illustrator always unresponsive when I launch it

Hi,

​@Monika Gause may have identified the cause here.

Adobe has documented an issue with Illustrator freezing during startup on macOS 27, particularly when older Wacom tablet drivers are installed.

Several users have reported that updating their Wacom drivers resolved the problem.

Could you confirm which version of macOS you're running and whether you have a Wacom tablet or its drivers installed?

If you do have Wacom drivers installed, I'd start by checking for the latest compatible version.

Also, you shouldn't normally need to restart your entire MacBook just because Illustrator stops responding.

Try pressing Command + Option + Escape, selecting Illustrator and choosing Force Quit. Alternatively, use Activity Monitor to force-quit the application. That should allow you to restart Illustrator without closing your other documents or restarting macOS.

If you don't have Wacom drivers installed, the next thing I'd investigate is Illustrator's preferences.

Adobe recommends resetting preferences when Illustrator repeatedly freezes during startup. I'd back up your existing settings before attempting that.

Here's Adobe's troubleshooting guide:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/desktop/troubleshoot/application-crash-issues/fix-preferences-file-issues-in-illustrator.html

Since you've already reinstalled Illustrator without success, I'd concentrate on the operating system version, third-party drivers and preferences before attempting another installation.

Let us know your macOS version and whether you're using Wacom, as that will help narrow things down.

Mac OS 27? In that case try and update your Wacom driver if you have any.