Installing Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Ai, Premiere, After Effect, and so on Mac for free for life is what every designer and marketer wants when he first buys a macOS, right? This article is based on my experience of installing Adobe on Mac, so I narrate it in the most understandable way for you to follow. Please read the instructions carefully, especially the notes.
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Preparation before installing Adobe on Mac
Download Adobe on Mac for free
Please check what chip your device is using and what macOS you are on to download the appropriate version according to your device.
The download link for Adobe is mainly Fshare, so the speed is slow (if you buy their download package, it will download quickly), so I have updated the download link of Google Drive and OneDrive (high speed download) for a few popular Adobe such as: Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom,… but you have to unzip files on Mac.
Some Adobe “Not yet” on M1, you can download the Intel version to try your luck!
Support installing Adobe on Mac files:
- Adobe Creative Cloud: Download directly from Adobe (Adobe 2019 and 2022 is not required).
- Uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud: Download directly from Adobe (only used if you want to remove Adobe Creative Cloud after installing Adobes).
- AntiCC: Download here (replacement for Adobe Creative Cloud).
- Adobe Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool: Download directly from Adobe (used to uninstall Adobe applications and clean up when installation fails).
Disable Gatekeeper and SIP
To install the Adobe suite on Mac, you need to disable Gatekeeper and SIP on Mac first, then come back to this article for instructions on installing Adobe on Mac!
Install Adobe on Mac
Download Adobe on Mac according to your macOS version. Note that Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere … on Mac software all have the same installation method, so in this article, I choose software that has not been installed on my computer to guide you. You follow, but with other Adobe installation files, it’s okay.
You need to install Adobe Creative Cloud and sign in, or install AntiCC before installing Adobe applications. Choose only one of two ways.
Version 2022 and 2023
Since version 2022, Adobe applications have had a native version, bringing faster speed when starting the application, typically Photoshop 23.5, clicking open in just 2 seconds. The way to activate permanently is also different, the activation file is included in every Adobe application that you download. Watch the video or read the tutorial to install Adobe 2022 for Mac.
Case 1: The installation file is red
Double click to open, select Open when the popup appears.
Click the Install button, enter the password to open the device, click OK.
Wait for Adobe 2022 to install successfully.
If you are facing an error and cannot install Adobe, please drag and drop the red installer to anywhere on your Mac, for example, you can place it on the Desktop. Open Terminal and input the code below.
xattr -cr Drag-and-drop-installer-file-to-here-and-then-Enter
Open the installer on the Desktop to Install the Adobe that you need.
Case 2: The installation file is white
Right-click on the installation file and select Show Package Contents.
Open the folder under the path Contents > MacOS and open the Install file to install Adobe 2022 for MacBook.
Click Deny when the popup asks for permission to access key, enter the password to turn on the machine and click OK. For LightRoom, allow access key to use Developer tools.
Click Continue to begin installing Adobe 2022 on Mac.
Note when installing Lightroom
If your Lightroom 2022 installation fails, try the following steps:
- Uninstall the faulty installed version of Lightroom with the genuine Adobe Cleaner Tool from Adobe.
- Clean up leftovers on Mac with CleanMyMac.
- Restart the machine.
- Copy the Install LTRM_11.5-en_US-macuniversal file to the desktop.
- Open Terminal and enter the command
xattr -crand drag the Install LTRM_11.5-en_US-macuniversal file tag on the desktop and then Enter. - Open the file Install LTRM_11.5-en_US-macuniversal to install Lightroom.
- Open the remaining file and install it for permanent activation.
- When opening Lightroom, if it asks for an access key, enter the password to open the computer and click the Always allow button.
- When using, if Lightroom asks for permission to access the folder, it’s OK for it.
Permanently activate Adobe 2022 and 2023
From 2022 you will no longer use the old way, in the installer there will be an activation file specific to each Adobe application. You open it up and run the installation for success like this.
Enjoy the speed of Adobe 2022 on your MacBook.
The interface does not have a login area.
Version 2021 and M1
Step 1: You sign up for an Adobe account and install Adobe Creative Cloud. After logging in, leave it aside.
Step 2: Open the downloaded Adobe installation file (wait for it to be extracted) > double-click Install > Open.
Step 3: Click the buttons on the warning, in turn, to install Adobe on Mac. Install > OK > wait for installation > OK.
Step 4: You open Adobe Zii > Open > see instructions for permanent activation below.
Photoshop 2021 on M1
There will be one more step before you use Photoshop. Go to the path containing Photoshop CC 2021 > Right click on Adobe Photoshop CC 2021.app > Get information > Open using Rosetta (Open with Rosetta)
/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2021/Adobe Photoshop CC 2021.app
Versions 2019 and 2020
Step 1: Extract the zip file > open the Install folder > right-click Install and select Show Package Contents.
Step 2: You open the Content folder> MacOS> open Install> select Open.
Step 3: You wait for the installation process to complete and close the windows. You’d need to sign in to your Adobe Creative Cloud account if you didn’t install Adobe Creative Cloud first.
Step 4: You open Zii in the remaining folder > see instructions for permanent activation below.
Follow these steps to activate Adobe on Mac permanently. In each Adobe you had downloaded, there will be a corresponding activation file name Zii.
You should not click the PATCH OR DRAG button, because it will automatically patch all Adobe it detects, so it is easy to cause errors when it patches other Adobes that are not the same version that it supports.
Step 1: Go to the Application folder> Adobe…20XX folder> drag and drop the Adobe application…20XX into the PATCH OR DRAG box
Step 2: Click OK when the device asks for Root permission required > enter the password to open the device > OK.
When Zii displays COMPLETED, it is successful. Do the same for other Adobes. Remember not to press the PATCH OR DRAG button.
Enjoy Adobe on Mac forever
After installing and activating permanently for Adobe software, you can open some software to see if they work well.
Check out the pricing of Adobe software on Mac. If it has notice of the trial period, you can ignore it, and when it expired, you can still use it normally. It’s okay.
Note that you have installed a version that works well; you should not update to the new version because it will not activate it forever. To prevent accidental updates, follow the instructions below to remove Adobe Creative Cloud, which likes to run in the background consuming RAM and invites you to update continuously.
Uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud from Mac
You open the Creative Cloud Uninstaller file downloaded at the top.
Then you enter the computer username and password and click OK. Next, click the Uninstall button to uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud from your Mac.
Frequently asked questions
What if I can’t open the installation file?
First of all, you have to make sure that you have disabled Gatekeeper and SIP. Then if there is still an error that cannot be installed, open the Terminal application and enter the command line xattr -cr Drag the Install file after the space of -cr and Enter.
What to do when there is an error in the permanent activation step?
First of all, you prefer to use the included patch file of each Adobe, and if there is still an error, you can download the backup patch file above the article. If you accidentally click the patch (batch) button, you need to open each Adobe application to see if there is an error. If there is an error, remove and reinstall it.
Can’t uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud?
Yes, versions 2021 and later should not remove Adobe Creative Cloud. You need to go into its settings to turn off automatic updates and turn off auto-launching when the device is turned on.
Conclusion
Like downloading Microsoft Office on Mac, the Adobe suite is indispensable. I will update the new file on this article, but what stable version you are using should keep that original. If there is an update, update it to the year, but the version of the same year is not much different. How many Adobe on Mac software have you installed? No problem. Would you mind leaving a comment to chat with me?
Hello, I am trying to install Lightroom on 2021 m1 MacBook and getting the error Syntax Error : Json Parse error: Unexpected EOF (2700). Can you please help?
Hello Viral, Please uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud, and then install AntiCC, and then install Adobe Lightroom. Please make sure your have disabled Gatekeeper and SIP. Good luck!
Hello,
If I had the Adobe Zii 2021 6.0.5 for lightroom classic 10.0, can I update the software version to the 12.3 or will I lose the “license”?
Thanks!
Hello, you should use the versions I shared. Updating can make you lose license.
Hi Trần, do I need to sign up to Fshare in order to download the files in your list of installation files in 1.1 ?
It says you can download without signing up but I cant see how this is possible?
Hello, I will replace the Fshare download links to OneDrive at this weekend. You should try again after I updated the links.
Thanks Trần, I just tried that link again and it is still edirecting to Fshare? Is it possible to download from Fshare? I cant see how, I would really appreciate if you can make these files available please.
Hello, all download links have been updated. Good luck!
Thank you for detailed explanation. For M2 users (2023 mini pro) it works. Ps and Ai 2023 versions. And as I understand I can now uninstal ACCloud?
You need to use Adobe Creative Cloud or AntiCC to make sure Adobe apps work.
Hello can this be applied on the newest mac version of M2 chip?
Yes, you can
hola, te consulto, cuando intento bajar el paquete de adobe de tu artículo, me pide que copie un link, pero, o mi navegador no me muestra o no sé donde encontrarlo, me lo podrías pasar por favor así copio y pego, por que no lo encuentro.
vi las otras respuestas y no hay ningún botón de me gusta, al menos no me aparece como botón y tampoco lanza alguna ventana emergente.
Hello. Please comment with English to get the support.
Hello, can I reenable gatekeeper and SIP after I have installed the apps? Will they continue working?
They may not work if re-enable SIP or Gatekeeper. But you can try.
Hi again, i figured out how to unzip the files by just following the instructions. Every app I have downloaded works great. Thanks for that….you really my hero
Hi my Mac is a 2015 i9 – is it too old to handle these versions of photoshop? Thanks
Hello Ron, you should try the oldest version in the download table. Good luck!
Hi there, really appreciate your work here, everything works perfectly! Would like to know after all the successful downloads & activation, can I uninstall / delete all the patch files but keeping the apps working?
Hello, test what you want. You can reinstall if you face any errors. But I think it can be crashed. Good luck!
Hello! I followed the steps, but when clicking to install, the message “Install Photoshop_22.5.1-en_US iis damaged and cannot be opened. You must eject the disk image.” shows up and I can’t install it. Do you know what it could be? Thank you so much.
Hello Fabiane, please try with 2023 version. Good luck!
Hello, thank you very much for your sharing. Just discovered my PS 2024 fails to save new files via “Save” “Save As” or “Save a Copy”, due the black pop up window where it supposed to be allowing file location selection. please help! Am on macbook pro Ventura with PS24.0
thank you!
Hello Jenny, please try other versions to find a version that works for your Mac. Good luck!
Hello, thank you for the article. I’ve read it many times but I’m missing something.
I have a new macbook with M2, I followed the steps till 2.1.1
Now I’m at the Creative Cloud windows, where they ask me to select the programs I want to install and I have to decide “Try” or “Buy”..
What’s next ?
Thank you
Hello, please download the installation files at heading 1.1 in the article. Good luck!
hi i was following the steps you listed and one of them was saying download the latest version, latest version of what? can you explain pls thanks for the help
Hello Yuksi, I mean you should try the latest version of the Adobe app that you want to install first. If it does not work for your Mac, uninstall it and try with other versions. Good luck!
Hi. Thanks a lot for your dedication. I installed all the apps with Anti CC on my M2 and worked fine, but since yesterday when I try to “save as” or “save a copy” on photoshop the pop up window won’t appear, only a completely black one, so I can’t save any new file. I tried to uninstall and reinstall photoshop but still the same problem. Maybe a subfile has been corrupted? how come that happen? do you know how to solve this? Thanks again
Hi again I just googled the issue and I seem to have find a solution by renaming the UXP folder on the Adobe Application Support Folder on the Library. From UXP to ~UXP. Then I rebooted PS and tried to save again. It worked. I don’t know where the problem came from, maybe it was from using an external monitor, it is the only thing I changed before the problem appeared. I leave here this just in case is useful to anyone else.
Thanks!
Hi Manu, thank you very much!
Hello, please try with all versions to find the best version for you. Someone recommend 2021 works for M2. Good luck!
Thanks heaps for your effort and blogs on this. I have managed to install PS and LRc.
I have 1 more question. Currently still on OSX Monterey, can anyone confirm it is ok for me to upgrade to Ventura 13.2, PS and LRc still works after the upgrade?
TIA
Hello Steve, If everything is working, keep it as it is. But if you want to upgrade macOS please uninstall all Adobe Apps to avoid crashing apps (even if you have uninstalled them after), then try to install it again!
hi, i finally had illustrator running without the trial quit thing, and now after an hour when i quit manually and added some fonts – it started again with the 2 min auto quit.
on a macbook air M2 monterey 12.5
i´ve tried it a few more times, manually deleting everything adobe including whats in preferences, both in user and general. still quits.
one thing – when deinstalling creative cloud uninstaller i get a message like “deinstalling was completed with errors”
i´ve also downloaded everything new. still no success.
help))
Hello, please try to uninstall all relative Adobe, including Adobe Creative Cloud. Restart your Mac, install Anti CC instead of Creative Cloud first, then install Illustrator, then install the patch. Good luck!
Hello, please try with all versions to find the best version for you. Someone recommend 2021 works for M2.
After trying on previous versions, I found that pts 2021 works fine but I can’t open or save files in pts 2022 and 2023. I think it might be because of the patch file not supporting the M2 chip
Hello, fortunately, the old version still works for you. Maybe you are right!
Hola! Donde puedo descargar AntiCC o adobe creative? Mi macOS es Ventura 13.01.1 crees que funcionara? Gracias
Hello, It is in the article, the apps work for Ventura. Good luck!
Hey Boss man great post by the way. But every time install Premiere Pro. The start trial always pops up
Hello, make sure you have installed the patch file, it is included in the apps when you download.
Hello, thank you for the software. I have a little problem with Ps 2023, I have a macbook air m2. I followed all the recommendations. When I want to save my document in Ps, the save page is black. I uninstalled and reinstalled with no success.
I have Ai and Id without this problem.
Hello, try the 2021 version, someone told me it works for M2.
Hello, I accidentally clicked on always allow at the adobe licensing question while downloading Lightroom.. do I need to remove it and download it again? the app works fine.
thanks, Josse
Hello, LightRoom needs Always allow. You did the right thing!