Older versions of Creative Cloud apps fail to uninstall on Windows

Last updated on Oct 14, 2026

Learn how to remove older Creative Cloud app versions when they can't be uninstalled from Windows Programs and Features.

When trying to uninstall the previous version of a Creative Cloud app from Control Panel > Programs and Features, you get the following error message: "An error occurred while trying to uninstall [App name]. It may have already been uninstalled. Would you like to remove [App name] from the Programs and Features list?"

App didn't uninstall properly

Select the Creative Cloud icon in the Windows taskbar or the macOS menu bar to open the Creative Cloud desktop app.

Note

If you don’t have the Creative Cloud desktop app, download the app and double-click the downloaded file. Then, sign in to your account when the installer window opens and finish the installation.

In the left sidebar, select Apps, then choose Your apps.

Select Your apps to view all the apps installed on your machine — The Your apps tab reflects the apps installed on the current device, which may differ from apps available through your Creative Cloud plan.

In Your apps tab, select the More actions icon. This opens the context menu.

The All apps tab showing all Creative Cloud apps with the three dots button for each app. — The More actions menu can vary by app and may include options such as uninstalling, managing updates, or viewing product details.

Select Uninstall.

The context menu for a Creative Cloud app provides the option to uninstall the app. — Uninstall options may vary depending on the app version and installed components, such as plugins or add-ons.

Select Keep, Remove, or Cancel, based on your preference.

Keep: Retains the app notifications, alerts, interface settings, plugins, and other preferences
Remove: Removes the app notifications, alerts, interface settings, plugins, and other preferences
Cancel: Cancels the uninstallation

The preferences dialog box asking if you want to keep or remove notifications, alerts, plugins, and other preferences. You can also cancel the uninstallation process. — Retained preferences remain available on the device even after the app is uninstalled.

The app begins to uninstall. You can reinstall the app later, as needed.

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