Creative Cloud Desktop Mac app update & install fail

Report · Mar 01, 2023

Long time Adobe user. The Creative Cloud Desktop app (Mac Ventura 13.2.1) wanted to update. Tried several times but it always failed showing different error codes each time (1, 1001, 202, 205). I then booted into Safe Mode. From the Administrator account I used the Uninstall CC app to remove the installation, downloaded a new version from Adobe. It also failed to install, throwing various codes each time. One time it said there wasn't enough disk space even though over 2 TB was free on the 4 TB drive.

I restarted the Mac normally. I went to my user (non-Admin) account and launched Lightroom Classic. It launched OK. I then launched Photoshop 2023. It first said it was verifying it (I had not run Photoshop since its last update). After the verification was complete, Photoshop would not launch, saying it could not communicate with Creative Cloud Desktop. Of course it couldn't since the CC Desktop could not be re-installed. Lightroom Classic still launches OK.

How do I install the CC Desktop app now to get Photoshop working again????

This very frustrating.

Report · Mar 04, 2023

On 2 March 2023, Adobe Tech Support spend nearly an hour connected to my computer to try to fix this install problem. His first attempts failed. But he was finally able to get the current CC Desktop app installed successfully. Well, mostly successful. Now the CC app shows a SYNC error code 198. I don't use CC syncing so not a big deal to me; it is just an another annoyance at Adobe's software architecture. Anyone know how to just get the SYNC pieces installed?

Report · Mar 04, 2023

reset the cc desktop app by making sure it's in the foreground, then press:

Win: Ctrl + Alt + R
Mac: Cmd + Opt + R

if that fails, repair per https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/creative-cloud-install-stuck.html

if that fails, uninstall using the correct uninstaller from https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/uninstall-creative-cloud-desktop-app.html#sa_src=web-mes... and then reinstall using*

if that fails, do a clean cc install carefully following each applicable step:

uninstall every cc app including preferences per https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/uninstall-remove-app.html

then uninstall the cc desktop app, again using the correct uninstaller per https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/uninstall-creative-cloud-desktop-app.html#sa_src=web-mes...

clean your computer of cc files per http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cscleanertool.html

check for, and if available, update your os

if windows is your os, repair all ms visual c++ versions that can be repaired (use google if you don't know how to do this)

if windows is your os update your ms visual c++, if it can be updated (use google if you don't know how to do this)

restart your computer (don't skip this)

reinstall the cc desktop app using the "alternative download links" at the bottom of the page at https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/creative-cloud-desktop-app-download.html

use the desktop app to install your cc programs/trials

NOTE: win 11 users that have trouble with the latest win 10 installer often have success with the older win 10 installer.

Report · Mar 04, 2023

Thanks for the quick response.

I might try the "reset" tomorrow. But I'm definitely not re-installing the CC app from scratch. This whole problem started when the latest CC app update failed to update and unstalling the app and trying to re-install it failed. I'm not interested in spending another hour with Adobe tech support to fix that problem again!

Report · Mar 04, 2023

@Mike Weasner

understandable.

Report · Mar 05, 2023

I did the reset/relaunch on my Mac. Still get the "Unable to sync. Install sync component and try again. Error Code 198". But the error dialog doesn't tell me HOW TO install JUST the SYNC component that the Adobe tech person removed when he was controlling my computer. One of the many things he removed was the Adobe Sync folder and its contents.

Report · Mar 05, 2023

i'm not sure what you're reporting in your previous message.

Report · Mar 05, 2023

I did the CC Desktop app reset that you had suggested doing. It then automatically relaunched and showed the same SYNC error that I mentioned in my original post on 1 March. I suspect that the error is occurring because the Adobe tech removed the Adobe SYNC folder as part of his troubleshooting of the original CC Desktop app failures to update or even re-install after removing the old version. I discussed his actions in my 4 March reply here. So all I want to do is get the SYNC component re-installed. Surely there must be a way to do that WITHOUT having to delete all Adobe apps, folders, and files on my Mac. Afterall, that's what the SYNC error message in the CC Desktop app says to do.

Report · Mar 05, 2023

That's what shows in the latest Mac Creative Cloud Desktop app. Clicking on the error code takes me to do an outdated web page that shows a different error screen with a link to view error log. There is NO SUCH LINK in the error dialog in the current app version.

Report · Mar 05, 2023

Hi @Mike Weasner , could you generate a log file and share it with us? Instructions are available at Help > Create log file from the Creative Cloud desktop app.

Report · Mar 05, 2023

Thanks. I did that and got a 35 MB .zxp file.

I opened the file in BBEdit and it shows a bunch of stuff about Adobe software. It also shows a lot of "fatal" errors related to Adobe SYNC stuff. Not surprising since that folder is missing.

I'm reluctant to upload the file on a public forum. Do you just want those fatal error lines?

I'd still like a link to an Adobe web page that has the SYNC component to install just like that error dialog says to do.

Report · Mar 05, 2023

Understood, @Mike Weasner. There should've been an option to upload the file to Adobe's servers at the end of the utility. Alternatively, you can DM me a link to the zxp file. There isn't a standalone installer file for the sync component - the Creative Cloud desktop app installs that component. The log file will tell us why it's not installing on your machine.

Report · Mar 05, 2023

I got this email:

The following file has been uploaded on Adobe LogCollector Portal:

File: AdobeLogs_20230305_153022_650-mac-GS.zxp

Please use the above filename as a reference when contacting Adobe Customer Care.

I guess you can get it there.

I also guess that Adobe needs to update the error message in the CC Desktop app. Since the CC Desktop installer DID NOT install the SYNC files when the Adobe tech ran the installer the other day and the error message indicates to manually install the SYNC components, something is curiously flawed on the Adobe end.

Report · Mar 06, 2023

The plot thickens. I created a new Photoshop 2023 project this morning (3 layers: two photos, one a logo). I finished editing the project and tried to save a new Photoshop 2023 .psd file. Got this blank black dialog box. I suspect this is a dialog box that asks where to save it, Adobe cloud or local. I was able to eventually save my work locally by recreating the project. I wonder if this blank box is related to the missing SYNC stuff.

Report · Mar 06, 2023

@Mike Weasner when you did the "cleaner" steps that @kglad mentioned earlier, were all the folders associated with Creative Cloud cleaned up? You mentioned you didn't want to re-install the app from scratch so perhaps you didn't try the cleanup.

There seems to be some permissions issue that is preventing the component from being installed. Could you try deleting the "/Applications/Utilities/Adobe Sync" folder and then restarting your machine? That should get the app to reinstall the sync utility.

Report · Mar 06, 2023

As I said in my 4 March update, the Adobe tech was controlling my computer on 2 March. He did a lot of stuff during the nearly one hour that he spent trying to re-install the CC Desktop app (supposedly his actions were recorded somwhere). So what cleanups were done were done by him OR they were not done. I still see an /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Sync" folder but it is EMPTY. Should I restore its contents from a Time Machine backup? Or will that cause more problems.

Report · Mar 06, 2023

Could you delete that folder and then restart your machine?

Report · Mar 06, 2023

I deleted the /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Sync (which was empty). Restarted. Opened Creative Cloud Desktop app. I saw that the deleted folder was recreated but it is still empty. I also still get "Unable to sync. Install sync component and try again. Error Code 198." So the question is still: HOW DO I INSTALL the SYNC component (and just that) that the app says I need to install? To make the app (and me) happy, that's all it wants to have installed.

Report · Mar 10, 2023

Many thanks to Adobe engineering for solving this issue with the CC Desktop app showing a SYNC component error on my computer. All's well again. The details are too complex to share here.

Report · Mar 10, 2023

good to hear, but what an ordeal.

Report · Aug 01, 2023

Here we go again. The Mac Creative Cloud app wants to do an update, but it fails with an error code 1001. All the previous CC updates worked fine after Adobe Engineering fixed the issue for me in March 2023. Why is this Adobe software so fragile? Seems like a design flaw. Does Engineering need to contact me again and clean up the mess that Adobe seems to recreate?

Report · Aug 01, 2023

at least try the first few steps, though if the error changes from 1001, stop and report.

reset the cc desktop app by making sure it's in the foreground, then press:

Win: Ctrl + Alt + R
Mac: Cmd + Opt + R

if that fails, repair per https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/creative-cloud-install-stuck.html

if that fails, uninstall using the correct uninstaller from https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/uninstall-creative-cloud-desktop-app.html#sa_src=web-mes...

restart your computer (don't skip this)

reinstall the cc desktop app using the "alternative download links" at the bottom of the page at https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/creative-cloud-desktop-app-download.html

use the desktop app to install your cc programs/trials

NOTE: win 11 users that have trouble with the latest win 10 installer often have success with the older win 10 installer.

Report · Aug 01, 2023

Thanks kglad. Given all the "troubleshooting" steps Adobe publishes to "fix" the CC Desktop app "fails to update" issues, they must know the architecture is very fragile. When all those steps failed for me in March, Adobe engineers had to walk me through a bunch of deletions of Adobe crud. Didn't help. Even installing CC from scratch didn't work. I had to install a 3rd party app that allowed back door access to their server, but even that also required Photoshop to be re-installed.

Before starting the lengthy "troubleshooting" steps you provided, which are the same steps I had tried in March and failed, I tried again to update the Mac CC Desktop app from the update available alert. It got to 64% and then failed. The progress should tell Adobe something about the problem.

I then did the Mac CC Desktop app reset. Selected to "relaunch" the app. Then tried the update again. Got to 32% then failed with Error 205. (latest macOS 13.5) Since the error code changed, I stopped here.

Report · Aug 01, 2023

https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/fix-licensing-error-205.html

Report · Aug 01, 2023

The first step of the article says to log out. But there is no logout in the Mac CC Desktop app since all those options are dimmed out by the "Creative Cloud update available" alert. So I selected to sign out from every Adobe application using Lightroom Classic. That did an automatic quit of Lightroom Classic. Next, I launched the CC app and logged in. The app showed the update available screen. Failed error code 205.

Solution 2 said to delete "Adobe App Info and Adobe App Prefetched Info". I deleted the three Adobe App Info items. There was no Adobe App Prefetched Info item. Tried to update CC again. Long pause at 63%. During the minutes long pause I did Solution 3 (create a secure note); that worked OK. The Adobe App Info notes I had deleted had not been added during the CC update process.

None of the other solutions were applicable. CC app update still hung up at 63% progress.