mac won’t let you remove the Creative Cloud desktop app.
• Make sure you’ve already synced all your files to your Creative Cloud account — you might lose files that are not synced.
• Check if you have admin privileges, especially if you’re an enterprise user.

How to uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud in one click

If you want to remove CC, all Adobe-related apps, and leftovers with one shot, using a third-party uninstaller is a way to go. The excellent option is CleanMyMac X, which is a feature-packed tool with a user-friendly interface. It also works flawlessly as a junk cleaner, malware remover, and system optimizer.

Here’s how to force uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud with its help:

1. Grab your copy of CleanMyMac X (here’s a link to download it for free). Install and open it.
2. Navigate to the Uninstaller tab and click View All Applications.
   
3. Under Vendors in the middle pane, click Adobe.
   
4. Select all CC-related apps and click Uninstall.
   
   

Congrats! Now, you’ve deleted Adobe Creative Cloud and its components for good.

If your reason for uninstalling is that CC’s causing issues for your Mac, you can try to reset it. Resetting means that you get all the app’s preferences and settings back to their default condition. You force it to start again as it had just been downloaded.

Here’s when Uninstaller from CleanMyMac X comes in handy again. Select Creative Cloud in the list of apps and choose Reset instead of Uninstall in the drop-down. Click the Reset button. That’s all! You can select all CC-related apps under Adobe, not only the desktop application.

How to remove Adobe Creative Cloud from Mac manually

1. Uninstall Adobe apps

First, you need to remove all CC-related apps (Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Illustrator, etc.) from your system. Otherwise, you won’t be able to uninstall the Creative Cloud desktop app. So, to avoid seeing this warning:

… follow these steps:

1. Open the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app.
2. Go to the All Apps tab and search for apps installed on your Mac.
3. Click the More Actions icon (ellipsis) under the name of the app you want to uninstall.
4. Choose Uninstall.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with the deletion.

2. Quit Adobe Creative Cloud apps

Next, you need to quit Adobe CC and all related processes. Here’s how to stop Creative Cloud from running in the background:

1. Go to the Applications folder > Utilities > Activity Monitor. You can also open Activity Monitor using Spotlight.
2. Search for any processes associated with the Creative Cloud.
   
3. Select them and click the Force Quit button [x].
4. Click Quit in the pop-up window to confirm the action.
   

Now, you’re ready to get rid of the desktop app.

3. Find the Adobe Creative Cloud Uninstaller and run it

To eliminate all CC components, Adobe recommends uninstalling it with a special uninstaller. Here’s how to use it:

1. Go to Applications > Adobe Creative Cloud.
2. Open the Creative Cloud Uninstaller.
   
3. Enter your administrative password when required and click OK.
   
4. Hit Uninstall to kickstart the process.
   
5. Click Close when the confirmation message appears. Done!

Can’t find the Creative Cloud Uninstaller on your Mac? Receiving error alerts when deleting the app with its help? The solution is to download the latest version of the CC uninstallation tool on helpx.adobe.com

Once you download the ZIP file, extract it and open the uninstaller.

Depending on your security settings, you may receive an alert asking, “Are you sure you want to open it?”.

Click Open to continue. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

4. Remove Adobe Creative Cloud-related files and folders

Finally, you need to get rid of CC leftovers. The problem is that the dedicated Adobe tool doesn’t actually remove all traces of the app from your Mac. Some components may still hide behind your system files and folders. To find and trash the remains:

1. Choose Go to Folder from the Go menu in the Finder.
2. Paste ~/Library into the box that appears and press Return.
   
3. Look for any Adobe-related files in the folder and trash them.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the following locations:
   ~/Library/Application Support
   ~/Library/Preferences
   /Library/LaunchAgents
   /Library/LaunchDaemons
   /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools

Note
Be careful not to remove files and folders vital for computer performance. A tiny mistake may cost you a system crash.

Once you’ve finished cleaning out the system folders, empty the Trash to complete the uninstallation. Now, Adobe CC should be fully removed.

Deleting or resetting Adobe Creative Cloud is a piece of cake, especially if you have tools like CleanMyMac X at hand. But if you want to cope with this task manually, follow the steps above. And if you want to get rid of other unneeded apps that are still there on your computer, check out our handy guide on how to uninstall programs on Mac.

Your Mac. As good as new.