UPDATE – You can now get Adobe’s new Creative Cloud 2024 Direct Download Links!
For decades now, Adobe has provided industry-standard standalone installers for their creative products, for many valid reasons… Recent examples include the company publicly posting the direct download links for the CC 2019 and CC 2018 releases. In our view, the need is strong and they should continue to do the same going forward.
Last week, webcasted to 500,000 attendees at the first-ever all-virtual MAX conference (now streaming on-demand for free!), Adobe unveiled the Creative Cloud 2021 Release with hundreds of new features and advancements. The latest 2021 software is available immediately for worldwide download via the CC Desktop App… All upgrades to the CC apps are included at no additional cost – which means everyone gets either a free upgrade or a new free trial.
But some users want or need to access the new tools directly without using Adobe’s download/app manager… This is essential when you want to keep and make permanent offline backups, copy them onto a USB drive for use anywhere, download on one system to install on another (or multiple computers) without re-downloading, have a slow Internet connection which is capped or throttled or hangs/freezes/stops when trying to use the Desktop app to download 20 GB of CC upgrades, etc. All of these use cases necessitate being able to get direct download links for offline installers.
New 2021 Direct Download Links Now Available
| More Direct Download Links |
|---|
| CC 2024 |
| CC 2020 |
| CC 2019 |
| CC 2018 |
| Acrobat DC 2023 |
| Captivate 2019 |
Standalone, complete installers for the CC Desktop app, for Adobe Camera Raw, and for Acrobat DC Pro/Standard are already publicly available – but to date, Adobe has not posted the rest of the Creative Cloud 2021 direct download links. However, good news: you can now actually get them yourself by contacting Customer Service…
Just reach out to Adobe’s Customer Care team via live online chat, and they will immediately give you temporary links to download offline installers for all the 2021 apps that you need.
You simply need to ask. We suggest:
Hello, I need the direct download links (offline installers) for the new 2021 releases of __________. Could you please help me?
You can connect with an agent to get the downloads here. Look for “Contact Us” or “Your contact options…” at the bottom of the page, or the Chat icon at the lower right. If asked, choose the “Download & Install” category.
We are told that all Adobe customer service reps across all locations have both the ability and authorization to distribute the new standalone installers, which they can now access through their internal version repository. This is confirmed by the company on their official Help page here: “For access to direct downloads, contact Adobe Customer Care.” We suggest requesting a supervisor if you run into any difficulty.
From what we’ve seen, free trial users are having a harder time getting the latest installers… But if you are not currently a paid subscriber, then you could become one to access the 2021 installers and then cancel within 14 days for a full refund if you do not wish to continue your paid membership.
Or, You Can Do This Instead…
There is another option. Adobe just launched a new offer where you can now get a free Creative Cloud for Teams trial for 14 days. Teams plan users have access to the Admin Console for creating your own custom Managed packages to download the latest 2021 offline installers and/or previous versions – with updates included – for use wherever you want, on any computer.
No credit card or payment details are required, and you can get started immediately. You can sign up for the Creative Cloud for teams trial if you don’t have an Adobe account, have a free Creative Cloud membership, or have a paid Individual subscription. If you wish, you can purchase Creative Cloud for Teams anytime during or after your trial period, or you can simply let the trial expire automatically after 14 days without payment.
For more info, check out the new Adobe help page detailing this offer:
» Start Your Creative Cloud for Teams Free Trial Now
There is no obligation to remove any of the Creative Cloud apps you install; however they will continue to work only with an ongoing paid membership plan of some type.
But the best part is that you do not lose access to the Admin Console even after your Teams trial expires. You can still sign in to the Admin Console at any time to create new or additional CC installer downloads which you can use anywhere and with any Creative Cloud plan (including the Individuals plans). You can even download older releases.
We just tried this out and it works seamlessly as described, even if you already have an Individuals plan or if you currently have no paid plan at all. If you go this route, please let us know how it goes, or if you encounter any issues!
As always, we will be following this story closely going forward, and keeping this page up to date with the latest news regarding new offline installers, as well as publishing further information on the status of CC 2021 direct download links.
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Changing System Requirements
Also important to know that the system requirements have evolved, both on Windows as well as on Mac, in order to take advantage of the latest operating system features and technologies… On Macs, the CC 2021 release now requires macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later. If you’re not yet running a compatible version of macOS, then you can get a free upgrade directly from Apple to Mojave (10.14) or Catalina (10.15). Be aware, however, that in Catalina, Apple has dropped support for any older 32-bit programs that you may have. And while still in beta/preview, macOS 11.0 (Big Sur) is supported by Adobe as well.
Important note: The version above – CC 2021 – is the last release of Creative Cloud to fully support macOS v. 10.14 “Mojave.”
On PCs, Windows 10 (version 1903 or higher) is a fully-supported platform for all Creative Cloud applications. Importantly, except for Acrobat DC, the CC 2021 apps no longer support 32-bit or any Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating systems.
Adobe explains that focusing their efforts on more modern OS versions allows them to concentrate on developing the features and functionality most requested by members, while ensuring peak performance that takes advantage of modern hardware. For more details, please consult the complete CC 2021 System Requirements. If these specifications don’t work for you for some reason, then you can instead continue to use the older CC 2020 applications, or even CC 2019 or CC 2018.
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What’s New in Creative Cloud 2021? [Video]
See Also
- Adobe’s new 2021 release: What you need to know
- What are the differences between Adobe CC vs. CS6?
- Free Adobe Stock! Download 1,000,000+ top images
- Don’t need full Cloud? Get PS + LR for $9.99/month
- Download free Adobe books (choose over 30 titles)
- Free! Watch 200+ new courses from Adobe MAX
Did these links work for you? Hope they helped out; please let us know with a comment below… Do you have any questions about CC? Just ask below and we’ll get you answers fast!
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Which link do I use to download CC 2021?
We here do not have the offline installers to give you, but Adobe does. If you contact Customer Care directly, they would be able to give you direct download links for the apps you’re looking for:
http://www.ContactAdobe.com/
As described in the article, another option would be to get a free trial for Creative Cloud for Teams, which would allow you to create and download your own complete, fully-updated installer packages for the current and previous releases, any version… No credit card is required. More details here.
I joined the Adobe Teams to get the standalone direct installers, I am inside my Teams Admin Console but I still can not see how to get direct download links. I can see how to build a package and then to choose older versions of each App, but they still seem to be installed by CC desktop app and no way to get a direct download?
Hi Fred, make sure you select to create a “Managed Package” and not a “Self-Service Package.”
“Managed” will create a complete (large) downloadable installation package, whereas Self-Service won’t.
Self-Service is basically just the Creative Cloud Desktop app (for users to choose what they want from there), but that’s not what you want in this case.
Just a heads up. Adobe no longer allows updates to any of the older versions. They will only give the base installer and cannot/will not give out the updaters. Creative Cloud will not update the older versions any longer as well. This is a huge issue with productions that require specific versions of software, especially when the CC app auto-updates apps by default.
Hi Andrew,
Does this affect people who have access to the Admin Console portal (option #2 in the article above) to create their own installers?
Cheers
Hi Daniel,
That is correct. In the admin portal, the only older version goes back to 22.0. No CC 2021 or updates. Still trying to work my way through customer support to see if anyone can help.
I’ll update if so.
Thanks, Andrew – please let us know what they tell you. Our understanding is the Admin Console installers do include the latest/last updates for the major release desired.
Hey ProDesignTools,
I had Adobe cancel my call this morning, so tried through chat support and call support throughout the day. Nobody was able to get me the update to 2021 (18.4.6). I was told that I will need to update our team mid-production to Creative Cloud 2022 or 2023. Confirmed that AE 22.0 and up are the only versions on offer through the Admin Console; nothing goes back beyond 2022.
Andrew
Thanks so much for the follow-up, Andrew. Nobody should ever update their software mid-production; it too frequently invites problems.
Would they at least give out a CC 2021.0 base installer if you asked, even if it wasn’t the last update to that release?
It seems that’s the least they should/could do, with the proviso that any version more than one back is no longer eligible for technical support (and you’d be on your own).
And recently, we can confirm that Adobe has still been giving out CC 2020 installers to those who needed them, typically due to having an older OS that newer releases don’t support.
Hey ProDesignTools,
I agree. Unfortunately we’ve seen the CC app turn on auto-updates (and remove the older version) and miss turning it off, which is what happened and why it updated. We usually have that disabled, but missed a couple systems.
They will provide AE 18.0 (the 2021 base version), but cannot provide the updates. Luckily we have current images, so will just wipe the system and start fresh.
Andrew
OK, glad to hear it will still work out for you because of that. Also glad to hear they are still (at least) giving out the base installers for CC 2021.
Plus, an important takeaway: When possible, always get and save copies of standalone installers that you might possibly need in the future… It points to the need for direct download links now as much as ever, especially for older CC versions or for team projects or on OS-limited systems.
Adobe will inevitable age out all versions as the software evolves, so customers will be best served by having their own local copies of the releases they need.
Thanks Andrew,
I just checked in our Admin Console and only the latest version of Lightroom Classic is showing – and no other versions.
I’m not too pleased to see this happen.
Hey Daniel,
In our tests of the Admin Console, we are able to create Managed packages of standalone installers with the current 2023 release and one back (2022). Within each major release, you can choose from all available minor (dot) releases.
That goes for all apps, including Lightroom and Lightroom Classic.
You just have to make sure that the “Other versions > Older Versions” checkbox is checked on the “Create a package” screen.
I received the dmg files for AI, PS, ID 2021, let me know what email to send them to, if it is possible to use them as a mirror.
Thank you for the offer – but unfortunately, we can’t do that. It’s against Adobe’s policy to publicly host their intellectual property (installers with trademarks) anywhere else but their own servers. Sorry!
Do you still have these available?
Yes. Please contact Adobe Customer Care directly, and they should be able to give you direct download links for any applications from the CC 2021 release:
http://www.ContactAdobe.com/
As described in the article, another option would be to get the free trial for Creative Cloud for Teams, which would allow you to create and download your own complete, fully-updated installer packages for current and previous releases… No credit card is required. More details above.
I’m interested! No way to get the ID 16.4.3 installer, neither the AI 25.4.8 that I however absolutely need for a customer who has old plugins. This is not technical question but money, and work I would miss without these softwares. But Adobe absolutely doesn’t care. I am desperate.
Hi Olivier, are you a paying customer? If so, then Adobe should give you older versions if you request them.
If you’ve chatted with Adobe and had no luck, then we’d suggest trying again and getting another agent. Different agents have varying levels of knowledge, information, and experience. If you don’t get a positive response within the first few minutes of the chat, then ask to be connected to a supervisor or politely disconnect and repeat with someone else.
One time recently, it took three separate chats to Adobe Customer Care on three different days (under the same case) to get the solution we needed. But, we finally found someone who could help and had the answer.
Another reader above was able to get direct downloads for the CC 2021 release by asking persistently.
Yes, I am a paying customer. Adobe claims not to have kept an archive of the intermediate versions between 16.0 and 17.0, which I doubt. No matter who the agent is, it’s the same answer and no way to get a supervisor.
Please can you send it to me?
You mean to share the actual files themselves? Sorry, we cannot copy, re-upload, or redistribute the installers in any way, as it is against Adobe’s terms of service and thus illegal.
Generally it is also very unsafe to try to download and install any software that doesn’t come direct from Adobe.
Update: The new CC 2024 standalone installers are now available:
How to Get the Creative Cloud 2024 Direct Download Links
Hi, I’ve searched a long time, but I didn’t find a Direct DL for Ai 2021. The max OS of my MacPro (Mid 2010) is Mojave 10.14. I’ve reinstalled the complete OS and now Adobe can’t get me the “old” version. do you have the official 2021 version to download?
Hello Paul,
We here have not tried in a while, but last time it worked with some repeated persistence and requesting a supervisor. Adobe should really still be giving out CC 2021 installers because many paying customers have specific version requirements just like you, particularly with older versions of macOS which cannot be upgraded to use the latest CC release.
The last release of Creative Cloud to support macOS v. 10.14 “Mojave” was CC 2021… Apple does offer free operating system upgrades, but your computer has to be able to support a newer release of macOS.
If you cannot get CC 2021 from Adobe, then then only other thing we can suggest is to try Creative Cloud 2019 instead, which is still available to everyone for download here:
All Adobe CC 2019 Direct Download Links, for Windows and macOS
Current subscribers to Creative Cloud can use prior versions of the tools if you wish – Adobe won’t force you to upgrade and there is no extra charge. Just sign in to the software as normal and the older release will be automatically validated and activated.
Please let us know how you make out!