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Rachel Blevins
Participant
March 6, 2026
Question

Issues with Illustrator after downloading Illustrator Beta

  • March 6, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 10 views

I am experiencing a persistent "Broken File Association" issue across my Creative Cloud suite. After installing and subsequently uninstalling the Beta versions of Illustrator and Photoshop, my OS no longer recognizes .ai or .psd files.

Symptoms:

  • Blank Icons: All .ai and .psd files appear as "blank paper" icons rather than the standard Adobe app icons.

  • Broken "Open With": Double-clicking a file does not launch the application. Instead, it triggers a system "Choose an app" pop-up.

  • Missing from List: The current, non-beta versions of Illustrator and Photoshop do not appear as options in the recommended "Open With" menu.

  • Current Workaround: I am forced to open the applications first and use Ctrl + O to browse for files, which is severely impacting my workflow.

Troubleshooting Already Attempted:

  1. Manual Association: Attempted to "Always use this app" via the system right-click menu (failed to register).

  2. Reinstallation: Uninstalled and reinstalled the stable versions of Illustrator and Photoshop via the Creative Cloud Desktop app (did not restore icons or associations).

  3. Beta Cleanup: Verified that all Beta versions have been fully uninstalled.

Request: I need assistance in repairing the registry/launch services so that the stable versions of Illustrator and Photoshop are correctly recognized as the default handlers for these file extensions.

    1 reply

    Community Expert
    March 6, 2026

    I had something similar happen around a year ago. I ended up having to use the Adobe CC Cleaner tool to remove the regular Illustrator installation and beta version of Illustrator to get the file association properly restored.