Adobe UXP Developer Tool (UDT) is a free standalone application designed to streamline the creation, debugging, and management of plugins for Adobe Creative Cloud applications like Premiere Pro Adobe Developer 1. Prerequisites & Installation The UDT requires an active Adobe Creative Cloud
account and a host application (e.g., Photoshop version 22.0 or later). Download via Creative Cloud Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop app Navigate to the "All apps" "UXP Developer Tools" Enable Developer Mode On the first launch, the tool will prompt you to enable Developer Mode , which requires admin privileges. Alternatively, enable it manually in Photoshop under Plugins > Development > Enable Developer Mode Adobe Developer 2. Creating Your First Plugin
The UDT provides "scaffolding" to help you start with a pre-built structure. Adobe UXP Developer Tool
Yes, Adobe UXP Developer Tool (UDT) is completely free. It is provided by Adobe to developers building plugins for Photoshop and other Creative Cloud apps.
Since UXP is newer than the old CEP/ExtendScript platform, finding high-quality tutorials can be tricky. Here is a curated list of the most useful free content, tools, and documentation to help you get started. adobe uxp developer tools free
The toolset consists of three main parts, all available at no cost:
UXP Developer Tool (desktop app)
UXP JS APIs and Documentation
Adobe I/O (free tier) and Console
Developer sample repositories (GitHub)
Local development toolchain (free OSS tools)
Extensibility SDKs and TypeScript typings
Community forums and learn resources
While you could technically use Notepad, serious development requires an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Visual Studio Code is the undisputed champion for UXP development, and it is 100% free.
Why VS Code is perfect for UXP:
manifest.json, and debugging configurations.Setup cost: $0
Just because the tools are free doesn't mean your output has to be. Once you master the free UXP toolchain, you can distribute your plugin via the Adobe Exchange marketplace. Adobe takes a revenue share (typically 80/20 in your favor), so your free development tools can lead to a sustainable side income or full-time business. Adobe UXP Developer Tool (UDT) is a free
To build a UXP plugin, you need four core components: a code editor, the UXP Developer Tool (UDT), Adobe UXP’s own command-line interface (CLI), and documentation. Here is the breakdown of the free tools at your disposal.