Participating Frequently

Question

Cannot download Creative Cloud app or use Lightroom CC after migrating to a M3 MacBook Pro

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
March 10, 2024
3 replies
1080 views

I recently upgraded to an M3 chip Macbook Pro from an Intel-based MacBook Pro, and unfortunately I didn't realize that I shouldn't have allowed Creative Cloud and associated apps to be migrated over to the new machine. Now, I can't use the Creative Cloud app—nor can I uninstall it or install an updated version—and every time I use Lightroom Classic, it crashes.

I chatted with Support and their first suggestion was that I allow them full access to my machine so they can remote in and "take a look around." I am not super comfortable with this, but I also have some contracts that forbid third parties from accessing data relating to the contract. So, this is a no-go.

Support sent me a few different installers to try to use, but they all crashed after getting to about 5% installed. The one that didn't crash gave me an error that Creative Cloud is not compatible with Apple silicon chips, although the support agent insists that it is.

Next they asked me to delete some Adobe certificates in my keychain, but told me I also had to "restart the app," meaning Creative Cloud. When I explained that I couldn't open the previous version or install the new one—you know, the point of my support request—they went back to insisting they needed to "look around" on my machine.

So I'm at a loss. I did read a support document that recommends using the Adobe cleaner to delete all Adobe apps and, presumably, allow them to be reinstalled, but that requires installing Rosetta to use and I do not want to do that. If Creative Cloud and its apps run natively on M3 chips, then I need a native solution to use them.

The agent was out of ideas after this, and insisted I "disable all antivirus software immediately" but I'm not running any.

Am I just out of luck here with being able to use Lightroom/Photoshop on this new machine? Has anyone else run across this issue and resolved it?

This topic has been closed for replies.

courtneybrillhart

Participant

Hey megmo – I ran into the exact same issue and I was able to resolve by doing the following:

Drag everything Adobe from your Applications folder to the trash and dump it.
Drag everything Adobe from your Utilities folder to the trash and dump it.

Now we’ll go into your user library and also the system library:

In Finder, hold down the option key and then click on Go > Library in the top menubar.
From there, go to Application Support and trash anything Adobe.
Go back a level, then go to Preferences and trash anything Adobe.
Now go to Macintosh HD in your sidebar and go into the Library folder. Do the same thing here in Application Support and Preferences (dump everything Adobe).

Now do a quick restart just to be safe. Try installing Lightroom again (will also install Creative Cloud at the same time).

This worked for me on my new M3 laptop – hope it works well for you too!

Ton Frederiks

Community Expert

I would use the cleaner tool first (using Rosetta won't do no harm).

kglad

Community Expert

restore your m3 to its new state

properly uninstall everything adobe from your old computer

migrate your adobe-free old computer to your m3

properly install the cc desktop app onto your m3 and use it to install your cc apps.

M

megmoAuthor

Participating Frequently

You are telling me that the only way to use Creative Cloud apps is to completely wipe a computer I have already spent hours setting up. That's unacceptable.

kglad

Community Expert

no. i'm just explaining the quickest/easiest way to fix your m3

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