Adobe Illustrator and InDesign Not Working Properly with macOS High Sierra

Adobe this week recommended customers using its Illustrator and InDesign software hold off from updating to the new macOS High Sierra operating system. Illustrator and InDesign have not been updated for High Sierra and there are some incompatibility issues that prevent the apps from working properly.

With Illustrator, users are seeing errors after upgrading to the new Apple File System. Illustrator pops up errors during installation, and, for already-installed software, there are problems with launching the app, opening a file, and creating a document. A separate problem leads to color management issues, while a third affects the rendering of Brushes, Live Corner widgets, and more.


While there are workarounds for the GPU issues in Illustrator, there is no fix for the problem with APFS. Adobe says its engineers are working on a complete solution for a future Illustrator CC update.

As for InDesign, the cursor appears as a pixelated box, also a problem with no current solution. Adobe engineers are working on a fix to correct the problem as soon as possible.

Adobe recommends customers test their software on a non-production partition to make sure the update is compatible with current hardware and drivers before committing to a macOS High Sierra install. The company also says customers may wish to remain on an older version of macOS until the issues are addressed in updates.

Following the release of a new Mac update, there are often problems with software for a few weeks as developers work to add in support for new features and address incompatibilities.

For other apps that have issues, take a look at our forums, where MacRumors readers have compiled a comprehensive list of apps that have bugs or are incompatible with the macOS High Sierra update.

Other major apps that don’t work properly right now include Autodesk AutoCAD 2017, Civilization V, DiskWarrior 5.0, Ulysses 3, 2Do, and Transmit Version 5, among others.

Also of note, Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 is no longer being updated and is not compatible with macOS High Sierra. Microsoft does not plan to add support for the High Sierra update.