AI 2024 really slow on M3 Max Macbook

[ian_3352]

Hi folks

As example, I have an 11 page doc, 11x17" artboards, 6MB.  All vector line work, very few fills, no placed images.....  nothing fancy, a lot of lines, but really simple.....aircraft layouts imported as dwg linework from CAD. 

Just upgraded to an M3 Max Macbook Pro, 96GB memory running Sonoma 14.6.1. It's ridiculously slow, spinning beachball, lagging selection, lag between keyboard strike and screen response.  My M2 blazed through this stuff, M3 is driving me nuts.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Ian 

[Bill Silbert]

What exact version of Illustrator are you using? The latest version is v28.6. With all of the compatibility issues netween Sonoma and the Adobe world it seems best to make sure that you are using the most up to date version of Illustrator. It also would not be a bad idea to reset preferences when/if you upgrade.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @ian_3352,

We understand that encountering technical issues can be frustrating. I hope Bill's suggestion to update Illustrator (https://adobe.ly/3AquUMT) helped resolve the problem. If not, kindly try the suggestions shared in this help article (https://adobe.ly/4clZuVe) and let us know if they help.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[ian_3352]

Hi Bill, thanks for the reply.  I’m up to date with everything, brand new machine, brand new Adobe re-install.  What’s weird is I can’t find the Adobe preference folder, it’s not in “library” (For Mac OS: <drive>/Users/<username>Library/Preferences/com.adobe) and doesn’t pop up in any searches

[Anubhav M]

Hello @ian_3352,

Thanks for sharing the details. Would you mind trying to manually reset Illustrator's preferences and checking if it helps:

For macOS

• Close all Adobe applications.

• Go to the following locations

• ~/Library/Caches

• ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe

• ~/Library/Preferences

• Rename Adobe Illustrator, com.adobe.illustrator and Adobe Illustrator 28 Settings folders to Adobe Illustrator.old, com.adobe.illustrator.old and Adobe Illustrator 28 Settings.old

• Launch Illustrator from the Creative Cloud.

Note: Location starting with this "~" sign indicates the User Library, which is hidden. So, you need to copy & paste the exact path in spotlight search or from Finder Menu > Go > Go to Folder > Paste the location in the dialog box like this:

For Windows

- Close all Adobe applications.

- Go to Location C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Adobe

- Rename Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Illustrator 28 Settings folders to Adobe Illustrator.old and Adobe Illustrator - 28 Settings.old

- Relaunch Illustrator from Creative Cloud

Disclaimer: Please note that renaming preferences folders will remove all the custom settings, and Illustrator will launch with default settings. You can also save a backup of the folders, the location of which is mentioned above.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[ian_3352]

Hi Anubhav, sorry, I have no idea what to do with those instructions….. hidden folders, exact paths?

Cheers

Ian
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[Anubhav M]

Hello @ian_3352,

Thanks for confirming. To remove the preferences, you can also try the suggestions shared here: (https://adobe.ly/3M4g7Kx) and see if they help.

Disclaimer: Please note that renaming preferences folders will remove all the custom settings, and Illustrator will launch with default settings. You can also save a backup of the folders in case you want to. The location is mentioned above.

Also, kindly check if Illustrator behaves this way with only some files. If yes, kindly share a public link to a sample file after uploading it to Dropbox/Google Drive/etc., and a screen recording of the problem (https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/screen-record-an-issue-on-windows-amp-macos-f...), so we can investigate this further?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[tony27594587nbo9]

Was this ever resolved? I'm having the same issues.. 

MacBook Pro 16-inch, Nov 2023 M3 MAX  128 GB

Adobe Illustrator V 28.7.1

GPU Performance : Checked

All vector artwork, with text. Each time I move something, I get the beachball. 

[Anubhav M]

Hello everyone,

Our team has made some improvements to this in the latest Illustrator release. Would you mind updating to Illustrator 2025 v29.0 and checking if it helps alleviate this problem?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[Bill Silbert]

In the path you've shown instead of looking at "com.adobe" the folder you should be concerned with in the Preferences folder is "Adobe Illustrator 28 Settings". Deleting that file (with Illustrator closed) will create a new set of preferences (and a new folder with the name "Adobe Illustrator 28 Settings") when Illustrator is next launched.

[defaulth9cxnksbdoyv]

I have same issue !!! M3 Pro 1t - what is the story? 

[Anubhav M]

Hello @defaulth9cxnksbdoyv,

I am sorry to hear about your experience. Would you mind sharing more details, like the OS/Illustrator version and whether Illustrator behaves this way when working with a particular tool/feature/file so I can better assist you?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[HeadlineInc]

Having the same issue here with a brand new M3 Max and its making the software unsable for me.   Moving a linked png gives me a beachball and lag.   I've done everything I could find for optimization and reinstalled software and nothing seems to help.  Is there any real world solutions for this or do I need to move to an older machine instead of my brand new one.

[Monika Gause]

---

@HeadlineInc  schrieb:

Having the same issue here with a brand new M3 Max and its making the software unsable for me.   Moving a linked png gives me a beachball and lag.   I've done everything I could find for optimization and reinstalled software and nothing seems to help.  Is there any real world solutions for this or do I need to move to an older machine instead of my brand new one.

---

Which system is installed?

How much RAM do you have?

Do you have any third party system extensions installe, stuff like Magnet?

How many fonts?

[HeadlineInc]

Not sure what you mean by system but I'll add some of these details below to clarify.

OS: Sequoia 15.5

RAM: 128 GB

Chip: Apple M3 Max

No third party extensions.

Only one Font used in the project Myriad Pro.

25 Artboards (1920px x 1080px) separated by layer so never more then 1 artboards layer is on at a time.  

Approx 60 linked assets on a local folder (most of them .png)

Performance Options:  GPU Performance (Toggled ON), Animated Zoom (Toggled OFF)

Appreciate your help on this.  

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @HeadlineInc,

Thanks for sharing all those details. I totally get how frustrating this must be, especially on a high-spec machine like yours. Since you've already gone through most of the usual optimizations and even reinstalled the app, could you check if Illustrator lags only with files that include linked PNGs, or does it happen with other simpler files as well? You might also want to save a copy of the file with all links embedded to see if that helps improve performance.

If the issue continues, feel free to share a sample file and a short screen recording through a public link, so I can share it with the team. If it's sensitive, you're welcome to DM it privately through the community. Also, just to confirm, are you currently on the latest Illustrator version 29.7, or another version?

Let me know what you find.

I'm here to help and happy to take this further if needed.

Abhishek

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @HeadlineInc

Adding more to my previous response. If you're not already on the latest version of Illustrator (v29.7 or at least v29.6.1), could you please try updating and testing the issue again? There have been several performance-related improvements in recent releases that might help address this behavior.

If you're still experiencing the lag after updating, please let me know.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Abhishek

[HeadlineInc · Accepted solution]

Abhishek,

Thank you so muck for yout help.   I was just about to give up hope until this comment.  I was running v29.6.1 snd I found the 29.7 beta and installed that and the problems all vanished.   Now I'm running fast and with no beachballs.   Really appreciate your help on this and will continue to leadn on the forum for support.   Now I gotta get back to work!

Andrew