Menu bar (with file, edit, object, type, select, etc.) missing at startup (MacOS)

Hi ​@Sharishan,

Thank you for reaching out, and I'm sorry you're experiencing this issue. To help us investigate further, could you please confirm the exact Illustrator 2026 version you're using (for example, 30.6)?

As a first step, please manually back up and reset your Illustrator preferences by following this guide: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/troubleshoot-preference-issues.html. If the issue persists, please test Illustrator in macOS Safe Mode to rule out third-party interference: https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mh21245/mac.

If the problem continues, please rename the UXP folder to UXP.old from both /Library/Application Support/Adobe and ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe, and rename the CEP folder to CEP.old from /Library/Application Support/Adobe, then relaunch Illustrator.

Additionally, please let us know if you're using an external monitor and whether the issue only occurs when it's connected. You can also try disabling Automatically hide and show the menu bar under System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Menu Bar, and toggle Window > Application Frame to see if it changes the behavior.

Please let us know the results to proceed further. 

Abhishek