Participant

Answered

INSTALLED WITHOUT PERMISSION

54 replies
13441 views
Translate

Can anyone explain to me why Adobe Photoshop Express was suddenly installed on my machine? installed the newest windows update and after turning on it installed and this was without my prompt or permission. I saw PSExpressBroker.exe and PSExpressCore.exe running in Task Manager. File Explorer showed many adobe files created at the exact time of the PC boot! I don't use or have Adobe on my PC . Or I didn't. There are no Adobe entries in MS Program and Features, so no entry to uninstall, but plenty of files in Program Files, and a handful in Program Data. I want this off my pc and want to now how as it has been installed without me selecting to install it or asking for my permission. My pc speed has gone through the floor because of all these programs running in the background...

Performance

Rose DVCorrect answer

Community Manager

Hi @anthony_2557, @DT-AMRV, @Shigeomix, @Jmack2467

Thank you all for flagging this - I completely understand how unsettling it is to find software running on your machine without explicitly installing it.

Express Photos was distributed as part of a Windows Update for eligible devices. We recognize this wasn't a great experience for users who didn't want the app, and will pass along the sentiment to the correct team.

To stop it running in the background (Windows):
Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps > Express Photos > ⋯ > Advanced Options, then turn off Run at login and click Terminate. You can also uninstall it from that same menu.

For IT admins or enterprise users who need guidance on managing this deployment across devices, this HelpX article covers how to handle existing installations: https://helpx.adobe.com/enterprise/kb/adobe-express-photos-existing-users-admin-guide.html

Sorry for the frustration this caused!

Rose

Show previous replies

I

innovative_Elixir95c8

Participating Frequently

Why does it require me to find an obscure tool to opt out? Why not opt in? and why did you quietly and forcefully REMAP my Print screen key without my permission when this software was installed?

Translate

A

Ashtastica

Participant

this is an awful feature and very sketchy. i never approved of this, and its legitamtely annoying

Translate

C

Carefree_Crystald2fe

Participant

Software that installs itself without expressed approval is a shady software practice. Adobe should be ashamed of itself.

Translate

F

Flamboyant_ease082f

Participant

Oh, and now I have to get an uninstall app to clean off all this rubbish

Translate

F

Flamboyant_ease082f

Participant

This is not on. I have to log in to creative cloud to remove anything, having previously uninstalled all the Adobe stuff I have (except Acrobat Reader) because I cancelled my subscription a year ago. And now I have to update Creative Cloud to even log into it. What [cursing removed] are you lot thinking at Adobe? Apple bundling an unwanted U2 album should have been a lesson for everyone, please dont do this again.

Translate

R

rromanow

Participant

I rarely get this incensed over an app, and have been using Adobe products for well over a decade.

However, this “Photoshop Express” is little, if any, better than straight up malware - forced installation (x2, it actually installed itself TWICE), random popups, hijacking the printscreen key, attempting to grab image file associations, etc.

Furthermore, there is no option to “toggle it off” in Creative Cloud - Adobe is DETERMINED to force this app on its users. This is how to stop it from reinstalling itself (on Windows, at least):

Open Powershell and run this command:
REG ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe Express Photos" /v "bFeatureLockDown" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

That will add a block key in the registry. Don’t forget to go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and Uninstall it first.

Ridiculous!

Translate

Secession

Participant

Thanks for the advice, however, the app keeps reinstalling itself. Very annoying to say the least.

Translate

G

Gucek

Participant

this piece of garbage just installed itself WITHOUT ASKING together with Reader. what a joke Adobe has become.

Translate

Rose DV

Community Manager

Hi Gucek, I hear the frustration, that's a fair thing to be annoyed about if you didn't choose to install it. I have passed this thread along to the appropriate team for feedback.

Adobe Express Photos sometimes gets bundled in with Reader/Acrobat installs and can be added by default unless it's deselected during a custom install. Good news is you've already found it in Programs and Features, so you can go ahead and uninstall it from there without affecting Reader or Acrobat.

Rose

Translate

I

innovative_Elixir95c8

Participating Frequently

Installing software on My PC without asking me - annoying

Re-mapping my print key on my PC without asking me - completely out of line

This happening to me today and then going on the forums and seeing that Adobe had known about it for months - Infuriating

[illegal activity removed]

Translate

E

edavis@imdxinc.com

Participant

This is typical Adobe—loading your machine with [cursing removed]. You remove it, and it just comes back.

Have you ever looked in Windows Credential Manager? Adobe dumps its junk in there too.

In over 30 years working in IT, I honestly can't think of another piece of software that leaves a worse footprint on a Windows machine. It's bloated, persistent, and constantly reinstalls components users never asked for.

Translate

Jmack2467

Participant

I think time has provided the answer to this situation. Apparently, Windows decided to give users a neat little free bonus, Adobe, installed in a standard windows update. So you can’t find where it was, it was an automatic update. (They mentioned that it was a big pain for a lot of people so, ummm, ha, sorry!) I still don’t know what activated it, but it seems to be just sitting there. It’s not an active running function, just an unwanted hitchhiker. So I threw away all the icons I could and hid the rest. It’s like it’s not even there… one more thing we learn to live with...

Translate

Rose DV

Correct answer

Community Manager

Hi @anthony_2557, @DT-AMRV, @Shigeomix, @Jmack2467

Thank you all for flagging this - I completely understand how unsettling it is to find software running on your machine without explicitly installing it.

Express Photos was distributed as part of a Windows Update for eligible devices. We recognize this wasn't a great experience for users who didn't want the app, and will pass along the sentiment to the correct team.

To stop it running in the background (Windows):
Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps > Express Photos > ⋯ > Advanced Options, then turn off Run at login and click Terminate. You can also uninstall it from that same menu.

For IT admins or enterprise users who need guidance on managing this deployment across devices, this HelpX article covers how to handle existing installations: https://helpx.adobe.com/enterprise/kb/adobe-express-photos-existing-users-admin-guide.html

Sorry for the frustration this caused!

Rose

Translate

Show more replies

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.