Illustrator 2020 keeps crashing on macOS Catalina

Community Manager

Hi there,

We're extremely sorry about the trouble you are facing with current version of Illustrator. We're currently investigating this issue.

I would request if you could upvote this issue here (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-bugs/suggestions/39578656-random-crashing-24-0-3) and share your feedback and following details in the comments.

Exact version of Illustrator you are working on.

Submit Crash report (https://helpx.adobe.com/in/illustrator/kb/crash-next-steps.html )
While submitting the crash report please use the same email address, with which you are signed in on this community. This will help us find the crash report and help accordingly.

SPX file from MAC
Click on Apple Icon > About this Mac > System Report
This will launch the System Profiler
Then Click File > Save > Save in Creative Cloud Files
Then open www.assets.adobe.com
Click on three dots next to spx file > Share > Copy Link and share it on Uservoice page.

Preferences Folder: -
Try resetting preferences. If it helps to resolve the problem, share the old folders via Creative Cloud.
Close all Adobe applications.
Go to locations

~/Library/Caches

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe

~/Library/Preferences

Rename Adobe Illustrator, com.adobe.illustrator and Adobe Illustrator 24 Settings folders to Adobe Illustrator.old, com.adobe.illustrator.old and Adobe Illustrator 24 Settings.old

Launch Illustrator from the Creative Cloud.

Please note that resetting preferences will remove all the custom settings and Illustrator will launch with default settings. This way all your old settings will be saved in .old folders and Illustrator will recreate new folders with default settings. Save these .old folders in Creative Cloud Files and share the download link
Also, check how it works if you change the color preferences to Apple RGB in the display settings (https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mchlf3ddc60d/mac).

This will help in replicating this issue at our end and resolve this in upcoming releases.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250905859

janh53600120

Participant

Hello all,

If Im not wrong, we are talking about MBP 16" crashing,

this is maybe problem of Apple, please all-

look at this forum where lot of things are told:

30.000 people have already seen this threat

I guess its not Adobe issue, ciao!

janh53600120

Participant

There is only ONE HOPE and it is todays update to MacOS Catalina 10.15.5

which should resolve this issue, nothing else before didnt help for me.

God bless Adobe, its Applegate

F

felipec25419617

Participant

Same problem here on new Macbook pro 16"

I have already contact Adobe via chat and they are trying to solve.

I'm having another problem that my files is performing very bad (copy and paste gets really slow)

H

HNMSC

Participant

Same issue here.

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9

64 GB 2667 MHz DDR4

AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB

Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

As a professional this is exremely frustrating, losing time over crashes and lost work. PLEASE FIX ASAP!

jusroy

Participating Frequently

I've been suffering with this issue ever since upgrading to my MBP 16" (as soon as they were released). Identical specs as above.

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9

64 GB 2667 MHz DDR4

AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB

Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

Most (certianly not all) of my crashes happen when I'm not even using the computer. I'll wake it up in the morning to be greeted with the message that Illustrator unexpectedly quit. There's not one day that goes by that I don't have Illustrator quit on me. I kid you not, my recent files list is still empty to this day as I've never purposely quit Illustrator. I've tried everything suggested within this thread and the problem persists. Adobe needs to actually address the issue within the software. Worst of all, I've stopped even bothering to send the crash reports by clicking the 'don't send - don't ask again' button but it still bloody asks me to send the crash report each time. In other words, the crash report buttons don't even work properly. What a mess. I never experience these issues with my Mid-2014 MBP 15" with CC 2018. That set-up was solid. Unfortunately I find that I'm actually less productive with this new set-up. Every time I see an AI update available in the CC app I hope & pray that they've resolved this issue. May 2020 and it's still poopy.

Participating Frequently

Thats the dumbest solution ever... Buying a 4000$ laptop t deactivate the videocard...
Adobe is becoming a real joke with their outsourced customer services...

Those one-on-one solutions are so bad, they just change every privileges in your computer and are not even sure if it is working.

Danny Whitehead.

Legend

Looks to me like Srishti's suggestion is more or less the opposite - it stops OSX from disabling the GPU's performance,.

Not that I would defend PMed solutions, or the increase in poor advice from people actually employed by Adobe.

IMHO, GPU Performance still isn't ready for public release, not that the Illustrator dev team would let a little thing like that stand in their way!

johnnymac77

Participating Frequently

The fact is, we are all beta testing the MacBook Pro 16" for Adobe. Obviously the new navi GPUs in Catalina weren't ready for Adobe.

Participant

That's not the correct answer – that's very misleading. Please remove this suggestion NOW!

A

Andy Swift

Inspiring

Your response is in the general thread… it's not clear which answer you are referring to.

Participant

Correct answer given by Adobe is false:

I finally found a solution. It was another user who wrote me a PM with the solution and so far it's working.

I haven't had a crash in 2 days now.

Preference > Performance > uncheck "GPU Performance"

That simple!

2 Months of 6-7-8 crashes every day and that little trick fixed it.

Really Adobe, you couldn't come up with that????

Participant

I have the same issue here with new 16" Macbook. please help! I don't want to turn off the GPU either.

Community Manager

Hi Macario,

Sorry about this. Try disabling Automatic GPU Switching and let us know how it goes.

Go to the Apple menu and choose “System Preferences” and then go to “Energy” control panel.
Uncheck the box next to “Automatic graphics switching”.

Regards!

johnnymac77

Participating Frequently

Same here - 16" MacBook pro crashes constantly with Photoshop / Illustrator and InDesign. I have tried everything, including reinstalling all three. Now I will try the above method and see how it goes...

G

Grupet_69Author

Known Participant

I finally found a solution. It was another user who wrote me a PM with the solution and so far it's working.

I haven't had a crash in 2 days now.

Preference > Performance > uncheck "GPU Performance"

That simple!

2 Months of 6-7-8 crashes every day and that little trick fixed it.

Really Adobe, you couldn't come up with that????

Participant

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? THIS AWSER IS FAKE NEWS. STOP POSTING MISILEADUING INFORMATION. NO ONE IS GOING TO TURN OFF THEIR GPU TO FIX THIS ISSUE. STOP MISLEADING PEOPLE. ADOBE NEEDS TO FIX THIS ISSUE NOW!!!

Community Manager

Hi there,

We are extremely sorry to hear this. Turning off GPU performance might have worked for them but not for you. Looking at the crash report you submitted on 5th March, it looks like an GPU issue but there could be other factors too. It looks like one-on-one support will be able to help you best. Please head here (https://helpx.adobe.com/support.html) and select the chat button in the lower-right corner of the page. We can help troubleshoot faster that way.

Thanks!

SWRL157

Participant

Same frustrations here. 16" book with Catalina 10.15.3 and illustrator 24.0.3. no plug-ins. I save to a harddrive folder that is linked to dropbox. And recently Carbonite. Same type random crashes when i move to another program or just look away. AND my desktop setup preferences reset when i open it up. My Indesign is doing the same thing too. Just random crashes. Photoshop is still functioning. all reports are sent to Adobe. I'm following this thread like the rest of the frustrated just to find out what the outcome will be. Been working thru the suggestion by @monika_gause and appreciate the dart throwing but, wow. My favorite thing that has happened is that NOW my illustrator display has gone lorez. looks to be 32 or 64-bit video gamish. That's awesome.

whoops.... scratch that. obviously I fat fingered some VIEW setting.

Community Manager

Hi there,

So sorry to hear that you are facing multiple issues with Illustrator. It looks like one-on-one support will be able to help you best. Please head here (https://helpx.adobe.com/support.html) and select the chat button in the lower-right corner of the page. We can help troubleshoot faster that way.

Regards!

Participating Frequently

Any update ? I have tried everything and no solution was found...

Monika Gause

Community Expert

What exactly did you try?

Which version exactly is it?

When exactly is it crashing?

If you don't want self help, you can try Customer Care:

Please contact Customer Care: http://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html

Participating Frequently

I already have a case opened... it is almost a month since all my crashes and nothign is found yet.

Latest Catalina and latest Illustrator as of now.

R

ricardomedici@me.com

Participant

I'm also having the same problem related here by other users and my configuration is pretty much the same...

janh53600120

Participant

same problem, same macbook

Illustrator /photoshop / indesign crashes constantly every day

on activity monitor there are always more than 4GB RAM load even if Im not working on photoshop at all.

App is just open..

its more than horrible work nowadays

1hour call with apple care doesnt help

please hepl us!

Community Manager

Hi there,

Sorry about this. Did you try the steps shared above? Also, please do share the following information:

OS and version of Illustrator/InDesign/ Photoshop.
Screenshot of Activity Monitor.
Graphic card installed on the machine.
When did this start happening? Are there any recent changes made to your system? For example, any antivirus, system updates or web extensions installed recently.

I would also request if you could create a new thread and post all this information there. Issues mentioned above are specific to Illustrator.

Regards,

Srishti

Participating Frequently

Glad I'm not alone with this problem.

The worst part is that they always do the same diagnostic over and over and try to say a third-party application is the problem.

What are the specs of your MacBook Pro ? Here are mine :

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

Catalina 10.15.2 (19C57)

2.6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7

64 GB 2667 MHz DDR4

AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 4 GB

Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

Monika Gause

Community Expert

Please contact Customer Care: http://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html