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Start Adobe Bridge

Learn how to launch Bridge on your system and browse files from Creative Cloud apps

You can start Adobe Bridge directly or start it from any of the following Adobe products: After Effects, Captivate, Encore, Flash Professional, InCopy, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro.

Start Adobe Bridge from an Adobe product

Do one of the following:

  • Choose File > Browse or File >Browse In Bridge (as available).

    Note: In After Effects or Premiere Pro, after you use File > Browse In Bridge to start Adobe Bridge, double-clicking a file will open or import the file into that Creative Cloud app, not into the native application. For example, if you choose File > Browse In Bridge in Adobe Premiere Pro and then double-click a Photoshop file, the file is added to the Premiere Pro Project panel, not opened in Photoshop.

  • Click the Adobe Bridge button  in the application bar.

Note:

If you don't have Bridge installed on your machine, selecting Browse in Bridge launches the Creative Cloud desktop app to help you install the latest version of Bridge. If the latest version of Bridge is installed on your machine and selecting the Browse in Bridge option still launches the Creative Cloud desktop app, uninstall both Adobe Bridge and the Adobe application you’re trying to browse in Bridge from and reinstall the applications.

Return to the last open Adobe product from Adobe Bridge

  1. Choose File > Return To [Component] or click the Return To [Component] button  in the application bar.

Start Adobe Bridge directly

  • (Windows) Choose Adobe Bridge from the Start > Programs menu.
  • (macOS) Double-click the Adobe Bridge icon located in the Applications/Adobe Bridge folder.

Start Adobe Bridge automatically

You can configure Adobe Bridge to run automatically in the background every time you log in. Running Adobe Bridge in the background consumes fewer system resources until you are ready to use it.

  1. To configure Adobe Bridge to open automatically in the background at login, do one of the following:
    • The first time you launch Adobe Bridge, click Yes when asked if you want to launch Adobe Bridge automatically at login.

    • In the Advanced panel of the Adobe Bridge Preferences dialog box, choose Start Bridge At Login.

    • (Windows) When Adobe Bridge is open, right-click the Adobe Bridge system tray icon and choose Start Bridge At Login.

Hide or show Adobe Bridge

(macOS) To switch between operational modes, do any of the following:

  1. Click the Adobe Bridge icon in the Dock and choose Show or Hide.
  2. In Adobe Bridge, choose Adobe Bridge >Hide Adobe Bridge to run Adobe Bridge in the background.

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