Participant

Question

Error 191 ... again in 2026 (Creative Cloud for Enterprise)

Forum|Forum|7 months ago
January 21, 2026
6 replies
461 views

Latest version of Adobe Creative Cloud 6.8.1.856 on Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2. And I see Error 191 when attempting to update CC even though it's already updated.

I've dug through ALL of the suggestions posted here, Adobe's article on its 191 error, and more. Brand new Windows 11 deployment, brand new install of CC, and still get this error. Not just on one laptop, but multiple. No amount of troubleshooting resolves it. Seems like a bug that's been popping up since before COVID and each version brings it back in some way. WTF Adobe?

C

Clever_artistry2029

Participant

Hello,

We are also experiencing Adobe Creative Cloud Error 191 on managed Windows 11 devices deployed through Microsoft Intune.

The failure specifically involves the AdobeNotificationClient AppX package:

AdobeNotificationClient_7.0.7.25_x64__enpm4xejd91yc

Windows AppX Deployment Server records Event ID 404 with:

Error: 0x80070005 (Access Denied)
Calling process: HDHelper.exe
External location: Adobe OS Extension

The issue occurs when a standard/non-administrator user performs the Creative Cloud update.

We have performed several controlled tests:

The same AdobeNotificationClient version installs successfully on an unmanaged Windows machine.
An actual administrator account was able to install the Notification Client successfully.
When the standard user subsequently runs Creative Cloud, the package is removed and Creative Cloud attempts to reinstall it, but the installation fails again with 0x80070005.
We temporarily allowed non-admin AppX installation by setting BlockNonAdminUserInstall to 0, but the standard-user failure remained.
We also temporarily removed the Microsoft Store restrictions, but the standard-user failure remained.
AppLocker does not have an effective packaged-app rule blocking the package.
Windows Defender shows no corresponding block/quarantine event.
The Adobe OS Extension files have normal read/execute permissions for standard users.

The Intune deployment is configured as a Microsoft Store app (new), with installation behavior set to System and the app assigned as Required.

We would like Adobe to determine whether AdobeNotificationClient 7.0.7.25 / HDHelper.exe has a known issue with standard-user deployments in Intune-managed enterprise environments, and whether there is a supported way to pre-provision or deploy the Notification Client so standard users do not need to trigger the AppX installation themselves.

A

AnkitVerma

Community Manager

Hi @Clever_artistry2029,

Great writeup, and thanks for ruling out so much before posting, it saves us a few rounds back and forth.

This is pretty typical of how Error 191 behaves on managed machines when the real failure underneath is that 0x80070005 during the Notification Client sideload. On enterprise devices it almost always comes back to a policy blocking the UWP install for the standard user, not the build itself. So I don't think you're chasing a bad package here.

Since you've already cleared BlockNonAdminUserInstall under the Appx key, here's where I'd go next:

The second non-admin install policy. Easy to miss since it lives elsewhere: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\current\device\ApplicationManagement. If blocknonadminuserinstall is set to 1 here, Windows keeps blocking standard users no matter what the Appx key says. Set it to 0 or remove it. Start here.
Code Integrity policies under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CI\Policy, which can stop the package from being verified in the first place.
AppLocker, under Local Security Policy > Application Control Policies > AppLocker > Packaged app Rules. You said there's no rule aimed at the package, but once packaged-app rules are enforced at all, they can block a deployment even without one pointed directly at it. Worth going through the whole set.

Full enterprise steps for 191 are here: https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/apps/troubleshoot/error-codes-150-199/error191.html

Give those a run and let us know what turns up.

Thanks,
^AV

C

Clever_artistry2029

Participant

Yeah, I agree that a policy blocking the UWP/AppX installation is likely where we need to look. The main thing we're trying to figure out now is which specific policy is causing it.

We've done some additional testing, and there's one particularly strange behavior we've noticed.

With our normal security restrictions enabled, an administrator installing/reinstalling Creative Cloud still gets Error 191.

We then temporarily enabled the Microsoft Store by removing the Store restrictions. While logged in with the actual administrator account, Creative Cloud was able to successfully install the AdobeNotificationClient component and the Error 191 was gone.

The strange part is that as soon as we logged out of the administrator account and logged back in with our normal standard user account, Error 191 immediately returned. The Microsoft Store restrictions were still disabled at this point, so the standard user was testing with the Store restrictions removed.

In other words:

Admin + Store restrictions enabled → Error 191

Admin + Store restrictions removed → works

Standard user + Store restrictions still removed → Error 191 returns

We also specifically changed:

BlockNonAdminUserInstall = 1

to:

BlockNonAdminUserInstall = 0

but the standard-user error remained.

The Windows AppX logs show HDHelper.exe attempting to deploy:

AdobeNotificationClient_7.0.7.25_x64__enpm4xejd91yc

and receiving:

0x80070005 – Access Denied

Another interesting part is that when the standard user attempts the update, Adobe appears to remove the existing Notification Client package and then attempts to install/register it again, which is when the failure occurs.

So we're wondering if there is a specific AppX/UWP policy or security restriction that affects the Notification Client's installation/registration for a standard user, even though the package was already successfully installed while logged in as an administrator.

A

Anshul_Nautiyal

Legend

Hi @cipher_nemo,

Thanks for reaching out, and I’m sorry to hear about the issue you are facing.

Error 191 generally indicates that Creative Cloud is unable to complete an update operation due to a system-level or service-level issue, even if the application is already on the latest version. In Windows environments, this is often related to background services, permissions, or security policies blocking Adobe components.

Since this is occurring across multiple fresh Windows 11 deployments, this does not appear to be an isolated installation issue and will require deeper investigation.

To move this forward, we recommend the following steps:

Ensure that all required Adobe services are running:
- Adobe Update Service
- Adobe Genuine Monitor Service
- Adobe Genuine Software Integrity Service
Temporarily test on one affected machine with endpoint protection or application control disabled, to rule out blocking by security policies.
Run the Adobe Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to completely remove Creative Cloud, reboot the machine, and reinstall using the latest enterprise installer. Please refer to the following document:
https://adobe.ly/3YQUTGg

Additionally, please confirm whether all these machines are being deployed from the same task sequence or system image. If so, we recommend reviewing it to ensure that no steps are impacting Adobe services or components.

Please also share the PDApp, DLM, and ACC logs from one affected machine so we can review them and assist you further. You can find instructions for locating these logs here:
https://adobe.ly/3LSCWEp

For the ACC log specifically, please check this location:
C:\Users<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Temp\CreativeCloud

I hope this helps. Please let us know if you need any further assistance.

Regards,
^AN

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.