Installing Adobe Illustrator CC 2020 on older Mac systems is primarily limited by Adobe's current support policies and the technical shift to 64-bit-only operating systems like macOS Catalina. Installation & Availability Status
Official Availability: Adobe typically only provides downloads for the current version and one previous major version through the Creative Cloud Desktop App. As of late 2025, Illustrator CC 2020 is no longer listed in the standard "Other Versions" menu for most individual subscribers.
Exception for Enterprise: Users on Creative Cloud for Teams or Enterprise plans may still access older installers like CC 2020 via their organization's Admin Console. System Compatibility
Minimum OS Requirement: Illustrator CC 2020 (v24.x) officially requires macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later. Some earlier versions of the 2020 release (v24.0.1) have been reported to run on OS X 10.10 (Yosemite), but this is not officially supported and may lead to instability.
Catalina (10.15) Issues: While CC 2020 was designed for Catalina, users frequently report issues such as the application failing to launch or experiencing severe lag when manipulating layers.
Legacy Hardware: On older iMacs or MacBooks without Metal-compatible GPUs, performance in CC 2020 is significantly degraded, often resulting in crashes during basic operations. Critical Technical Constraints
Unable to launch Illustrator 2020 on macOS Catalina | Community install adobe illustrator cc 2020 on mac pre exclusive
Installing Adobe Illustrator CC 2020 on Mac using the pre-exclusive method gives you the best of both worlds: the advanced vector tools of the 2020 release (Repeat, Freeform Gradients, Global Editing) plus the reliability of a permanent offline license.
By following this guide—cleaning old Adobe files, disabling SIP, patching the hosts file, and applying the TNT or manual libiomp5.dylib patch—you can transform a standard trial into a stable, pre-activated workstation.
Remember: This setup is perfect for legacy workstations, VM environments, or designers who refuse to rent software. For commercial studios, always maintain a legal subscription. But for personal use or offline production, the pre-exclusive Illustrator CC 2020 remains the gold standard on macOS.
Edit → Preferences → General → Uncheck "Automatically update".Installing Adobe Illustrator CC 2020 on a Mac as a “pre-exclusive” version is a fragile, security-risky, and increasingly obsolete process. Unless you maintain a dedicated legacy Intel Mac running Catalina or Mojave for a specific professional reason, do not attempt this.
For everyone else: Subscribe to the current Illustrator CC, or switch to Affinity Designer 2. Your time, data, and sanity are worth more than a dead-end offline install.
Installing Adobe Illustrator CC 2020 on a Mac is straightforward if you have an active Creative Cloud subscription, though finding older versions can sometimes require extra steps as Adobe typically only supports the two most recent major releases 1. Check System Compatibility Installing Adobe Illustrator CC 2020 on older Mac
Before installing, ensure your Mac meets the minimum requirements for the 2020 version (v24.x): Operating System:
macOS version 10.15 (Catalina), 10.14 (Mojave), or 10.13 (High Sierra). Processor: Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support.
Minimum 2GB (8GB or 16GB highly recommended for performance). At least 2GB of available hard-disk space. Durst Group 2. Install via Creative Cloud Desktop
If the 2020 version is still available in your region's "Other versions" list, follow these steps:
Install previous versions of Creative Cloud apps - Adobe Help Center
Installing Adobe Illustrator CC 2020 on a Mac depends on whether you have a newer Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) model or an older Intel-based Within Illustrator: Edit → Preferences → General →
Mac. Since Illustrator CC 2020 (version 24.x) was released before Apple's M-series chips, Intel Macs offer native compatibility, while Apple Silicon users must rely on Step 1: Check System Compatibility
Before starting, ensure your macOS version supports the 2020 release. Supported macOS:
OS X 10.12 (Sierra) up to macOS 11.0 (Big Sur). Later versions may experience stability issues. 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB recommended).
2 GB of available hard-disk space for installation (SSD recommended). Durst Group Step 2: Installation Process The standard method is through the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop app Download Creative Cloud: Adobe website and download the Creative Cloud desktop application. Open the app and log in with your Adobe ID. Access Previous Versions:
By default, Creative Cloud shows the latest version. To find CC 2020, click the three dots (...) or "More actions" next to Illustrator. Other versions Illustrator (24.x) Security Permissions:
Enter your Mac administrator password when prompted to allow the installer to modify your Applications folder. Adobe Help Center Step 3: Post-Installation for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)
If you are using a newer Mac with an Apple chip, Illustrator 2020 will not run natively.