CC won't show older installed apps - cannot uninstall them

[Codo Coderson]

Hi! Hope you're all safe and healthy.

I'm not able to uninstall my older CC 2019 apps. They appear in "Add or remove programs", they are consuming disk space, but the CC desktop app doesn't seem to be aware of them. I'm using last version of Windows 10 (1903) & CC app (5.1.0.407).

I have already tried all the solutions I found in this community:

- Ticking "Show older apps" option in CC --> Preferences --> Apps. 2019 apps won't show.

- Using "add and remove programs" --> I find 2019 and 2020 versions of, for example, Premiere Pro --> I click "uninstall" on the older one --> it takes me to CC --> CC asks me if I want to keep the settings and starts uninstalling the older version, action visible for roughly one second --> it says "finishing" --> nothing actually changed.

-  AdobeCreativeCloudCleanerTool.exe --> Older apps won't show.

This is a picture of my "C:\Program Files\Adobe folder":

Help will be most appreciated. Thank you!

Codo, from Granada (Spain)

[Jeff A Wright]

Codo, sorry you are encountering problems with the uninstall process.  Do you know what happened to the uninstaller components, Codo?  Do you run any utility software that may be attempting to optimize disk space?

[Codo Coderson]

Hey, Jeff! Thanks.

Do you know what happened to the uninstaller components, Codo?

No idea. All that I can say is that I didn't mess with the files.

Do you run any utility software that may be attempting to optimize disk space?

Not specifically. I run "Ashampoo Uninstaller 7", which registers program installations so it can wipe them out totally when it's needed, but it didn't mess with Adobe CC apps: they are not in the program's logs, as CC app installations are done "internally" through CC.

[Jeff A Wright · Accepted solution]

Ok, thanks, Codo.  It is likely the use the Ashampoo Uninstaller that has caused the current difficulties you are facing.  It probably removed the required components, which is why you are unable to complete the uninstall process.

You can try downloading and running the CC Cleaner Tool to attempt to remove the current installations.  The CC Cleaner Tool is available from https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html.  It is not designed as a complete uninstaller, but instead will attempt to remove critical files and entries that may block the install process.

If you are still unsuccessful, then please reinstall the 2019 apps by using the steps listed in https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/using/install-apps-number-of-computers.html.  Once reinstalled, then you can follow the steps listed in https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/uninstall-remove-app.html to remove the applications with the designed uninstallers.

Regardless, I would recommend you suspend the use of Ashampoo Uninstaller with Adobe applications.  If it is not possible to make this configuration change, then please discontinue the use of the uninstaller utility to avoid any future errors.

[Codo Coderson]

Thanks, Jeff. I don't think the 3rd party uninstaller (let's call it "the uninstaller") has caused it, as I didn't use it for installing/uninstalling anything Adobe. I just tried the methods I wrote in the original post. Aditionally, the uninstaller didn't register the Adobe installations in the first place: it asks me for permission to register every new program installation, and I definitely didn´t grant it for Adobe apps; what's more, the uninstaller doesn't detect neither register the Adobe installations, as they are done internally via the CC app. So I'm pretty sure it didn't mess with the Adobe apps.

I also used your second solution,  the CC Cleaner Tool, to no avail: it won't show any of those 2019 installations.

Your third method worked like a charm, so thank you! Except for Photoshop, because my 2019 version is 20.0.7 and the oldest installable version from CC is 20.0.9, so I cannot reinstall-then-uninstall that one. If we cannot think of another approach, I could delete the folder and call it a day. What do you think?

[Jeff A Wright]

Thanks for the update, Codo.  I am sorry that you had to completely reinstall the applications to regain the ability to uninstall them.

For your next steps please make a backup of any critical files on the computer.  I would also recommend watching closely any utilities that you are using in the next month.  Something removed the uninstall components and still needs to be identified.