Creative Cloud / Photoshop won’t launch on Surface Laptop 7 (ARM) – Error 0xc000007b

[Kai__P]

Hi everyone,

I’m using a Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 with Snapdragon X Elite (Windows 11 ARM 64-bit) and I’ve been running Adobe Creative Cloud, Photoshop, Illustrator (beta), and Lightroom without any issues until last week.

Since a recent Windows update or possibly an Adobe update, none of the apps will launch anymore – not even the Creative Cloud Desktop app itself.

When I try to start Creative Cloud (or Photoshop), I immediately get the following error message:

“The application was unable to start correctly (0xc000007b). Click OK to close the application.”

Here’s what I’ve already tried – unfortunately without success:

• Completely removed all Adobe components using the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool (option 1 = “Clean All”)

• Restarted the system

• Verified that the correct Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 Redistributable (ARM64) is installed (and removed all x64/x86 versions)

• Ran sfc /scannow and dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth to check system files

• Re-downloaded the Creative Cloud installer and ran it as Administrator

• Also tried the Microsoft Store version of Creative Cloud

Still, the same error appears right when launching Creative Cloud.exe.

In Task Manager, the process shows up as “Creative Cloud.exe (ARM64)”, so it’s definitely the ARM build.
Other users with Surface Laptop 7 / Windows 11 ARM have reported similar behavior (see threads #14902304 and #14996719).

Questions:

• Is there an officially supported ARM64 build of the Creative Cloud Desktop app for the Surface Laptop 7 (Snapdragon X Elite)?

• If yes, where can I download the correct ARM installer?

• Or is there any known workaround (registry edit, temporary DLL fix, alternate installer, etc.)?

• Do you need any specific system logs or configuration details to reproduce this issue?

Any help or official statement from Adobe would be highly appreciated.

Best regards,
Kai

[Kai__P]

Thanks for the additional confirmation — it’s becoming very clear that this is a widespread issue affecting multiple Copilot+ ARM devices at the same time.

At this point, I think it’s essential that Adobe provides an official update on the status of this problem.

I personally had a remote session with Adobe Support, and I was told that I would receive a working ARM-compatible installer within 48 hours.

That deadline has now passed, and I have still not received any download link or follow-up communication from Adobe.

Considering that many of us are paying Creative Cloud subscribers who currently cannot use any of the core applications (Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Creative Cloud Desktop), it is absolutely reasonable to expect:

• a timeline for when a functioning update will be available
• or at least an official acknowledgement from Adobe Engineering confirming the issue and the expected fix

Could Adobe please clarify:
When can Windows 11 ARM users expect a working Creative Cloud Desktop build again?

This is now affecting users on Surface Laptop 7, Surface Pro 11, Dell ARM and Lenovo ARM devices — it’s clearly not an isolated case.

[Kai__P]

Quick note to everyone following this thread:

If you are experiencing similar issues on Windows 11 ARM (Surface Laptop 7 / Surface Pro 11 / Dell ARM / Lenovo ARM, etc.), please feel free to share your device model, CPU (X Elite / X Plus) and the exact error messages you’re seeing (0xc000007b, Win32 error 193, HDUWP.dll issues, app launch failures).

The more reports we gather, the easier it will be for Adobe Engineering to identify the root cause and prioritize a fix.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far — let’s keep the information flowing.

---

At the same time, it would be helpful to hear from an Adobe staff member regarding the current status of this issue.
Several of us have already contacted Support, and in my case I was told I would receive an ARM-compatible installer within 48 hours — but no follow-up has been provided so far.

Given the increasing number of affected users and devices, a short update or confirmation that this has been escalated to Engineering would be greatly appreciated.

[kglad]

have any of you tried to roll back the recent win 11 update(s)?

[bestpoutine]

No, and I think that would be counter-productive. The latest updates may have surfaced a latent problem in CC, but I would say that this needs to be fixed by Adobe on their end, not by me running old versions of Windows.

[Kai__P]

Exactly — and rolling back Windows updates every time Creative Cloud breaks would be quite a long-term maintenance plan.

Considering that multiple ARM devices suddenly fail with the same Adobe DLL architecture issues (even after clean installs), this really looks like something Adobe needs to address on their end.

So while going back to an old Windows build might technically be possible, it’s probably not the solution Adobe has in mind for paying subscribers.

[kglad]

the windows updates have caused many problems and will have to be fixed on ms's end.  but do as you think best especially if there's no rush to fix the problem you all are seeing.

[Kai__P]

Windows updates can cause issues, yes — but they don’t randomly replace Adobe’s HDUWP.dll with the wrong architecture across multiple ARM devices at the same time.

That’s why everyone here is focusing on the Adobe side of the problem.

[kglad]

ok.

[Kai__P]

Also: I found a Microsoft Q&A post where a user with Surface Laptop 7 / Snapdragon X Elite / Windows 11 ARM reports exactly the same error (0xc000007b) across all Creative Cloud desktop apps, including InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.

This adds an additional independent confirmation of the issue – it’s not just this forum, and it’s not just one user.

Here’s the link: Microsoft Q&A Post

It would be great if Adobe staff could acknowledge this thread too, and indicate how many other independent reports exist.

[Kai__P]

Just adding an important update:

A Microsoft Independent Advisor has now confirmed publicly that the recent Windows 11 ARM “Prism” emulation changes expose mixed-architecture components (ARM/x64), which results in exactly the 0xc000007b errors we’re seeing in Creative Cloud Desktop and Photoshop.

This is the Microsoft thread:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5616822/after-a-recent-october-2025-windows-upda...

This independently confirms the DLL architecture mismatch that several of us identified in the Adobe logs (e.g., HDUWP.dll).

So this is no longer speculation — both Adobe and Microsoft now reference the same root cause.

We would really appreciate an update from Adobe Engineering regarding a fix or an ARM-consistent installer.

And just as a side note:
I normally have better things to do on a Sunday than hunting down DLL architecture issues across Adobe, Microsoft and Windows on ARM…

But here we are — this bug is persistent enough to turn my weekend into a full-time debugging session.

So yes, I would really appreciate an update from Adobe Engineering at this point. 🙂

[sbrich@hotmail.com]

Thank you for the update. It has disrupted my weekend, also, as I have photos that need done in a timely manner and I have spent way too much time trying to solve the issue. Online Lightroom is far too cumbersome to batch edit. Please update us, Adobe!

[Kai__P]

Same here — it’s always comforting to know we’re not the only ones sacrificing our weekend to debug ARM DLL architecture mysteries.

Let’s hope Adobe gives us an update soon so we can go back to editing photos instead of reverse-engineering Creative Cloud. 🙂

[kglad]

adobe updates typically take weeks, not days.

[Kai__P]

While full feature updates may take weeks, emergency fixes for broken installers or architecture issues typically don’t.

Right now we’re not asking for a new feature — just a working build that launches.

So let’s stay focused on getting an Engineering response for this specific regression.

[Kai__P]

Hi Adobe Team,

we now have more than 1,000 views and a rapidly growing number of Windows ARM users reporting that none of the core Creative Cloud applications (Creative Cloud Desktop, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom) can launch at all on Windows 11 ARM devices.

Multiple Microsoft Q&A threads independently confirm that the issue is caused by mixed ARM/x64 components in the current Creative Cloud installer — exactly matching the logs several of us posted here.

Since this problem completely blocks paying customers from using any Adobe software, could we please get an official update from Adobe Engineering?

Even a short confirmation such as:

•  “Issue acknowledged”
•  “Engineering is investigating”
•  or “Fix in progress / ETA will follow”
  
  

…would already help a lot. Many of us rely on Illustrator, Photoshop or InDesign for client work and cannot continue without at least some indication of a timeline.

We fully understand that fixes take time — but the complete absence of communication in a thread with this level of impact makes planning extremely difficult.

A brief status update would be greatly appreciated.

[Bewitched_view3592]

I totally support this post and the need for a response from Adobe on this issue. My Windows laptop uses Snapdragon XPlus and I cannot download Lightroom Classic and when I attempt to do so, I get the same Creative Cloud.exe Application Error as so many others - 'This application was unable to start correctly (0xc000007b).'  I can use the web version of Lightroom but this lacks some of critical functionality of Lightroom Classic.  To be frank, 5 phone calls with Adobe support have gone nowhere, promises of calls backs not fulfilled, no grip on this problem, the last call suggesting I ask Microsoft to solve the issue!  I am paying for a service I am not receiving from Adobe and must look elsewhere if Adobe cannot provide me with the service I am paying for.  Adobe - you really need to prioritise this issue or I'm afraid you will suffer reputational damage.     

[Kai__P]

Thanks for sharing your experience — it really underlines how serious and widespread this problem has become across different ARM devices.

What’s striking is that many of us had Creative Cloud apps running perfectly until very recently, and they all broke at almost the exact same time.
This strongly suggests a single root cause affecting ARM systems globally.

At this point, we have:

• multiple users reporting complete app failure

• several support cases that didn’t lead to a solution

• matching error codes across Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Illustrator, CC Desktop

• confirmation threads on Microsoft’s side showing the same behavior

Given all this, an official update from Adobe Engineering would really help everyone here understand what’s happening and what to expect next.

[Bewitched_view3592]

Yes, to confirm my Creative Cloud  also broke recently. 

[SalmanAkram]

I’m experiencing the same issue and currently waiting for Adobe support to release a new update that addresses compatibility with ARM-based devices. Please let me know if there are any interim solutions or updates available.

[Kai__P]

Thanks for sharing — you’re definitely not alone with this issue.
Based on the number of affected users here, I’m confident Adobe will provide an update in this thread once Engineering has more information. This seems to be the central place where all ARM-related reports are coming together.

Let’s hope we get an official status update soon — many of us are completely blocked from using the apps right now.

[odette_6368]

Chiming in to report my Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition (Snapdragon X) is having the same issues. I've been running CC, Photoshop and Illustrator without issue for about 10-11 months, until it broke some time in the past week. Getting the same error you have all reported whenever I try opening any Adobe CC applications.

I've tried absolutely every "solution" I could find online and still returning the same error. 

Hope they get this sorted quickly. Thanks for your efforts in getting some attention to this, @Kai__P 

[Kai__P]

Thanks for confirming, and sorry you’re running into the same issue — it really appears to affect every ARM user after the recent update, regardless of device model or configuration.

At this point we have a steadily growing number of Surface Laptop 7, Surface Pro 11, Dell ARM and Lenovo ARM users all reporting identical failures, so I’m hopeful Adobe will give us an update here soon.

This thread is clearly the central place where the issue is being tracked.

Appreciate you adding your case — the more reports we have, the faster this will hopefully get resolved.

[Tarun Saini]

Thanks for reporting this. I have escalated the case to our product team, and once I hear anything from the team, I will let you know.

Thanks for your patience.

Regards,

Tarun

[Kai__P]

Thanks a lot, Tarun — really appreciate you escalating this.

There are quite a few ARM users affected at this point, so it’s very helpful to know that the product team is now aware and looking into it.

We’ll keep an eye on this thread and are looking forward to any updates from the engineering side once available.

Thanks again for your support

[Bewitched_view3592]

Thanks Tarun, I would appreciate if the product team could prioritise this. Personally, I am only able to use half the Adobe service I subscribe to and I believe there are many others in an even worse situation.