Plugins installation folder

[Samoreen]

Hi,

If I understand well, the recommended location for plugin installation is now C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\CC. However, plugin installers are supposed to look at the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Photoshop\<version> | PluginPath registry value in order to determine in which folder the plugin should be installed. And this value is still pointing to the "old" location (C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC <year>\Plug-Ins\), even for the latest PS CC versions. So many plugin developers continue to install in the old location.

Any official instructions anywhere ?

[JJMack]

No that is where Adobe Camera Raw is installed.  On Windows the default  folder where Plug-in are installed depend on which version of Photoshop you are running.  Every version of Photoshop has their own plug-in folder.  And your plug-ins need to be install into every version of Photoshop you use.  Adobe installers do not migrate your Plug-ins into new versions of Photoshop.   When Possible I install Plug-in in my own Plug-in threes the are two a 32Bit tree and a 64bit tree.  I link Photoshop version Plug-in folders to my plug in folders so 32bit install all use the same 32bit plug-in and all 64bit installs use the same 64bit plug-ins.

Adobe default Plug-in folders are

64bit plug-in folder: "C:\Program Files\Adobe\photoshop version like(Adobe Photoshop CC 2018)\Plug-ins"

32bit plug-in folder: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\photoshop version like(Adobe Photoshop CC 2018)\Plug-ins"

example

C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2018\Plug-ins\

[Samoreen · Accepted solution]

JJMack,

I'm talking from a developer's point of view. C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\CC is the new common folder recommended by Adobe where PS plugin installers should store their modules. All my plugins are installed there. Some because I moved them to this folder manually, others because the plugin installer correctly copied the plugin modules to that folder.

The code of the plugin installer should look at the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Photoshop\<version> | PluginPath registry value and that value should reflect the plugin path for the installed version of PS.

What I'm saying, and this has nothing to do with Camera RAW, is that the registry value mentioned above is not consistent with the Adobe recommendation.

[JJMack]

From a developer point of view that is one of the common shared plug-in folders that Adobe applications like Bridge, Photoshop and maybe other share common plug-ins.  The are sub folders for Adobe software versions. if you follow the tree's paths you will see currently only Adobe Camera Raw raw plug-ins are installed in there. The Plug-in folder you show is foe 64Bit Plug-ins.  Third Party Plug-ins are not installed in there. Ther are many Plug-ins folders and I doe not know the exact search orders Photoshop and Bridge versions use.   I link my plug-ins folders to Photoshop version normal tthird party plug-in folders

Example of my links to third party Plug-ins

]

[Samoreen]

Thanks for the details.

There are many Plug-ins folders and I doe not know the exact search orders Photoshop and Bridge versions use

Actually, I'd like to obtain accurate instructions from Adobe about this. This a very messy situation. The PS SDK doesn't provide any information about what should go where (unless I missed something obvious).

I have asked the same question in the Feedback Forum. Waiting for an answer...

[JJMack]

I hope you get one from Adobe.  Users here do not have access to Adobe Code.  No matter the search on windows will vary between installs. There is a 32Bit Photoshop Install and a 64Bit Photoshop install and each Photoshop version install has plug-in folders the that are only used by that version's  install they are not shared between versions.  Folders may contain the same file in different versions of Photoshop but the folders are not the same file are not shared between version.  except for Adobe Camer Raw and still there four version of Adobe Camera RAW.

[Boudewijn Pelt]

Thanks for posting about this C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\CC. How did you figure this out? I could not find it in the documentation.

I have a couple of filter plug-ins and they are picked up by Photoshop 2021. I also found a similar folder on the Mac: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC

Any idea from which Photoshop version this folder works (for filter plug-ins)?
I would guess from the name that it could be from Phtoshop CC and newer.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Under help search for file locations:

https://helpx.adobe.com/nz/photoshop/kb/preference-file-names-locations-photoshop.html

If you still use an old version of Photoshop search for Photoshop CS5 file locations

For current versions search for Photoshop CC file locations

Note: I don't know how it works with OSX, but with Windows you need to make Hidden Files viewable from File Explorer > View tab