How to fix the issue of Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app not opening or showing a spinning progress wheel
Learn what to do when the Creative Cloud desktop app does not open or shows a spinning progress wheel.

How to fix the Creative Cloud desktop app when it won't open

When you launch the Creative Cloud desktop app, it doesn't open or shows a spinning progress wheel with one of the following error messages:

  • Loading applications seems to be taking longer than usual.
  • Creative Cloud seems to be taking longer than usual to initialize.
Creative Cloud desktop app takes longer than usual to initialize or open
Spinning progress wheel

Try the following solutions to resolve the issue and start the Creative Cloud desktop app:

This error can occur if the background processes of Creative Cloud are experiencing problems. Relaunch Creative Cloud by clicking here in the error message to restart the background processes.

  1. Quit the Creative Cloud desktop app by clicking the three vertical dots icon    at the upper-right corner, and then selecting Quit.

  2. Close all applications.

  3. Restart the computer and launch the Creative Cloud desktop app.

Upgrading to the current version of the Creative Cloud desktop app resolves this issue. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Quit the Creative Cloud desktop app by clicking the three vertical dots icon    at the upper-right corner, and then selecting Quit.
  2. Download and install the updated version of the Creative Cloud desktop app.

Note:

The following steps allow you to locate the currently installed version of the Creative Cloud desktop app:

  1. Click the three vertical dots icon at the upper-right corner of the Creative Cloud desktop app.
  2. Go to Preferences.
  3. Under the General tab, click Account. Version information is available above the Adobe ID.

If the above steps do not resolve the issue, reinstall the app (see Uninstall the Creative Cloud desktop app).

  1. Quit the Creative Cloud desktop app by clicking the three vertical dots icon    at the upper-right corner, and then selecting Quit.

  2. Browse to the following location based on your operating system.

    Windows

    C:\Users\<user folder>\AppData\Local\Adobe\OOBE 

    The AppData is hidden with Windows default settings. See Show hidden files, folders, filename extensions | Windows for instructions to show it.

    macOS

    /Users/<user folder>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/OOBE

    The \Users\<user folder>\Library\ is hidden by default after 10.7. See Access hidden user library files | Mac OS 10.7 and later for instructions on accessing it.

  3. Delete the entire contents of the OOBE folder.

  4. Restart the computer and launch the Creative Cloud desktop app again.

    Note:

    The app can take slightly longer than usual to load with this solution, as content in the OOBE folder is rebuilt after launch.