Table of Contents
For content creators, having Adobe on Mac is essential. Adobe has fixed previous versions of Adobe, but we can continue using it for free with the Adobe 2024 and 2025 suite with macOS 13 or later. In this article update, Lucid Gen will guide you on installing Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Premiere, Audition, Animate, After Effects, Media Encoder, and many other Adobe applications.
Download Adobe for Mac
You need to know this information to install Adobe for Mac. Please note that macOS versions lower than 13 will not work with this tutorial.
| macOS | From 13 (Ventura) and up |
| Adobe version | 2024, 2025 |
| Chips | Intel and ARM |
| SIP and Gatekeeper | Disable |
Download AntiCC, CleanMyMac, and AdobeCreativeCloudCleanerTool first. These are the necessary tools to install Adobe on Mac for free.
- AntiCC: Helps you not need to install Adobe Creative Cloud but can still install free Adobe applications.
- AdobeCreativeCloudCleanerTool: Helps you safely uninstall old Adobe applications on Mac.
- CleanMyMac: Helps you clean up leftovers after uninstalling old Adobe on Mac.
The list of installation files that Lucid Gen shares includes the following Adobe applications for Mac:
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Animate
- Adobe Audition
- Adobe Bridge
- Adobe Character Animator
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InCopy
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Lightroom
- Adobe Media Encoder
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere
Prepare before installing Adobe
Please note that this part is essential; it determines whether you will install Adobe on a MacBook smoothly. So you need to follow it thoroughly. This tutorial was done on macOS Sonoma and was 100% successful.
Turn off Gatekeeper and SIP
Not just Adobe, but to install any available app outside the App Store for free, you must turn off Gatekeeper and SIP on your Mac. The part turning off SIP will be a bit difficult because you have to enter recovery mode, but you have to try to learn and pass.
Clean up everything related to old Adobe
If you have ever installed any Adobe applications on Mac before, to install Adobe applications for Mac, you need to delete and clean everything related to old Adobe.
Step 1: Open AdobeCreativeCloudCleanerTool and click the Clean All button. This is how to remove all Adobe applications safely. But you still need to restore the hosts file on Mac manually because the Fix Host File feature does not work well.
Step 2: Remove remaining Adobe sync applications using CleanMyMac. Go to the Uninstaller section and search for Adobe to remove all remaining applications.
Step 3: Delete empty folders related to old Adobe. Even though you have used the above two tools, you must manually delete anything associated with Adobe in the folders below if you find it.
- /Applications
- /Applications/Utilities
- /Documents
Step 4: Restart the device.
If you complete the above preparation steps, Lucid Gen believes that 90% of you will successfully install the entire Adobe for Mac suite. Now, we must go through installing each Adobe application.
Install Adobe on Mac for free
Step 1: Install AntiCC first. AntiCC will help you avoid installing Adobe Creative Cloud and using Adobe for free on Mac (which means you have to uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud). Just click Continue Install until completed.
Step 2: After extracting the zip file on Mac, open the file with the dmg extension. Double-click the Install file to install Adobe Photoshop for Mac or other Adobe.
The installation process for an Adobe for Mac application will be shown below. Please enter the password to open the device if any dialog box asks.
If you encounter an error and cannot open steps 1 and 2. Copy the Install, Patch, and AntiCC files to any folder on your computer, such as Downloads. Then open Terminal and type xattr -cr , drag and drop the Install, Patch, and AntiCC files, then Enter.
Step 3: After installing an Adobe application for Mac, do not rush to install the Patch file. Open the Adobe application and log in to your Adobe account. To be successful, you must use an account whose Country/Region is United States. If you do not have such an account, register at Adobe.com.
Note: Use an account that has been created for a long time as possible. New accounts cause some cases of crashes, specifically Lighroom.
After logging in, you will see this trial window; please turn it off. At the same time, you also close the open Adobe application. To make sure the application is completed, right-click on the running application on the Dock and select Quit.
Note: Download all the Adobe applications you need and install steps 1 to 3. Only after you have logged in to all Adobe applications, do steps 4 and 5 for each application, because after performing these two steps, you will not be able to install other Adobe applications.
If you have installed a Patch file and are currently having an error when trying to install another Adobe application, please clean your computer as I instructed and start again.
Step 4: Install the Patch file to use Adobe on Mac for free. You should only select the correct name of the Adobe application you are installing to avoid causing errors to other Adobe applications.
Step 5: To avoid the error “This unlicensed Adobe app will be disabled soon”, you need to block the internet connection of applications on Mac related to Adobe.
Open Radio Silence > click Block Application button > find Adobe applications to block.
Open Radio Silence > click on the Network Monitor tab > open an Adobe application like Photoshop > go back to Radio Silence and see which Adobe applications are connecting to the internet > click the Block button.
You should always keep Radio Silence running before and while using Adobe applications.
After installing Adobe on Mac, you can delete all downloaded installation files and enjoy Adobe applications on your MacBook.
How to handle errors during installation
Failed with error code 183
Delete or rename the Photoshop folder in Applications, restart and reinstall.
Failed with error code 146
- Go to /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Sync/.
- Rename the CoreSync folder to CoreSync_1.
- Restart your device and reinstall the app installer.
Failed with error code 107
This error is because the Intel device is not compatible with the installer, please comment to let me know.
Premiere does not display when opened
Premiere will not have the Welcome screen when opened like other Adobe applications, but it will still display the menu at the top, use the menu to open or create a project and continue using.
Error: SyntaxError: JSON Parse error: Unexpected EOF (-2700)
Reinstall AntiCC before installing a new Adobe application.
We can’t verify your subscription status
This error is because you have patched it for another Adobe application. Please restore the hosts file and try installing again. After successfully logging in to Adobe applications, patch each application.
Cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer
Use Terminal to fix by typing xattr -cr (space) then drag and drop the file and Enter.
Lightroom problem (solution from member Maarten Joostens)
For anyone experiencing problems with Lightroom. This solved it for version 13.0.1. Haven’t tested it with the latest version:
- Run Install.pkg (right click and OPEN) and install Lightroom Classic.
- Launch Lightroom Classic, Pop-up window will lead you to apply and sign in to your Adobe ID, and start your trial. Effectively start 7 days Free trail by providing card details or logging into paypal.
- Turn off your wifi and Lightroom.
- Install Patch.pkg (right click and OPEN).
- Turn on your wifi and visit your Adobe ID website.
- End your 7 days Free trail and make sure eveything is cancelled.
- Launch Lightroom Classic.
The file “Setup” doesn’t exist
You must install AntiCC first.
Photoshop shows a black window when saving files
Press Command Option Shift and start Photoshop, then select Yes.
Conclusion
Older versions of Adobe are no longer accessible, and the Adobe suite is no longer free in older macOS. Therefore, upgrading macOS from 13 (Ventura) or higher is mandatory. Lucid Gen wants to express our condolences to those who cannot upgrade macOS. If you upgrade macOS, uninstall Adobe first; otherwise, you may encounter errors with Adobe applications that cannot be resolved.
After successfully installing the entire MacBook Adobe suite and saving a lot of money, consider donating to Lucid Gen to develop and continue updating newer versions of Adobe.
If you encounter any problems during the installation process, please read each step in the article carefully, and don’t hesitate to leave a comment below the article. Please provide specific information such as Adobe application name, chip, and macOS to support you better. We wish you a successful installation!
Do you also have a download for the 2025 version?
Yes, I’m waiting for them more stable.
Does this procedure work on laptops only?
It works for macOS, not only laptops.
Hi! I tried to restore my computer and it still won’t let me open Photoshop. Should I install an older version of Photoshop? I have a Macbook M2
Do you mean open the install file or the app? I recently updated to macOS 15 and Photoshop from the links still works for my M1 Mac.
Hello! I was able to install Photoshop and Acrobat because the files are .pkg, but the others that are .app show me a message that the file is damaged and does not continue with the installation. Can you help me, please?
Try the xattr -cr command in Terminal. I guided in the install step.
Hi Hieu Tran Ngoc Minh,
I am having an issue with InDesign. The app closes automatically after a short while. I run offline and it did not close.
I would like to find the process that connects to the internet and closes the app in the Radio Silence:Network Monitor.
I don’t find any process trying to connect with a name related to Adobe or the program.
However when I started the app offline and turned on the wifi after a while, it gave me the following error: “Sorry, something went wrong.
This is likely an issue at our end, but it could be that you’re not connected to the internet. Please check your internet connection and then try again later. If you’re still having issues, please see our troubleshooting guide. Error code: 10000.”
For example in my device, with Photoshop and Illustrator. I will block:
– /Applications/Adobe Photoshop 2024/Adobe Photoshop 2024.app
– /Applications/Adobe Illustrator 2024/Adobe Illustrator.app
– /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Creative Cloud Experience/CCXProcess/CCXProcess.app
– /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Sync/CoreSync/Core Sync.app
And then it work very good. Do not forget open Radio Slience before and while using any Adobe app. Also insurce that you have installed the patch if it exists.
Hello! Illustrator install is giving me the error code 183. I tried to rename and delete it but it’s not working.. thank you very much
Hello, please insure that you also restart the device. You can try remove all an install again.