Creative Cloud & Windows 7

[Mahreee]

I have used PhotoShop since before CS1. I have been a Creative Cloud subscriber for five years. I would like to continue my Creative Cloud subscription and continue to use PhotoShop, but I have the Windows 7 Professional  OS, and I can't update to Windows 10 at this time.

Adobe keeps sending me notifications that Adobe won't support Windows 7 any more. What are my options? I can't update to Windows 10 at this time, probably not for two more years. I have already updated to CC 2019 (with Lightroom and all other apps). Are these programs still going to work on my Windows 7 Professional OS? Do I need to revert back to CC 2018?

How can I continue to use Creative Cloud and PhotoShop  with my Windows 7 Professional OS?

Thank you.

Marie

[Test Screen Name]

Your CC license lets you run any compatible version (or multiple versions) so you an run CC 2018 now, and upgrade CC if and when you catch up with Windows.

[Mahreee]

Thank you for your answer, but you did not see that I have already upgraded to CC 2019. Why did Adobe allow me to upgrade to CC 2019, without notifying me first that Adobe would not support my Windows 7 Professional OS?

CC 2019 seems to be working fine on my Windows 7 Professional OS. I have version 20.0.0. Here is a truncated view of the System Info:

Adobe Photoshop Version: 20.0.0 20180920.r.24 2018/09/20: 1193433  x64

Number of Launches: 244

Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit

Version: 7 SP1 6.1.7601.24150

System architecture: Intel CPU Family:6, Model:10, Stepping:9 with MMX, SSE Integer, SSE FP, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, HyperThreading

Physical processor count: 4

Processor speed: 3 MHz

Built-in memory: 8078 MB

Free memory: 4425 MB

Memory available to Photoshop: 7375 MB

Memory used by Photoshop: 60 %

Alias Layers: Disabled.

Modifier Palette: Disabled.

Highbeam: Enabled.

Image tile size: 1024K

Image cache levels: 4

Font Preview: Medium

TextComposer: Latin

Display: 1

Display Bounds: top=0, left=0, bottom=1080, right=1920

OpenGL Drawing: Enabled.

OpenGL Allow Old GPUs: Not Detected.

Do I need to uninstall CC 2019 and reinstall CC 2018? If so, how do I do this?

I would appreciate it if Adobe would have a senior tech reply to my questions. I just want to know where I stand, so that I will know that I won't have any problems using PhotoShop for the next two years.

Marie

[John Waller]

Which apps do you use? The audio visual apps (Premiere, Audition, After Effect et s) require Windows 10.

Other apps still run on Win 7 SP1. Win 8 is not supported.

[Mahreee]

I use PhotoShop, Bridge, Lightroom, and Camera Raw.

Marie

[John Waller · Accepted solution]

All CC 2019 versions of those apps are still supported on Windows 7 SP1.

Photoshop system requirements https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html

Lightroom Classic CC still supports Windows 7. Lightroom CC is Win 10 only.

Note: if your system is not supported, the apps will not even be available for you to download in the Cloud desktop app. The fact that you have downloaded and installed indicates that they still work on your system. This may be last version to support Windows 7 though.

Adobe is confusing people by issuing these emails without clarifying the details that Win 7 is still supported on many apps for the time being.

[Mahreee]

John Waller. Thank you, these are the answers I have longed to read.

Marie

[ChristoperS]

John please look at this article and specifically the easy fix tool midway down. I have Windows 7 professional sp1 x64, prior to this fix I was unable to contact adobe servers, I read you needed expolorer 11 with TSL 1.2, this article enabled me to once again contact and use adobe and contact servers for updates. It is a valid and useful fix, just ran it today with 2 days of offline use left

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/update-to-enable-tls-1-1-and-tls-1-2-as-default-secure-pro...

[Test Screen Name]

Glad to hear it. I was assuming you'd checked system compatibility and found it wouldn't install.This is a user to user forum, not a route to Adobe techs, senior or otherwise... still, sometimes we are lucky.

[JJMack]

I'm sure Adobe will be dropping support for old OS versions one Mac and PC platforms.  Apple has drop support for 32Bit Applications  and Adobe will be dropping Photoshop 32bit versions now for windows you will need to use old version of Photoshop if you want to use old 32bit Photoshop Plug-in.  Photoshop UI scale requires Windows 10 to work correctly on High PPI resolution displays on windows.  I believe you will be able to use old hardware  and software  for many years to come.  As  development continues  new software versions may require newer hardware and OS versions.  The writing is on the wall or soon will be.

You may be able to run Photoshop one Windows 7 for many years however, I think some new features like UI scaling may not work. And the will be compatibility problems with PSD file from newer version of Photoshop and older version of Photoshop.

[RjL190365]

It's been over a year from the last post in this thread, but the 2020 versions of many of the CC apps are now out. And as of the release of the new 2020 apps, the CC 2018 versions are now no longer available at all (as per Adobe's availability policy that took effect on May 8 of this year) while the 2019 versions are now on legacy availability status (only the very latest minor point release of that previous major version is now available). And with the pending EOL of support from Microsoft itself for Windows 7, the new 2020 CC apps now require Windows 10 64-bit to run at all. As a result, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 support, as well as 32-bit support, in the Creative Cloud desktop app will begin to be phased out. When that will occur remains to be seen.

[Madlights46]

I think this post by the OP illustrates the problem with cloud and monthly paid/rented apps. At the very least it results in confusion. I have a very old XP pro computer from years ago, and it still runs CS2 fine. (it certainly isn't my main computer)..My Win 7 machines, one a 32 bit and one 64 bit still run my main Adobe programs fine. What is strange is that in 2020, I'm still getting updates for Photoshop in the 64bit Win7 one. I also have been concerned with the upgrade path that we really don't have any control over. I love Photoshop, I was reluctant at first about CC, but it's a pretty good bargain. The thing is with purchasing the license to software, you can keep it as long as your OS. Even though Adobe has tried to continue support to a large degree for non supported operating systems, there will come a cutoff I think,, since I don't believe there is continuing support for very old systems. I and it seems others, are not fond of Windows 10...even if we can afford new machines.

[D Fosse]

OK. That's actually the first sensible argument in favor of perpetual licenses I have come across so far. It's a valid point.

And even more so now that they cut off earlier CC versions too.

Still, overall the arguments are overwhelmingly stacked the other way.

[Mike5FD8]

As of last week, PS CC 2015.5 (an8 18, 19, and 20) stopped working on my WIN 7 computer.  Some .dll file miraculously disappeared into thin air.  My tech guy told me it's a Microsoft issue.  When I went to download any version of CC, I couldn't even open Creative Cloud.  I have made the decision to upgrade to Windows 10, but when I went to uninstall about a half dozen plugins, I could no longer access them.  I seem to be screwed.  

[Mia Story]

i am having trouble with creative cloud and windows 7. i upgraded automatically and bombed constantly. i talked to a rep and he directed me to another download site. downloaded it, and still bombs. so i removed it. now i constantly get a notice everytime i open ps or indesign that creative cloud needs to be updated. annoying but i just ignore it. wondering if that will be fixed anytime soon or at all?

[RjL190365]

It will not be fixed at all. Newer versions of all of the Creative Cloud programs now require Windows 10 just to even install, let alone run, at all. And now, you cannot install even the Creative Cloud desktop app in Windows 7 any more: The newest version of the Creative Cloud desktop app, which is now the only version available from Adobe's site, requires Windows 10 64-bit just to even install at all.

Windows 7 support for all Adobe programs has completely ended as of October 2020, with the release of the new 2021 versions of many (but not all) of the Creative Cloud programs.

[Mike5FD8]

Just got my WIN 7 computer updated to WIN 10 with a fresh install. Since I
have a bunch of WIN 7 and XP software that won't work on WIN 10, I am
forced to process images in 2 steps on 2 separate computers. Still
re-figuring out a new workflow but it's bound to be much more cumbersome.

[Caroline5FD8]

Hi, as a follow-up to this.  I have a student license of CC.  At Uni I can use Adobe with no problem as they have Win10.  But at home, where I am all the time now because of lockdown, I have Win7. 

Most of the Apps are not compatible.  What can I do?  It means I am not able to use the apps I am paying for, but those in a position where they are paying the full price for the suite must be more frustrated than me.

Does anyone know if there is anything in place to support people like me?  I cannot afford to buy a new Win10 version at the moment.

[Mike5FD8]

I had a backup WIN 7 computer that I converted to WIN 10. The long term
problem was that Adobe RAW on my WIN 7 computer won't open the latest RAW
files on my new Z7II. The largest expense was actually some of the other
software upgrades for WIN 10.I use a portable SSD to transfer files between
computers. I still have programs that simply won't work under WIN 10.

[carolinec3666178]

Ok. Glad you got yours sorted eventually. I am not able to buy a new PC though, as no work since last year. 

If only Adobe could offer a free or reduced license key for Win10...... yes, it is a joke. 

[ChristoperS]

For me the issue was adobe servers could not be contacted, It was an issue with TSL 1.2. I did have service pack one, i could not get updates from microsoft but I did fin and article on the issue and ran the easy fix tool to make everything work again. 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/update-to-enable-tls-1-1-and-tls-1-2-as-default-secure-pro...

This fixed my problem, lots of reading and research but for me this worked like a charm without having to update the OS for now.....

10-25-2021

[benoit23266413k1ha]

Thank you ChristoperS for this true and easy solution!