How to stop Elements from uploading photos?

[Guest]

Elements/Organizer 2024 keeps syncing my photos to my Adobe account even though I have turned off Auto-Sync. Each time I turn the function off the program immediately turns it back on. Any way to stop auto sync?

I also found auto-sync still running when I exited the program. I had to stop several tasks in Windows Task Manager until I found one that stopped auto-sync.

Thanks, Steve

[Greg_S. · Accepted solution]

Try this:

• Quit the Organizer
• Go to C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Elements Organizer\24.0\CAHeadless\
• Make a copy of the file named AutoCreatorPrefs.xml and save it with a different name.
• Open the original AutoCreatorPrefs.xml file in a text editor like WordPad.
• After  the following text: <Autosync version="1"> the value for Photos and Videos probably says true. You must change the text to false.  The entire text should read as follows: 

(<AutoSync version="1"><Photos value="false"/><Videos value="false"/><FullResDownload value="false"/></AutoSync>

• Save the file under its original name with the .xml extension.  (WordPad may try to change it to .txt)
• Open the Organizer and see if you are now able to change the Preferences file to turn off autosync.

Please report back if this works for you.

[Guest]

Thank you very much. I will let you know what happens.

[Guest]

ALL Right! Greg S Your solution worked. I had to change my security properties to full control so I could save the XML file.

I tried disabling the 2 Adobe startup programs--it didn't work. So thank you very much for the solution.

Steve

[TonyP5]

You beudy, well done and a good morning from New Zealand Greg.

Just caught up with your solution this morning and it worked for me as well. I have to wonder why Adobe, who are presumably the experts, didn't work this out and advise all licence holders. They should give you some sort of bonus as, at least in my case, I would never have bought another version of Elements and would have shopped elsewhere if/when I decided to get more features etc.

Again, many thanks.

Tony

[jasons5780960]

I just upgraded to 2025 and need to halt the auto creations and they have changed things.  Those locations dont exist anymore.  Help!

[TonyP5]

Are you saying they haven't fixed it in the 2025 version? If thats the case, I wont be buying Elements again. One thing you can do is delete all your pics from the Adobe Cloud. They take pics off your Cloud and play with them and then you get that on the welcome screen every time you open Elements. Very annoying and looks so amateurish. My wife wants to know why there are all hearts on a picture of a woman on my welcome screen. Its a woman I did a candid shoot for about 6-7 years ago. Cant find any way to delete it off the Home screen.

If Greg gets the 2025 version, he's probably the only one here that can maybe help eventually.

Me. I wont be buying it again.

[peterm6917112]

I have the same problem. AutoCreatorPrefs.xml  doesn't exist in PSE 2025

[Joe.P]

I have the element organizer 2024 but I can not find the Preferences file. The directory structure looks like This : C:\Program Files\Adobe\Elements 2024 Organizer\

Your other directories don't exist and that name for the xml file doesn't exist either. 😞

Any other suggestions on how to modify the settings.

[TonyP5]

Joe, read down this thread. You will find Media Analysis by selecting the Edit tab at the top of the screen, scroll down to the bottom to Preferences then select Media Analysis.

[TonyP5]

I should have also said you will find that in the 'Organiser' module.  Cheers

[Joe.P]

In my usual non specific way I didn't say what my issue was. 

I was just trying to stop autosync in the preferences file. The xml file doesn't exist in my directory structure. So I called. They suggested running organizer in admin mode and then change my autosync settings in preferences. It worked. 🙂 

[TonyP5]

That's interesting. How did you run Organiser in Admin mode? Pleased all good for you now.

[dennisw46765709]

Any idea how to achieve this in MacOs?

[Greg_S.]

@jasons5780960, this discussion relates to an inability to turn off Auto-sync of Cloud photos in the Organizer's preferences.  You state that your problem relates to Auto Creations.  Are you unable to uncheck the box for generating Auto Creations in the Organizer's Edit>Preferences>Media Analysis dialog shown below?

@TonyP5 , AFAIK the problem has been fixed in Elements 2025.  I guess we will have to see whether @jasons5780960 agrees.

As for deleting Auto Creations from the Home Screen, if you turn them off in preferences, no new creations will be generated.  For those that have already been generated, if you click on the View All button, they will appear on a new page with trash can icons to delete any you wish to get rid of.

[TonyP5]

Wonderful. That worked. Strange that after I applied the changes, Auto Creations still wouldnt acceot the 'untick' permanently. However, now that I have seen the little trash icon (I hadn't viewed all the Auto Creations, just the one on the Home screen) I have succesfully deleted all of them. About 33. Now I notice the Auto Creations box in Preferences remains unticked. You made my day. Thanks Greg👍

[Greg_S.]

@Joe.P, what is the problem you are trying to correct?  As @TonyP5 states, if you are simply trying to reach the Organizer's preferences to turn off auto sync, you do that through the Organizer's Edit menu.   (Or you can press Ctrl+K).

If you are having problems turning off the auto synch preferences and need to follow my instructions for editing the .xml file, It's not clear from your post whether you have looked in the ProgramData folder. (You say that you can't find it in the Program Files directory.)  Perhaps you have system files hidden. 

[Greg_S.]

@peterm6917112, there are several problems discussed in this thread.  Please be more specific about which problem you are having.

[francisc75144729]

Brilliant - sorry this is a long thread so not quite sure who explained that as well as turning off autocreeations you had to delete everything that Adobe had already created without so much as a 'by your leave' but whoever it was many, many thnaks.  I found over 30 that I didn't even know existed including wholly inappropriate 'enhancements' of a long since deceased elderly aunt.  Time to reprogramme whoever generated that AI!