No Creative Cloud installers support Mac APFS file system

[skylaro19452271]

Hello! Multiple places around the forum I have seen staff members say that APFS is supported, however I get the error code 22 if I attempt to use ANY installer (No support for case sensitive volumes).

I recently had to reinstall my operating system and APFS is the default when you format now.

Adobe Creative Cloud is 100% uninstallable on EVERY APFS Mac.

[kglad]

don't use the default if apfs means, case-sensitive.

[Jeff A Wright]

Skylaro19452271 I have personally performed several successful installations of CC applications on a Mac computer running macOS 10.13.  The primary volume is using APFS and I have not faced any installation errors.

What type of a Creative Cloud membership do you have Skylaro19452271?  If you have an individual membership then are you installing through the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application as discussed in Learn how to download your Adobe Creative Cloud apps ?

[Harry A Petersen]

Hi Jeff,  thanks for your answer, however it does not work. I tried both way's. First with the CC Cloud installer and secondly like described above with Bridge. In both cases a error 22 is returned. I have two partitions. The first, for OS X has APFS. The latest updates from Apple are installed. The second has HFS+ not case sensitive and is intended to be used to install the apps. So CC Cloud is the only program to be installed on the APFS volume to prevent issue. Is there any help you can offer? Many Thanks!

[Jeff A Wright]

MaartjeP also has an additional response at Re: Installation error 22

[Jeff A Wright]

MaartjeP where exactly are you trying to install?  On the Volume OS X, Adobe, or W?  What other Adobe applications are currently installed on the computer?

[Harry A Petersen]

Hi Jeff, no other applications are yet installed from Adobe. I try to install the CreativeCloudInstaller from the .dmg file on the OS X partition (APFS). The full suite I intend to install on the Adobe partition (Mac OS Extended Journaled, non case sensitive). On W I intend to install Windows 10 (via bootcamp).  The license I have is a full version (student license).

I will reinstall the APFS installation once more.to see whether that will fly.

[Jeff A Wright · Accepted solution]

Ok thanks Skylaro19452271 I think the confusion is that there is an APFS option which does not include case-sensitivity.  I re-examined my drive here and it is formatted in APFS but does not have the (Case-sensitive) option selected.  This is why I am able to install successfully using the process listed in Learn how to download your Adobe Creative Cloud apps . 

Adding support for APS does not mean that the guidance given in Adobe error "Case-sensitive drives not supported" or similar install error | Mac OS does not continue to be accurate. There are non-case sensitive formatting options for APFS volumes.

[Harry A Petersen]

Hi Jeff, things are working nice now. Thanks for your support. I only found one thing you probably can help with too. After installing the Adobe apps, none can be found in the Launchpad. With one exception and that is Acrobat DC and Distiller. Any thoughts on how to add  the other apps there as well?

[Jeff A Wright]

Thanks for the update MaartjeP!  I would recommend you utilize the process listed in Launch Creative Cloud apps to open the installed Creative Cloud applications.

[clairevideo8684]

I tried to do the same MaartjeP​.

Could you finally intstall Creative suite on your mac? Can you please explain me how?

Thanks a lot

[Harry A Petersen]

Hi Claire,

I did the following steps:

I did a new clean install of OS X High Sierra (HS) on my MacBook Pro. The full 512 Gb drive was formatted as APFS (There are 4 versions you can choose from when installing HS:

1. APFS,
2. APFS (Encrypted),
3. APFS (Case-sensitive),
4. APFS (Case-sensitive, Encrypted)

I did choose version (1). After installing HS, I used disk utility to create a second partition which I formatted as a standard MacOS X Extended (Journaled). I named it " Adobe", but you are free to give it any name you like :-). initial size I choose was 60Gb., leaving approx. 24 Gb of free space after installing most of Adobe's app. Assume that that leaves sufficient room for updates etc.

Thereafter I downloaded the installer from Adobe as described above. I installed it on the APFS drive in the standard HS application directory.

After logging in in the Adobe CC app, I went into the "Preferences" ( click on the 3 dots next to your picture on the upper right of the application window and select "Preferences". In the "Preference" section, select the tab "Creative Cloud". Under "Apps" You will find an entry there labelled "install location". Go there and select the proper partition, "Adobe" in my case. I also created a directory ("Applications").  Thereafter all applications can be installed via the Adobe CC app just like always.

The only issue I found so far is that the Adobe apps are not listed in the Launchpad.

Hope this helps!

[skylaro19452271]

I have an individual membership and was attempting to install through those instructions that you have provided. It STILL does NOT work.

[Jeff A Wright]

Skylaro19452271 in the screen shot you shared I see two Creative Cloud I dmg files and one Photoshop Install.  Can you provide more details about what these mounted DMG files names are?  Where did you obtain them?

[skylaro19452271]

I downloaded the installers both the way that you had suggested in your response (via the link to "Learn how to download your Adobe Creative Cloud apps" https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/download-install…  ) as well as by signing in, then selecting "Plans and Products". I then selected the button that said "Download Desktop apps". It then took me to this page: Adobe creative desktop apps | Adobe Creative Cloud and I selected Download under "Creative Cloud". It then took me to this page to download the installer: https://creative.adobe.com/products/download/creative-cloud?promoid=KSPDX

Hope that clarifies for you. I am still 100% unable to use Photoshop and it is quite impacting my work.

[Jeff A Wright]

Ok Skylaro19452271 thanks for the clarification.  I believe the confusion is that you are still using a case sensitive version of APFS.  Please reformat the drive choosing the non-case sensitive APFS option.  This option will allow for a successful installation of the Creative Cloud software.

[pauln82240772]

Dear Jeff

I was considering moving to Adobe Creative Suite, but demo won't install on the default format for solid-state disks  Mac computers. To quote Apple case senstive APFS is now the standard for solid state drives.

macOS High Sierra introduces APFS (Apple File System) to Mac computers. APFS replaces Mac OS Extended (HFS+) as the default file system for solid-state drives (SSDs) and other all-flash storage devices.

How to choose between APFS and Mac OS Extended when formatting a disk for Mac - Apple Support

Can you confirm that to try out the demo will have to reformat and reinstall my operating system and all my other applications?

Might try Affinity photos instead, maybe this will work without a system re-build.

[Jeff A Wright]

Pauln82240772, we fully support the non-case sensitive version of APFS with Adobe applications.  If the drive is formatted using case-sensitive, then please change the file format before you begin the migration/setup process.

[pauln82240772]

The Apple default is APFS case sensitive. It's ok I will evaluate other products on the market first, it's quite a big step to reformat and re-install my operating system just to try out a product. There are plenty of other options, sorry. Let me know when you support case-sensitive drive (the Apple default)

When you install macOS High Sierra on the Mac volume of a solid-state drive (SSD) or other all-flash storage device, that volume is automatically converted to APFS (case sensitive). Fusion Drives, traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), and non-Mac volumes aren't converted.

[Jeff A Wright]

Pauln82240772, you may need to adjust the default options but there is no reason that you will be unable to set up the SSD to use APFS without case-sensitive being selected.  Please be aware Pauln82240772, that APFS volumes are not required to be case-sensitive. 

If you have any additional questions on how to adjust the file system of the drive then please use the link offered by Apple at How to choose between APFS and Mac OS Extended when formatting a disk for Mac - Apple Support  to request assistance.

[michaels58141382]

I'm sorry but "bork your entire computer just for our software" is not a solution.  The complaint was "it's unrealistic for me to have to reformat my computer just to evaluate your software" and it is correct.  No other software I have encountered so far has had an issue and I don't understand why case sensitivity is an issue.  If anything, expecting case sensitive but getting case insensitive would be an issue, because if you are expecting case sensitive and have, for instance "INSTALL" and "Install" in the same directory, that would then not work on case-insensitive.  I have heard a little here and there saying that Adobe is "working on this issue" but I haven't seen any indication that you actually are.  As well, I have tried installing Acrobat into its own, case-insensitive partition but it still fails, complaining that the system disk is case sensitive.  This is ridiculous.

[Jeff A Wright]

Thanks for the feedback, Michaels58141382.  Please see this discussion for steps that must be taken to use Adobe applications on computers running Mac OS.