Latest version of Illustrator unusable?

[chamel77]

Hello, I just updated Illustrator (29.8.2) on my Mac (MacBook Pro, 16GB memory, Sonoma 14.7.3) and it is completely unusable. Sometimes the app will open, but if I try to open any files, it just crashes. Tried reinstalling, same thing. Any idea when this will get fixed? I have a pretty massive job due in 48 hours, and I'm dead in the water and out a LOT of money if this doesn't get patched soon. What are other folks/agencies doing as a work around to theis current version being unusable??

[creative explorer]

@chamel77 hate to say it, other users have reported serious instability with Illustrator 29.8.2 on macOS Sonoma, especially when opening files. Because of that, many users have also reported that rolling back a version, Illustrator 28 is stable and compatible with Sonoma. You’ll lose some newer features, but it’s a reliable way to keep working. That may help you with that tight deadline! 

[Ton Frederiks]

It does not help you, but I run Illustrator on Sonoma 14.8.1 without problems. Did you already reset your Preferences?

Manual is the best way, see: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/desktop/get-started/preferences-and-settings/restore-app-prefere...

[bama grama]

You need to upgrade your version of mac to Sequoia 15.6.1. Then maybe it
will work! Is your computer a Silicon model? That makes a difference too!

[Anubhav M]

Hello @chamel77,

Thanks for reaching out. I understand how disruptive crashes can be, especially when you're in the middle of your work. I hope the suggestions shared by Ton, Creative Explorer, and Bama were helpful. If you're still experiencing issues, please try the steps outlined in this help article: https://adobe.ly/3IYbcNa and let us know if that resolves the problem.

Additionally, we recommend submitting a crash report using your Adobe email address so we can track it more efficiently. You can follow the instructions here: https://adobe.ly/4ncntvH.

Looking forward to your update.
Anubhav

[blankcreativellc]

Same issue here. MBP, 64GB memory, running macOS Tahoe 26.0.1. It just keeps crashing on open no matter the uninstall or older versions. Anyone have other fix options?

[Jim_Rick6879]

Hi @chamel77,

This issue has been reported by several Mac users. Try these quick fixes:

1. Revert to the previous version — open the Creative Cloud app → Illustrator → … → Other Versions → Install 29.7.
2. Reset preferences (hold Shift + Option + Command while launching Illustrator).
3. If it still crashes, disable GPU Performance under Preferences → Performance.

The rollback to 29.7 usually restores stability until Adobe releases a patch.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @chamel77, @blankcreativellc,

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Could you please try updating to the latest Illustrator version 30.0 and check if the crashing issue still occurs there? 

Looking forward to your update, so we can assist you further.

Abhishek