Moving to a new computer

When moving Creative Cloud apps to a new computer, it's essential to manually control the installation order to avoid file association issues, particularly with Adobe Bridge. Start by installing Photoshop first, followed by Bridge, and then other apps like Premiere Pro and Illustrator. After installation, check and set file type associations in Bridge > Preferences > File Type Associations to ensure each format opens with the correct app. You can also export your Bridge preferences from your old computer and import them to the new system to save time.

When you install Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) apps on a new computer, the CC Desktop app typically installs the latest versions of the applications by default. It doesn't necessarily install them in chronological order from earliest to latest.

If you have specific preferences for which versions of the applications you want to install (for example, if you prefer an older version for compatibility reasons), you can customize the installation preferences through the CC Desktop app.

Here's how you can do it:

Open Creative Cloud Desktop App:

Launch the Creative Cloud Desktop app on your new computer.
Go to Apps:

Navigate to the "Apps" section.
Find the Application:

Locate the specific application you want to install.
Install from Previous Versions:

Click on the ellipsis (...) next to the app and select "Other Versions."
Select Version:

You'll see a list of available versions. Choose the version you want to install.
Install:

Click "Install" to install the selected version.
Regarding Adobe Bridge and file associations, it's generally recommended to have the latest version of Adobe Bridge installed alongside the other Adobe CC apps for the best compatibility. If you do need to install a specific version, you can use the steps outlined above to choose the version that works best for your workflow.

Remember to check system requirements and compatibility before installing any software to ensure optimal performance.

If I open a Raw file from Bridge, it will open in different versions of Photoshop, depending on how I opened it (double-click, vs right-click). Thinking about it, though, I don't really need to keep all those previous versions, except for CC 2013 32-bit, for legacy plugins. Adobe is by far the largest sub-folder in Program Files, and it can be pared down a lot.

My current system has been showing its age for a few years, but it's getting more unstable week by week. My new one will be the first bare-metal build I've done in years. It will be an Intel Core-9, with an NVME drive for scratch and apps. I'm planning on biting the bullet on an Nvidia RTX 4090; boy, the prices on those are sure eye-popping! All will be running under a new Windows 10 license.

It will be nice to have an up-to-date machine. I haven't even tried any of the new AI stuff in Photoshop, since I figure my current box would just frustrate me. Heck, it frustrates me just opening and saving files theses days.

Not sure what you mean - are you going to install multiple versions of each application? In that case I would definitely start with the earliest. I do that as a matter of routine.

If you later decide you don't need the earlier version and just want the latest - uninstall them all in reverse order, starting with the newest. Then reinstall the one you want.

New computer time John.  🙂  What sort of spec?

I can't say that I have had issues with Bridge and file associations, but I don't install of the CC apps, and I typically install Photoshop first, then Bridge, then Prem Pro, Audition, Illustrator.  Are you trying to avoid having to trawl through Bridge > Preferences > File Type Associations for the dozens of formats it lists?  Would installing Bridge last cause it to keep its defaults?  Or can we save and move the settings from old to new computer?