illustrator startup screen wont pop up

Hi there,

Sorry about the trouble and delayed response. I would like to know if the steps suggested above by @ worked for you? If not, you may try the following steps and let us know how it goes:

• Rename the CEP folder to CEP.old from the following location:
  /Library/Application Support/Adobe
• If that doesn't help, rename the extensions folder to extensions.old in the following location:
  /Library/Application Support/Adobe/UXP 
• Try running the app in Safe Mode  (Mac) & Root/ Hidden Admin account (Mac)?
• If that doesn't help either, uninstall the application using the CC Cleaner tool and reinstall it from the Creative Cloud Desktop app.

Kindly update the discussion if you still need assistance with it. We'd be happy to help.

Thanks & Regards,

Anshul Saini

Try trashing your Illustrator preferences. This will set the program back to its defaults and hopefully fix the problem. Even though you have already uninstalled and reinstalled the program this would not automatically trash your old (possibly corrupt) preferences.

To reset preferences on a Mac:

The User Library folder in which Illustrator’s preferences are stored is hidden by default on most Macintoshes. To access it make sure that Illustrator is closed and click on the desktop to launch a Finder Window (Command-N).With this window in column view follow the path User>Home folder (it’s the folder with an icon that looks like a house—it may have the user’s name rather than “Home”) and click on the Home folder. With the Option Key pressed choose Library from the Finder Go Menu. “Library” will now appear within the Home folder. Within the Library folder find the folder called Preferences and within it find the folder called “Adobe Illustrator <Version #> Settings” (earlier versions of Illustrator might just say “Adobe Illustrator”) and the file called “com.adobe.Illustrator.plist” and delete both that folder and that file. When Illustrator is next launched it will create new preference files and the program will be restored to its defaults.

The advantage of manually deleting preference files in this manner is that after you’ve reset up the program (make sure that no document window is open) to your liking, you can create copies of your personalized “mint” preference files (make sure that you quit the program before copying them—that finalizes your customization) and use them in the future to replace any corrupt versions you may need to delete.