CEP / UXP roadmap: Should developers stop building CEP plugins, and what happens to existing ones?

Hi Adobe team and community,

I’m an extension developer currently maintaining and building plugins using CEP (Common Extensibility Platform), and I’m trying to understand the long-term roadmap for CEP as Adobe continues transitioning to UXP across Creative Cloud apps.

There has been discussion in documentation and the community about CEP being deprecated, and I’ve heard references to a possible 2026 timeframe where UXP becomes the primary (or only) supported plugin system in some applications. I’m trying to plan ahead for both future development and existing plugins, and would appreciate some clarity.

Specifically, I’m hoping to understand:

• Is there an official or semi-official timeline for when CEP support will be fully removed across Creative Cloud apps (per application)?

• When CEP is removed from a given app, does that mean existing CEP panels will no longer load or function at all in newer versions?

• Will CEP and UXP continue to coexist for a period, or should developers and users expect a hard cutoff per app?

• Are there any public plans or guidance on how long Adobe intends to maintain CEP compatibility for legacy workflows?

From a development standpoint, I’m also trying to make an informed decision about new plugin development:

• As a developer, should I stop creating new plugins with CEP now and fully transition to UXP?

• Is CEP still considered acceptable for short-term or ongoing development, or is it effectively end-of-life?

One complication I’m running into is that some of the plugins I’m actively building rely on functionality that UXP does not currently expose or support. Because of this, CEP is still the only viable platform for certain features and workflows. I want to continue supporting users, but I’m concerned about investing further in CEP if support is going away soon.

Ultimately, I’m trying to assess:

• Risk to existing users and purchased plugins

• How urgent migration to UXP truly is

• Whether continuing to maintain and build CEP plugins is still viable given current UXP limitations

Any official guidance, timelines, or real-world experience from Adobe staff or other developers would be extremely helpful.

Thanks in advance.