To uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud on a Mac, follow the order Adobe requires: remove each Creative Cloud app from the Creative Cloud desktop app first, then remove the desktop app itself with Adobe's Creative Cloud Uninstaller. Adobe says the desktop app can only be uninstalled once every Creative Cloud app on the Mac is gone.
Dragging Photoshop or Illustrator to the Trash skips that order. The app bundle goes, but Adobe's background services stay, and Adobe warns that the desktop app may keep listing the app as installed and up to date, which can block a reinstall later.
When the normal route fails, Adobe's own Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool removes stubborn installs. After any route, some things stay: folders in Application Support, media caches from the video apps, the removed apps' preferences, Adobe Genuine Service, synced fonts, and your Creative Cloud Files folder.
Before any of it, save what's yours: Lightroom Classic catalogs, presets, plug-ins and project files. And remember that uninstalling doesn't cancel your plan. That happens in your Adobe account, separately.
Why Adobe's order matters
Creative Cloud isn't one app. It's a manager app, a set of apps it installs, and several background services that handle sign-in, licensing, updates, fonts and syncing. Removing them in the wrong order leaves pieces that still try to run.
What does Creative Cloud install besides the apps?
Adobe's page on background processes lists the ones you're most likely to see in Activity Monitor. Each has a job, even when no Adobe app is open:
- Creative Cloud Core Service, which keeps track of your licenses, the apps in your plan and the updates they need
- Adobe Content Synchronizer, which syncs fonts, Libraries and cloud documents with your account
- Creative Cloud Libraries Synchronizer and Creative Cloud Content Manager, for Libraries and in-app content
- Creative Cloud Interprocess Service, which lets Adobe apps talk to each other
- Adobe Crash Processor, which reports crashes
On top of those, Adobe Genuine Service checks that the Adobe apps on the Mac are genuine. It has its own uninstaller, covered below.
Why can't you just drag Photoshop to the Trash?
You can, and macOS will let you. But the Creative Cloud desktop app keeps its own record of what it installed. Adobe's troubleshooting page says that when an app wasn't removed with Adobe's uninstallers, the desktop app may still show it as up to date, and that can stop you reinstalling it.
Adobe's fix is the same as its advice: remove apps with Adobe's uninstallers. Apple's own guide says the same in general terms. If an app's folder contains an uninstaller, use it instead of the Trash.
Why must the apps go before the desktop app?
The Creative Cloud desktop app is what installs, updates and removes the other apps. Adobe's page on uninstalling it lists one condition before anything else: you can uninstall it only after uninstalling all Creative Cloud apps, such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere Pro.
If you remove the manager first, you lose the easy way to remove everything else. You'd be left with each app's own uninstaller, or the Cleaner Tool.
| Piece | What it does | How it's removed |
|---|---|---|
| Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and others | The apps you use | Uninstall in the desktop app's Apps tab |
| Acrobat | PDF editing | Acrobat Uninstaller in its folder |
| Creative Cloud desktop app | Installs, updates and removes apps | Adobe's Creative Cloud Uninstaller |
| Background services | Licensing, sync, updates | Removed with the desktop app |
| Adobe Genuine Service | Checks apps are genuine | Removes itself, or AdobeCleanUpUtility |
| Your files and caches | Projects, catalogs, media caches | Not removed; yours to decide |
Before you uninstall: keep catalogs, presets and projects
Uninstalling an Adobe app doesn't delete documents you made with it. But some of your work lives in places people forget, and the Cleaner Tool in particular removes more than a normal uninstall. Go through these while the apps still work.
Which Adobe files are yours?
Your PSD, AI, INDD, Premiere Pro and After Effects files live wherever you saved them, usually in Documents, Desktop or a project drive. Uninstalling doesn't touch them. If you plan to stop using Adobe altogether, export copies in open formats while you still have the apps.
Apple's guide warns about this: once an app is gone, you may not be able to open files you created with it. That's the real cost of an uninstall, more than any leftover folder.
Lightroom Classic catalogs
A Lightroom Classic catalog holds every edit, rating, keyword and collection. Adobe says catalogs live in Pictures › Lightroom by default. An uninstall removes the application files and, if you choose, its preferences; catalogs and photos are neither.
Copy the whole catalog folder to a backup drive anyway. It includes the .lrcat file, the .lrcat-data file, which Adobe says holds AI edits, and the previews. The post on what Lightroom Classic stores on a Mac explains which of those files matter and which are rebuilt.
Presets, actions, workspaces and plug-ins
Adobe's preparation steps for the Cleaner Tool ask you to save a copy of everything in Adobe's product folders, including third-party plug-ins and preference files. Its examples are a plug-in for Adobe XD and a saved Photoshop workspace.
Lightroom Classic's presets are in ~/, according to Adobe's file locations page. Older .lrtemplate presets and templates sit in ~/. Copy both folders if you've made or bought presets.
Old versions and their installers
If you keep an older version of an app for an old project or plug-in, think twice before removing it. Adobe says it only offers downloads of the two most recent versions of its Creative Cloud apps, and asks you to keep installers for anything older before you remove it.
Cloud documents and Libraries
Cloud documents, Creative Cloud Libraries and Lightroom's cloud photos are stored in your Adobe account, and Adobe says they aren't affected by the end of Synced files. Uninstalling the apps doesn't delete them. They stay available while your account does, within the limits of your plan.
| What to keep | Where it usually is | How to keep it |
|---|---|---|
| Project files | Documents, Desktop, project drives | Nothing to do; export open formats if leaving Adobe |
| Lightroom Classic catalog | ~/Pictures/Lightroom | Copy the folder to a backup drive |
| Presets | ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/Settings | Copy the folder |
| Plug-ins and workspaces | Adobe's folders in your Library | Copy them, as Adobe asks |
| Old app versions | Applications | Keep their installers first |
| Creative Cloud Files folder | Your home folder | Move to a backed-up place |
How to uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud on a Mac, step by step
These steps follow Adobe's current help pages. They're the same on macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe. You'll need to be signed in to an administrator account, or know an administrator's name and password.
Step 1: Uninstall each app from the desktop app
- Click the Creative Cloud icon in the menu bar to open the Creative Cloud desktop app.
- In the Apps tab on the left, select Your apps.
- Next to the app you want to remove, click the More actions icon, then choose Uninstall.
- Choose Remove or Keep when asked about the app's preferences, or Cancel to stop.
- Wait for the uninstall to finish, then repeat for every Creative Cloud app.
Should you choose Remove or Keep?
Adobe says Remove deletes the app's notifications, alerts, interface settings, plug-ins and other preferences, and Keep saves them for a future installation. If you're leaving Adobe, choose Remove. If you're reinstalling to fix a problem, Keep brings your setup back.
Plug-ins count as preferences here. If you bought third-party plug-ins, save their installers or folders before choosing Remove.
Only after space? Remove the apps you don't use
If the goal is disk space rather than leaving Adobe, you may not need to go further than this step. Uninstall the apps you no longer open, choose Remove for their preferences, and keep the desktop app for the ones you use.
Each app you remove frees the space it takes in Applications, and the desktop app can reinstall any of them later from Your apps. If you edited video, clear the media cache described below as well; on such Macs it can rival the apps themselves.
Acrobat has its own uninstaller
Acrobat is part of many Creative Cloud plans but uninstalls separately, according to Adobe's Acrobat help:
- Quit Acrobat.
- In Finder, open Applications, then the Adobe Acrobat folder.
- Double-click Acrobat Uninstaller, select Adobe Acrobat, and click Open.
- Click Uninstall to confirm, enter an administrator password if asked, then restart.
What if the desktop app won't open?
Adobe documents an offline route. Open the Applications folder, open the folder of the app you want to remove, and look for a shortcut called Uninstall or [App Name] Uninstaller. Double-click it and follow the steps.
Adobe's troubleshooting page also points to the Adobe Installers folder, inside Applications › Utilities, which holds an uninstaller for each Creative Cloud app. Either works when the desktop app is broken or offline.
Step 2: Remove the Creative Cloud desktop app
Adobe doesn't recommend uninstalling the desktop app except when troubleshooting or leaving, and asks you to check two things first: every Creative Cloud app is already uninstalled, and your files are synced to your account. Then:
- Download the Creative Cloud Uninstaller from Adobe's page. Mac downloads are listed for macOS 10.12 or later, for Apple silicon Macs, and for macOS 10.11 or earlier.
- Open the downloaded zip file, then double-click Creative Cloud Uninstaller.dmg.
- If macOS warns about opening the uninstaller, click Open.
- Click Uninstall, or Repair if you only want to fix a broken desktop app.
- When it's done, click Close.
Why does the uninstaller offer Repair?
Many people uninstall Creative Cloud only to fix it. Adobe's steps start with Repair in the same uninstaller, and says that if repairing fixes the problem, you don't need to uninstall at all. Try it before removing everything when the goal is a working desktop app.
Step 3: Restart, then check
Restart the Mac so Adobe's background services stop. Then open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions and look under Open at Login and App Background Activity for anything from Adobe. Turn off or remove what belongs to apps you've removed.
If something won't move to the Trash because macOS says it's in use, Apple's advice is to quit the app, then restart or start up in safe mode and try again. The post on apps that won't delete on a Mac goes through the other causes.
The Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool for stubborn cases
The Cleaner Tool is Adobe's own app for removing broken or old Adobe installations. Adobe describes it as a utility for experienced users to clean up corrupted installations, so it's a fallback, not the normal way to uninstall.
When does Adobe recommend it?
Adobe lists these cases, after the usual fixes have failed:
- You can't install or update Creative Cloud apps, even after repairing or uninstalling the desktop app.
- You need to completely remove older Adobe software, such as Creative Suite 6.
- The desktop app won't launch, even after uninstalling and reinstalling it.
- You can't sign in to Adobe apps, or can't connect to Adobe's servers.
How to prepare for it
Adobe's preparation page is longer than the steps for the tool itself, because the tool removes data along with the apps:
- Quit every Creative Cloud app and the desktop app, and back up your files.
- In Activity Monitor, quit Creative Cloud Core Service and Adobe Content Synchronizer.
- Copy
~/somewhere safe. Adobe says that if space is short, copying its cloudnative folder is enough.Library/ Application Support/ Adobe/ CoreSync - Quit the other Adobe processes in Activity Monitor, including Creative Cloud, Creative Cloud Content Manager, Creative Cloud Libraries Synchronizer and AGS Service.
- Copy third-party plug-ins, preference files and old installers you want to keep.
Adobe also suggests running its Log Collector tool first, so Adobe Support can help if the Cleaner Tool hits an error.
How to run it on a Mac
- Download the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool from Adobe's page and double-click AdobeCreativeCloudCleanerTool.dmg.
- Choose your language from the menu at the top right, then accept Adobe's license agreement.
- From the menu at the top right, choose what to remove, such as CC Apps for Creative Cloud apps, or CC Apps, Creative Cloud & CS6 Products to remove the desktop app and older suites too.
- Select the apps in the table and click Cleanup Selected.
- When it says it completed successfully, click Quit and restart the Mac.
What does the Cleaner Tool remove?
The apps and components you select, and nothing you didn't. Adobe's examples go further than apps: it can clean up CoreSync, the sync component, when file syncing is broken, and its Fix Host File option repairs the Mac's hosts file when Adobe's servers can't be reached, keeping a backup named hosts_bkup.
Adobe's own warning on a related page is plain: a clean reinstall with the Cleaner Tool removes all Creative Cloud apps and data, so back up important files first. Treat its list as a menu, and pick only what you need.
| Route | Use it when | What it leaves |
|---|---|---|
| Uninstall in the desktop app | The normal case | Caches, Adobe folders, your files |
| Uninstaller in the app's folder | The desktop app won't open | The same |
| Creative Cloud Uninstaller | Removing the desktop app | Adobe folders, Creative Cloud Files |
| Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool | Broken or old installs | Less, by design; back up first |
The Creative Cloud Files folder
Many Macs have a folder called Creative Cloud Files in the home folder. It looks like a cloud sync folder, and for years it was one. That changed in 2025, and it matters for what you do with it now.
Is Creative Cloud Files still synced?
No. Adobe discontinued Creative Cloud Synced files for personal accounts, with a final date of 3 February 2025 after several extensions, and on the same date for business accounts. Files in the local Creative Cloud Files folder are no longer copied to Adobe's cloud storage.
Adobe also says the cloud copies were deleted once Synced files ended, with no way to recover them. Accounts created from 11 December 2023 onwards never had Synced files at all.
What happened to the folder on your Mac?
Adobe says everything in the local folder stays intact and under your control. The folder is in your home folder, and since the change it's no longer hidden when you sign out. Adobe renames it to include your account type, profile name, email address and an ID, and says you can rename it as you like.
On a Mac that used Synced files, you may see the Adobe Content Synchronizer Helper's badges on it. Adobe describes that helper as a Finder extension for badges and menus in the Creative Cloud Files folder, one of the desktop app's sync components.
Can you delete it to save space?
Not without looking first. Because syncing stopped, the files in that folder are now ordinary files on your Mac, and for many people they're the only copy left. Deleting them deletes your work.
Adobe recommends moving them to storage that syncs, such as Frame.io or another cloud service, or at least backing them up somewhere other than the Creative Cloud Files folder. Do that before you uninstall, then decide what to keep.
What does syncing mean for local copies?
With a sync service that's still running, such as iCloud Drive or OneDrive, the folder on your Mac mirrors the cloud. Deleting a file there deletes it everywhere.
The way to save space with such a service is its own option to keep files online only, which removes the local copy and leaves the cloud one. The post on iCloud Drive's storage on a Mac explains how that works.
Creative Cloud Files no longer works that way. Its files are local only. So the rule for it is simpler: back it up, then treat it like any folder of your own documents.
What's left behind after uninstalling Creative Cloud
A normal uninstall removes the apps and the desktop app. Adobe's own page on leftovers lists what to check afterwards, and Homebrew's data for the Creative Cloud cask, which records where it leaves files, adds more. Here's what to expect.
Application Support folders
Adobe keeps a folder named Adobe in ~/, and another in the Library folder at the top of the disk, /. Adobe's leftovers page says to move both to the Trash only if you don't have other Adobe apps installed.
That condition matters. These folders are shared by every Adobe app, including Acrobat Reader if you keep it. If any Adobe app stays, open the folder and remove only the subfolder of the app you removed. The post on the Application Support folder explains how to read those names.
Media caches from the video apps
If you used Premiere Pro, After Effects or Media Encoder, the biggest leftover is often their media cache: conformed audio, peak and index files the apps make for imported footage. The catalog's entry for Adobe's media cache rates it Safe.
It lives in ~/, in folders named Media Cache Files and Media Cache. Adobe's Premiere help says to delete them with the app closed, and that they're worth removing for finished projects. Your footage, projects and exports aren't in them. The guide to clearing caches on a Mac covers it alongside other caches.
If you moved the media cache to another drive in Premiere Pro's settings, look there too. Adobe lets you choose its location, so it may not be in your Library at all.
Preferences of the apps you removed
Adobe's leftovers page says to move each removed app's preferences folder and its property list from ~/ to the Trash. Adobe's example is Acrobat's folder there, named after the app.
That's fine for apps you're removing for good, because you asked to remove them. Leave the preferences of any Adobe app you keep. They're tiny, they aren't a cache, and clearing them only resets the app.
Adobe Genuine Service
Adobe says Adobe Genuine Service uninstalls itself when you remove all Adobe apps from the Mac. If it's still there afterwards:
- Open Applications, then Utilities, then the Adobe Genuine Service folder.
- Double-click AdobeCleanUpUtility.
- Click Uninstall, then enter your name and password.
Adobe says this removes the service and its cached data. If you keep any Adobe software, Adobe recommends leaving it installed.
Adobe Fonts
Fonts you activated from Adobe Fonts are synced by the Creative Cloud desktop app. Remove them before you uninstall the desktop app: in its Fonts view, use the More actions menu to remove a font, a family, or all installed fonts at once.
Or turn the service off. In the desktop app, click the Account icon, choose Preferences, select Services, and turn off Adobe Fonts. Adobe says this removes the fonts you added and pauses font syncing.
Background items, logs and shared folders
Homebrew's cask data lists the small items Creative Cloud leaves: a launch agent for its content process in ~/, a launch daemon for Adobe Genuine Service in /, logs in ~/, and installer folders in /.
Remove what's still there once every Adobe app is gone, and restart. Leave anything that belongs to an Adobe app you kept. The post on leftover files after uninstalling apps explains how to tell which background job belongs to which app.
| Leftover | Where | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe's support folders | ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe | Trash if no Adobe app stays |
| Shared support folders | /Library/Application Support/Adobe | Trash if no Adobe app stays |
| Media caches | ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common | Safe to Trash with the apps closed |
| Removed apps' preferences | ~/Library/Preferences | Trash for apps you've removed |
| Adobe Genuine Service | Applications › Utilities | AdobeCleanUpUtility, if still there |
| Logs and installer folders | ~/Library/Logs, /Users/Shared/Adobe | Trash once Adobe is gone |
What about other accounts on the Mac?
Media caches, preferences, logs and the Adobe folder in ~/ belong to each user. If more than one person on the Mac used Adobe apps, log in to each account and check its Library too.
The apps, the Adobe Installers folder, / and the launch daemon are shared by every account, so they're handled once. Each person's own Creative Cloud Files folder is in their home folder, and only they can decide what's in it.
How much space comes back?
The apps themselves are most of it, and they go with the uninstall. Of the leftovers, only the media cache tends to be large, and only on Macs that edited video. Everything else is usually small.
- Adobe media cache5–100 GB · Safe
- Everything one app leaves0.1–15 GB · Review first
Typical ranges on Macs that have these items at all, from the research behind the app's catalog. Many Macs have far less, and a Mac that never edited video has no media cache to speak of.
Cancelling your plan is separate from uninstalling
An uninstall is about the Mac. A plan is about your Adobe account. Neither one does the other, and people often do one and assume the other happened.
Does uninstalling stop the payments?
No. Your Creative Cloud plan keeps renewing whether or not any Adobe app is installed. Signing out of the desktop app doesn't cancel it either; Adobe notes that signing out of the desktop app also signs you out of your Creative Cloud apps; the plan stays as it is.
How do you cancel?
If you bought the plan from Adobe, cancel it in your Adobe account:
- Sign in to your Adobe account and open Plans and payment.
- Select Manage plan for the plan, then Cancel your plan.
- Check the details and click Continue, choose a reason, then click Continue again.
- Review the details and click Confirm cancellation.
Adobe says each plan must be cancelled separately. If you subscribed through Apple, Google or Microsoft instead, follow that company's cancellation steps.
What happens after you cancel?
Adobe says access to paid apps and services continues until the end of the current billing period, and your Adobe account stays active with free membership benefits. For most plans, cancelling within 14 days of the first purchase brings a full refund; after that, it depends on the plan.
If you have cloud documents or Lightroom photos in Adobe's cloud, download what you need before the paid storage ends. Then uninstall, in the order above, whenever you like.
Reinstalling later, and mistakes to avoid
Reinstalling Creative Cloud
Download the Creative Cloud desktop app from Adobe's website, sign in, and install the apps you need from Your apps. If you chose Keep when uninstalling, your preferences, workspaces and plug-ins come back with each app.
If the desktop app shows a removed app as up to date and won't reinstall it, Adobe's fix is to run that app's uninstaller from the Adobe Installers folder, then try again. The Cleaner Tool is the last resort.
Is a third-party uninstaller enough?
General uninstallers find the files an app left in your Library, which helps with the leftovers above. They don't replace Adobe's own uninstallers, which also update the desktop app's records and remove its services in the right order. The comparison of uninstallers for Mac explains what each kind does well.
The same pattern holds for other big suites. Microsoft Office has its own steps and a warning about Outlook's data, covered in the post on uninstalling Microsoft Office on a Mac.
Mistakes to avoid
- Dragging Creative Cloud apps to the Trash. The desktop app may keep listing them, and reinstalling can fail.
- Removing the desktop app first. Adobe requires the apps to go first.
- Deleting Creative Cloud Files to save space. Since syncing ended, those files may be the only copy.
- Running the Cleaner Tool without backups. It can remove settings, plug-ins and sync data along with the apps.
- Removing Adobe's shared folders while you keep Acrobat Reader or another Adobe app. Remove only the removed app's subfolders.
- Assuming an uninstall cancels the plan. Cancel in your Adobe account.
- Emptying the Trash straight away. Until you empty it, File › Put Back returns anything you moved by mistake.
How the app does it
Wombit explains Adobe's folders like everything else on the disk. Select one in the map or the list, and it says what the folder is and how safe it is to remove, from the catalog's entry. It reads only names, sizes and dates, and file names and paths never leave your Mac.
Adobe's media cache is Safe, so it starts checked in Cleanup and counts toward the safe total. Lightroom Classic's previews are Usually safe and wait for you to choose them. Application Support folders are Review first: explained, never checked for you.
~/
Library/ Application Support/ Adobe/ Common/ {Media Cache Files,Media Cache} Conformed audio, peak and index files that Premiere Pro and other Adobe video apps create for imported media.
Safe · Moves it to the Trash
~/
Pictures/ Lightroom/ * Previews.lrdata Thumbnails and previews that Lightroom Classic renders so it can show your photos quickly.
Usually safe · Moves it to the Trash
~/
Library/ Application Support/ * Data that apps create and manage for you, such as libraries, databases, downloads and settings, in a folder for each app.
Review first · Explained only: the app shows you how
Run Adobe's own uninstallers first. Then the Applications section lists every app with its size, what it has left around the Mac and when you last opened it, with Uninstall…, and below the apps, the leftovers of apps that are already gone.
For each file it shows why it belongs to the app, such as its identifier or a background job that starts it. Folders that may hold your data start unchecked.
The review asks the app to quit, stops its background jobs and moves everything to the Trash, where Undo and Put Back work.
Seeing all of this is free. Cleanup and the uninstaller are PRO, one $4.99 payment with lifetime access. Every Pro tool's review is free to open, so you see what would go and why before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I uninstall the Creative Cloud desktop app?
Adobe only lets you remove the Creative Cloud desktop app once every Creative Cloud app is gone. Uninstall Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and the rest from the desktop app's Apps tab first, then run Adobe's Creative Cloud Uninstaller. If it still fails, Adobe's Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool is the fallback.
Is it OK to drag Adobe apps to the Trash?
It removes the app bundle but not Adobe's background services, and Adobe says the Creative Cloud desktop app may then keep showing the app as installed and up to date, which can block a reinstall. Use Uninstall in the desktop app, or the uninstaller in the app's folder, instead.
Does uninstalling Creative Cloud cancel my subscription?
No. Your plan belongs to your Adobe account, not to the apps on your Mac. Cancel it in your Adobe account under Plans and payment, or through Apple if you subscribed in the App Store. Access to paid apps continues until the end of the billing period.
Is the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool safe to use?
It's Adobe's own app, meant for experienced users with broken installations. It removes the Adobe apps you choose and can reset sync components and the hosts file, so back up presets, plug-ins, settings and old installers first, as Adobe asks. For a normal uninstall you don't need it.
What happens to the Creative Cloud Files folder when I uninstall?
It stays in your home folder. Adobe ended Creative Cloud Synced files in February 2025, so what's in that folder is no longer copied to the cloud and may be the only copy. Move the files somewhere you back up before you delete anything there.
Should I remove Adobe Genuine Service?
You usually don't need to. Adobe says it uninstalls itself when you remove all Adobe apps. If it's still there afterwards, Adobe's AdobeCleanUpUtility in the Adobe Genuine Service folder inside Applications › Utilities removes it and its cached data.
Will I lose my Lightroom Classic catalog if I uninstall Creative Cloud?
No. An uninstall removes the app's files and, if you choose, its preferences. Catalogs live in Pictures › Lightroom by default, and your photos wherever you keep them. Back them up anyway, and keep the .lrcat and .lrcat-data files together, since Adobe says the second one holds AI edits.
Do Adobe Fonts stay installed after I uninstall Creative Cloud?
Adobe Fonts are synced by the Creative Cloud desktop app. Before you remove it, you can remove fonts from its Fonts view or turn off Adobe Fonts in Preferences › Services, which Adobe says removes the fonts you added. Documents that used them may then show a substitute font.