Adobe Illustrator Freezing on macOS

[Mohammed Sadik]

Adobe Illustrator is hanging while opening several files even my MAC have all the requirements for Adobe illustrator. I tried to update from creative cloud and also disabled gpu but it is still freezing.

{Renamed By MOD}

[Rishabh_Tiwari]

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about the trouble. I would request if you can share a few more details like:

1. The exact version of Illustrator and macOS.
2. Does it freeze while working on a specific file or on all the files?
3. When exactly it freezes? While performing any task or while opening or saving a file?
4. Where are the files saved, locally or on a network or shared drive?

Regards

Rishabh

[Mohammed Sadik]

1. Version:  mac os -Catalina 10.15.2  Illustrator- 24.0.3

2.Issue happens randomly regardless of files

3.Mainly performing task 

4.Files are mainly saved locally  but we have sharepoint also but this issue is happening in both cases.

Also I tried to reset illustraor preferences but still the same.

[jacekk27191768]

Same problem here for two days.

[SiewLingC]

I'm having the same problem. I haven't been able to work or get any work done because of this. Is there a solution? I'm running Big Sur (v. 11.6) on a Macbook Pro, the files are stored in an external drive. All Illustrator files freezes when I try to open them in Illustrator. Same thing happening with InDesign. The beachball keeps spinning. Is there an Adobe or Illustrator diagnostic tool out there? I have deadlines!!!

[Monika Gause]

Copy or move the files to the computer. This rules out the first issue.

Then open them. Does it work?

If you use font management: turn that off.

If you have a printer: turn it on, set it up as the default printer. Check it. Double check it.

If you don't have a printer: install a PDF printer. Set it up as the default printer.

Check all your fonts for corruption.

Images linked in your files? Move them to the computer as well.

Are you using iCloud or the like? Try without them.

How large are your files?

[SiewLingC]

I tried opening the file on the hard drive. It still froze. How do I test for corrupt fonts? I forgot to note that I'm using Illustrator 2021. I trashed all of the Adobe Apps. Emptied the trash and did a fresh install. The reason why I have to move my files to the portable drive is because the hard drive on the laptop was running out of room. I can't reset the preference. I'm trying this: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/troubleshoot-preference-issues.html I'm at my wits end!

[Monika Gause]

The reason why I have to move my files to the portable drive is because the hard drive on the laptop was running out of room.

By @SiewLingC

Why can't you reset the preferences?

On the Mac you can use Fontbook to test your fonts. And I assume there are other tools, I would have to Google that.

As for the external drive: please try if it helps. Illustrator is known to have issues with external drives and you will have to rule that out as a cause of your issues.

As for uninstalling/reinstalling: if you don't  run the Adobe Cleaner tool in-between, it probably won't help a lot.

[SiewLingC]

I didn't run the Adobe Cleaner Tool. I'll try that tonight. I'll test out my fonts first. I held down the Opt-Cmd-Shf keys when Illustrator was starting up and it froze. I tried to find the preference folder for Illustrator and they don't exist.

[SiewLingC]

The files are small. Under 200mb. I suspect that the problem is how Ilustrator is trying to recover the file. Is there a way to delete the recovered or temporary file?

[Monika Gause]

The recovery files are only built when Illustrator crashes. And they get deleted automatically when you don't use them on the next restart. You can also turn that feature off completely in the preferences.

There location of the preferences files (not the difference between your user folder and general system folders)

https://www.vektorgarten.de/illustrator-settings.html

[SiewLingC]

I managed to fix the problem. Illustrator is no longer crashing. I downloaded and installed the Adobe Removal App: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/uninstall-creative-cloud-desktop-app.html Ran the repair option. Restarted the laptop in Safe Mode, openned Illustrator and a file. It worked. So I restarted the laptop again and openned an Illustrator file and the app didn't crashed. It worked.

[Mia_Temple]

Hello, My illustrator is freezing/hanging all the time since the latest update. Never had this issue before. Any solutions?

THanks,

Mia

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Mia_Temple,

We understand that encountering technical issues can be frustrating. Would you mind trying the suggestions shared in this help article (https://adobe.ly/4dEyvFN) and letting us know if it helps?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav