can Adobe files (AI, PS, etc) created on a MAC be opened on a PC

Question

All of my design work in AI and PS over the years has all been done on a MAC. My MAC died last week and I am thinking of going with a PC this time. Can I open those files I've created on a MAC on a PC? Will I need to convert them?  Thank you!

Silly-V · Accepted Answer

They should work just the same, but you will need to watch out for fonts. You may not have all the fonts from your Mac on your Windows workstation. Likewise, any placed images which are not travelling with the file in a "Links" folder (which is auto-created when the File > Package command is used) will retain their old paths which will be different from the paths your new workstation likes. So you may end up having to change some fonts and relinking some placed items.

Conrad_C · Answer

If you have old design work stored as Mac documents that don’t use filename extensions (such as .AI, .PSD, etc.), those document formats might not be properly recognized on the Windows side. If that happens, add the proper filename extension to the end so that the right programs can open them.

Also, if you get weird errors when trying to open files, watch out for characters in the filenames that might not be allowed on Windows, such as a slash, and edit the filename to remove them.

Fortunately, the actual formats of Adobe documents are the same on Mac and Windows and need no conversion. Fonts can be a problem, because older font formats came in different Mac and Windows formats. Newer OpenType fonts are cross-platform. It’s a good thing some Adobe applications let you auto-replace fonts by downloading them from Adobe Fonts in Creative Cloud.

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