Starting today, Adobe is rolling out a new version of its Creative Cloud desktop app for macOS and Windows with an updated design and totally new organization. Adobe hopes the new app will be a more intuitive way to launch and update apps and access your Creative Cloud files.
Adobe’s previous Creative Cloud desktop app was always a bit of an outlier on macOS. The app behaved like a menu bar utility — always running and accessible with a click — but looked and felt more like a web app or port than a native Mac tool.
The new app is still accessible from your menu bar, but now lives in a resizable window and has been designed to look like Adobe’s other modern Creative Cloud apps. We haven’t gotten our hands on the new experience yet to see how it performs, but the interface certainly looks more Mac-friendly than before.
There are four main components to the new desktop app:
Manage and update your apps
Adobe has redesigned the apps tabs for a clearer view of which apps you have installed and which have updates. You can still choose to download a legacy version of an application if available.
Creative Cloud Library management
Once available only within individual Adobe apps, Creative Cloud Libraries can now be managed full-screen right in the launcher. Assets can be shared, managed, and deleted in a new “Your work” section of the app. The functionality of Libraries remains the same.
Access to tutorials
The Creative Cloud app’s former “Learn” tab has been replaced by skill categories and a Tutorials hub. You’ll be able to access help resources, videos, and compatibility information for each app.
Asset and font search
Like before, the new Creative Cloud app gives you access to Adobe Fonts and assets from Adobe Stock. What’s new is a powerful built-in search engine that searches across Creative Cloud.
Some Creative Cloud users have already received early access to the new app, but widespread availability begins today. Adobe says the update will roll out first in France and Germany on October 10, followed by Japan on October 11. All users will see the update within the next week.
Creative Cloud is available through a monthly or annual subscription.
