fonts management in illustrator 29.8.1 doesnt work anymore.

[marianm52683389]

Im using nexusfonts as font manager, im working for tens different brands and i dont want to install hundres of fonts so i activate/deactivate fonts to suits my specific needs. Since this last version of illustrator, when i was selecting a different font collection from nexusfont, illustrator saw the new activated fonts and updated them in the documents. Now it doesn't do this anymore and I have to close and reopen illustrator with the collection activated in nexusfont everytime im switchig between different clients documents. It's very annoying and I would like to know if there is a solution for this. Thanks! 🙂

[anjana2k26]

I have been using the font manager Fontbase with Illustrator for a few years without any problems. Typically, when we activate a font in Fontbase, it is immediately available across various applications like Photoshop and Illustrator.

But after a recent update to Illustrator, this method no longer works. Now we must restart Illustrator every time we activate a font in Fontbase for it to appear in Illustrator. This problem only occurs in the latest versions of Illustrator, while older versions and Photoshop do not have this issue. I also checked the Fontbase community, and it seems the problem is not on Fontbase's side. https://forum.fontba.se/t/activating-fonts-do-not-appear-in-illustrator/1733

Please resolve this issue without creating additional problems. Thank you!

[Monika Gause]

So probably the font base engineers should contact the Illustrator engineers about the issue instead of just poking around? Maybe join the prerelease group?

[marianm52683389]

i updated illustrator to version 29.8.2 and the problem persist

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @marianm52683389,

Thanks for the update. Could you please try testing this behavior in the latest Illustrator (Beta) build available via the Creative Cloud Desktop App? You can install it from here: https://adobe.ly/46FEut6 and check if it resolves the issue with font activation not updating automatically.

Let me know how it goes after testing so I can share your feedback with the team.

Abhishek

[lomaxd]

Abhishek,

I've tested Extensis Connect in the Beta 30.1 65. Fonts that are activated while an .AI document is open do indeed become available to use, as well as unavailable when they are again deactivated in Extensis Connect. The auto activation function does not work. Where a font in an existing document does not activate automatically if it's deactivated in Connect before the document is then opened.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @lomaxd,

Sorry for the delayed response. Kindly allow me some time to check this with the team. I will update this thread as I have more info.

Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.

Anubhav

[simplybright]

As of a few weeks ago, Illustrator stopped doing live updates of newly installed fonts while the program is open. I have to complete restart the program to get the font library to update. I tried doing a clean install, also clearing the app data and temp folders.

A service rep told me to install fonts through the creative cloud app, but that's not something I'm interested in doing for a multitude of reasons. Hopefully this is an easy fix that I just overlooked, thanks in advance!

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @simplybright,

Thanks for sharing the details. Illustrator should normally refresh newly added system fonts without needing a restart, so this behavior isn't expected. Please try resetting Illustrator preferences (https://adobe.ly/3VShctG) and see if that helps. Also, ensure you’re installing the fonts for 'All Users' in Windows rather than just your current profile, as that can affect how Illustrator detects them.

Additionally, try signing out and back into the Creative Cloud desktop app to refresh syncing. If the problem continues, clear your system font cache using the steps here: https://adobe.ly/3VPedCr.

Once done, restart your system and test again by installing a new font while Illustrator is open. Let me know if the fonts still don’t refresh automatically, so I can check this further.

Looking forward to your update.
Abhishek

[simplybright]

I've done all the steps and am still encountering the issue.

[simplybright]

Just checking in for anything else I can do. I also just recently (two days ago) updated my laptop AI version from 29.5.1 to 29.8.2 and the font library is doing the exact same thing. Is this an illustartor issue? I do not understand, this is a completely different computer that is doing the same thing.

[simplybright]

I'm coming back to confirm that I went back to version 29.6.1 on my laptop and now my font library updates as expected. 

With the amount of time the latest version has been out, I don't understand how I'm not seeing anyone else bring up this issue? Surely it cannot be only me seeing as the same issue is happening on two completely different machines.

[brianw77255214]

yes the latest version will not update the fonts like it use to while open... reverting back a version supposedly works. Which i just did and it worked. Supposedly the beta version it works so guess ill have to wait for the beta to release.

[susanr35537211]

I am having the same problem as of 10/20/25. Please fix?! I'm on OSX and latest version of AI (29.8.2).

[ClusterX]

No luck in Windows, AI 29.8.2 as of 10/23/25... Indesign works correctly

[ClusterX]

Coonect fonts auto-activating plugin for illustrator doesn't even try to activate the fonts when openning document

[ClusterX]

Upd. Font auto-activation does not work in any Adobe application

[Anubhav M]

Hello @ClusterX,

Thanks for confirming. Would you mind trying to run Illustrator under a different administrator account (Windows / macOS) and checking if it helps? Also, try to run Illustrator after rebooting your computer in Safe Mode (Windows / macOS) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Anubhav

[d1malien]

In Adobe Illustrator v.30 this bug has been fixed, I checked with Font Expert 2015. Check on your font managers. 

Thank you to all participants for your support.

[lomaxd]

I just checked the latest Illustrator update, version 30.0. After updating Extensis Connect to version 28.0.0 it now works as it should. Fonts activate/deactivate while a doc is open and auto-activate when a font is not active, but present in the file being opened. Thanks to all involved. Go get your favorite beverage of choice to celebrate. (Consume wisely.)

[talos72]

I am using a Windows 11 machine with Extensis Connect font manager. I have noticed it no longer can activate/ deactivate fonts on the fly with Illustrator or Photoshop. I have to close Adobe app, activate fonts I need temporarily and reopen Adobe app. Very annoying and slow.  

[d1malien · Accepted solution]

This bug has been fixed in Adobe Illustrator v.30. Activating/deactivating fonts on the fly using font managers in Adobe Photoshop v.27 also works. Please check it out.