How do I stop Adobe from using so much memory?

Very High Memory Usage - Differences between Safe Boot and New User Account

I'm having big memory usage issues with Adobe CC. I'm getting memory warning pop-ups and jittery operation.

Illustrator or Photoshop in my main user acct. and Safe Boot is using 37GB of memory (without a file open). However, after creating a new user account, Illustrator is only using 1GB of memory.

Adobe Forum is not getting me any answers.

So... I don't know where to turn in what differences to investigate that the New User is doing better/differently than the Safe Boot. 

This issue isn't showing up on my older MacBook Pro (2018) on Catalina.

MacBook Pro 2021 M1 Max, OS 12.3, 64GB Memory, 2TB SSD, Latest version of all Adobe software.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 12.3

Posted on Mar 25, 2022 12:27 PM

CleanMyMac might be evil somehow, but it wasn't responsible for this. There must of been corruption going on with the apps themselves because uninstalling/reinstalling AI and PS has brought the apps back to normal usage.

AI is at 1.79GB and PS at 1.07GB.

Adobe really makes it difficult to organize/locate as files like patterns., gradients, etc. None of it were in any of the folders with those names in either the app folder or Library's Application Support. I looked so hard to find the locations of this stuff to save out. I just couldn't find them by names. This was my fear with this. I have backups. I just need to find them.

Posted on Mar 26, 2022 12:04 PM

... Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images

From brochures to tax forms, white papers to magazine excerpts, Adobe PDF files have become mainstays of the online and off-line document-sharing universe, placing Acrobat software at the center of your workflow. If Acrobat or its free sibling, Adobe Reader, remains active and continues to use memory after you shut it down, these phenomena can disrupt your computer and your work. Look to settings, defaults and in-application promotions for keys to problems that can make productivity applications turn unproductive.

Explore this article

1 Corrupt Preferences

When you customize Adobe Acrobat's or Adobe Reader's defaults, the programs store your settings in multiple preference files. If any of these files sustain corrupting damage, your Adobe software may behave erratically. To wipe out your preferences and restore default settings so you can start fresh, relocate either program's preferences folder. The next time you launch the software, it creates a new set of preferences files. To find these preferences, look for the following location, where "[version]" represents the version of the Adobe product you use: C:\Users[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat[version].

2 Browser-Related Problems

When you set up your Web browser so it uses Adobe software to view PDF files online, Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader launches to support document viewing each time you click on a link to a PDF. The software doesn't shut down the moment you close a browser window that contains a PDF. Instead, it remains active for a period of several minutes, looking for open PDF files. The Adobe browser plugin may see PDF files in the browser cache and incorrectly report active files, needlessly keeping the software open. If you shut down your Web browser, the Adobe software also should close. You also can open Acrobat or Reader and use its Exit command to shut it down manually.

3 Messages From Adobe

Among Adobe Reader's general preferences, "Display Messages From Adobe" gives you two options that present marketing messages within the software. You can view these messages as part of the welcome screen that appears when you first open the software, or you can see them within the application's document windows. If you leave both these preferences unchecked, the messages won't appear. In some instances, displaying these can correlate with Reader's inability to shut down properly, a situation in which it monopolizes large amounts of processor time.

4 Other Considerations

Adobe Systems issues frequent security and bug-fix updates to its Acrobat software. If you're experiencing problems with the free Adobe Reader or a paid Adobe Acrobat application, check the Adobe user-to-user forums for reports of similar trouble and look for an update to either or both programs. To resolve truly intermittent problems that relate to temporary instabilities on your computer or memory leaks that result when you leave your system running for long periods of time, restart your computer.

5 Version Information

Information in this article applies to Adobe Acrobat Standard XI, Adobe Acrobat Professional XI and Adobe Reader XI. It may differ slightly or significantly with other versions or products.

About the Author

Elizabeth Mott has been a writer since 1983. Mott has extensive experience writing advertising copy for everything from kitchen appliances and financial services to education and tourism. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English from Indiana State University.

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