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scottf92962204
scottf92962204
Participant
September 18, 2023
Answered

The application “Adobe Illustrator” can’t be opened.

  • September 18, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 7946 views

When I double click any .ai file I get this message "The application “Adobe Illustrator” can’t be opened."

Everything I have seen says to update Mac OS, but I am fully updated, so thats not the issue. I can open the program and drag the files in to a new document to work on them, but I'd rather not.

    Correct answer Anshul_Saini

    Hi @scottf92962204,

     

    It appears that you're facing an issue with opening .ai files in Adobe Illustrator on your Mac. To resolve this, you can try the following steps:

    • File Association: Right-click on an .ai file and select "Get Info." Under the "Open with" section, make sure Adobe Illustrator 2023 is selected as the default application for opening .ai files. If it's not, select Adobe Illustrator 2023 from the list and click the "Change All" button to associate all .ai files with Illustrator.
    • Reinstall Adobe Illustrator & Creative Cloud app: If the issue persists, uninstall all the Illustrator version(s) applications using the CC Cleaner tool and reinstall them from the Creative Cloud Desktop app.

     

    By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the problem and open .ai files directly in Adobe Illustrator without any issues. Let us know how it goes!

     

    Best,

    Anshul Saini

    2 replies

    Anshul_Saini
    Community Manager
    Anshul_SainiCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
    Community Manager
    September 21, 2023

    Hi @scottf92962204,

     

    It appears that you're facing an issue with opening .ai files in Adobe Illustrator on your Mac. To resolve this, you can try the following steps:

    • File Association: Right-click on an .ai file and select "Get Info." Under the "Open with" section, make sure Adobe Illustrator 2023 is selected as the default application for opening .ai files. If it's not, select Adobe Illustrator 2023 from the list and click the "Change All" button to associate all .ai files with Illustrator.
    • Reinstall Adobe Illustrator & Creative Cloud app: If the issue persists, uninstall all the Illustrator version(s) applications using the CC Cleaner tool and reinstall them from the Creative Cloud Desktop app.

     

    By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the problem and open .ai files directly in Adobe Illustrator without any issues. Let us know how it goes!

     

    Best,

    Anshul Saini

      N
      Natalie5D34
      Participating Frequently
      May 22, 2024

      Thank you SO MUCH! This has been driving me crazy for a while. I downloaded Illustrator beta and it automatically became the default. Once it "expired," I couldn't open Illustrator documents by double-clicking. I had to right-click and select "open with..." every single time. While this was annoying, I put up with it for months until it became a real issue... I realized I could no longer open smart objects in Photoshop and there was no way to select a desired app to open like there is with .ai files (to my knowledge). The first recommendation on this comment solved both problems: opening every .ai file and opening smart objects through photoshop. Very easy fix, I wish I had looked this up sooner. Thank you!!!!!

      N
      Natalie5D34
      Participating Frequently
      September 3, 2024

      To those of you looking to see what I was refering to - it seems like the comment that helped me is no longer here. I cant remember what the solution was. So sorry. 

      Mike_Gondek10189183
      Community Expert
      Mike_Gondek10189183Community Expert
      Community Expert
      September 18, 2023

      What version of OS & Illustrator are you using? Make sure your application and OS are compatible with each other.

      Illustrator system requirements | earlier releases

       

      You  may also have multiple verisons of Ilustrator instlaled. Make sure the corect one is booting or you may need to reassign what app opens your .ai files.

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