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Samoreen
Inspiring
August 10, 2018
Answered

Plugins installation folder

  • August 10, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 57807 views

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 ?

    Correct answer Samoreen

    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.

    1 reply

    JJMack
    Community Expert
    JJMackCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 10, 2018

    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\

    JJMack
      S
      SamoreenAuthorCorrect answer
      Inspiring
      August 10, 2018

      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.

      --Patrick
      B
      Boudewijn Pelt
      Inspiring
      March 13, 2021

      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.

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