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JP&RM
JP&RM
Participating Frequently
May 22, 2026
Question

Camera Raw do not open on bridge on last version

  • May 22, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 36 views

Dear Adobe Support Team,

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding a persistent technical issue with my Adobe Creative Cloud subscription and the substandard support experience I received over the past 24 hours.

Account Details:

  • Email: joaoprmatos@hotmail.com
  • Active Subscription: Photography Plan (Lightroom Classic, Lightroom, and Bridge)
  • System: Mac Air

The Issue: For the past year, I have consistently used Adobe Bridge as my primary hub, opening files via Camera Raw. However, following this week’s updates, Bridge displays an error message stating I do not have a "qualifying product" to use Camera Raw.

Attempted Troubleshooting:

  1. I have followed all standard procedures (reinstalling, clearing cache).
  2. I tested a trial of Photoshop, and the Camera Raw plugin worked immediately. Upon canceling the trial, the plugin stopped working again.
  3. As a Lightroom Classic subscriber, I should have a licensed version of the Camera Raw engine, yet the Bridge integration is failing to recognize it.

Complaint regarding Support: Yesterday, I spent hours chatting with multiple technicians. The experience was unprofessional: I was asked the same questions repeatedly, and the final technician I spoke with took remote control of my Mac. She instructed me to restart the computer, promising the session would resume automatically. It did not. I was left with an unresolved problem and a forced system reboot.

Required Action: I do not use Photoshop and have no interest in subscribing to it. I require the Camera Rawfunctionality within Adobe Bridge to be restored immediately, as it is covered by my Lightroom Classic entitlement.

I expect a response from a senior technician who can provide a definitive fix rather than generic troubleshooting steps. This is impacting my professional workflow, and I need this resolved urgently.

Regards,

João Matos

      3 replies

      Rob_Cullen
      Community Expert
      Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 24, 2026

      I have seen this question in the past and the answer then IIRC was basically:

      You need Photoshop installed.  ACR is a plugin for Photoshop only.

      Bridge cannot open ACR if Photoshop is not installed.

      Lightroom-Classic is the equivalent of ACR in the Develop module (it uses the same camera raw rendering ‘engine’ ) but with one or two newer features yet to be added in LrC upgrades. And if you run Lightroom-Classic you do not need Bridge.

       

      Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
      JP&RM
      JP&RMAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      May 25, 2026

      Hi Rob.

       

      I used Camera Raw since July 2025 with LightRoom  Classic subscription: Only last week this problem began. 

       

      For me is faster to edit photos with Camera Raw then LightRoom . 

       

      Thanks

      Rob_Cullen
      Community Expert
      Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 25, 2026

      Did you perhaps change plans at some time recently? The ‘old’ Photography 20GB plan included Photoshop, but the ‘new’ Lightroom Plan does not. 

      A little unclear what your subscription is “ Active Subscription: Photography Plan (Lightroom Classic, Lightroom, and Bridge)” . [I do not work for Adobe so have no idea of your plan.]

      Your experience “ I tested a trial of Photoshop, and the Camera Raw plugin worked immediately.” is what I would expect to occur if you do not have Photoshop in your subscription plan. That requires the ‘Photography 1TB Plan’. Perhaps you were lucky the ACR worked as long as it did.

       

      Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
      JP&RM
      JP&RMAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      May 23, 2026

      Still not working after spending 1h with Adobe technical guys.

      Erik Bloodaxe
      Erik Bloodaxe
      Legend
      May 22, 2026

      I think this is not the appropriate place to lodge complaints of this nature. It is a forum for seeking help with issues from other users like yourself. 

      JP&RM
      JP&RMAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      May 22, 2026

      Sorry for your understanding … If you read my text .. I complain and ask for help as I cannot find another way to do that.

      Erik Bloodaxe
      Erik Bloodaxe
      Legend
      May 22, 2026

      Try resetting the Camera Raw preferences:
      Hold down the Command key and select Photoshop > Preferences > Camera Raw (macOS) or hold down the Ctrl key and select Edit > Preferences > Camera Raw (Windows).
      Click Yes in the dialog that asks "Delete the Camera Raw Preferences?"
      See also:
      https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/using/camera-raw-settings.html 

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