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Install Adobe Creative Cloud on Citrix Virtual Desktop

How to create a deployment package, install and configure Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop) on Citrix non-persistent Virtual Desktops

This example is for installing Adobe Creative Cloud 2022 (InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop) on Citrix non-persistent virtual desktops running Windows 10 Enterprise 1909


Table of Contents


1. Create a deployment package

Create a deployment package from the Adobe Admin Console

Adobe Admin Console
https://adminconsole.adobe.com

Packages - Create a package

Choose your deployment method: Managed Package

Choose a Platform: Windows 64-bit

Selected Applications: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign

Choose Plugins: In this example, we are not installing any plugins

Click Next

Creative Cloud Desktop Options: Untick all the options except "Disable auto-update for end-users"

Untick "Enable remote update manager"

Package name: Adobe Creative Cloud

Build package

Download the package

2. Uninstall previous versions of Adobe Creative Cloud

On the master image Virtual Machine, uninstall Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop then, Creative Cloud

Illustrator Preferences: Yes, remove

Uninstall Complete: Close

Repeat the above steps to remove Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Creative Cloud

Reboot the master image VM after all the Adobe Creative Cloud applications have been removed

Check for and delete any Adobe Creative Cloud folders in these directories
C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe
C:\Program Files\Adobe

3. Install Adobe Creative Cloud using the deployment package

Install the latest version of Adobe Creative Cloud using the deployment package

On the master image VM, extract the zipped Creative cloud deployment package and run setup.exe
C:\temp\Adobe Creative Cloud_en_US_WIN_64\Adobe Creative Cloud\Build\setup.exe

Open Adobe Creative Cloud after installing and sign-in with your Adobe ID

Update Creative Cloud if prompted

wait for the update to finish installing

Delete any desktop shortcuts that have been created in C:\Users\Public Desktop

Uninstall Adobe Genuine Service

Uninstall Notification Manager for Adobe Creative Cloud

Start Menu shortcut - Right click - Uninstall

4. Disable Adobe Creative Cloud updates

We will disable Adobe updates because users don't have the rights to install updates on non-persistent Virtual Desktops and will keep getting prompted for updates that they cant install.

Stop and disable these Adobe services:
Adobe Acrobat Update Service
AdobeUpdateService

Open Adobe Creative Cloud and sign in

File - Preferences

General - Settings

Launch Creative Cloud at login - disable
Always keep Creative Cloud up to date - disable

Edit Adobe preferences files

Copy these preferences files from your user local app data folder
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Adobe\OOBE\

com.adobe.acc.default.prefs
com.adobe.acc.container.default.prefs

Edit the files and make sure they contain these settings

com.adobe.acc.default.prefs
<prefs><property key="launchAtLogin">false</property></prefs>

com.adobe.acc.container.default.prefs
<prefs><property key="keepAppAlwaysUpToDate">OFF</property></prefs>

Create a group policy to copy these files to the users %localappdata% folder

Source file
\\file-share\Deploy\Citrix\Adobe\com.adobe.acc.container.default.prefs

Destination file
%localappdata%\Adobe\OOBE\com.adobe.acc.container.default.prefs

Source file
\\file-share\Deploy\Citrix\Adobe\com.adobe.acc.default.prefs

Destination file
%localappdata%\Adobe\OOBE\com.adobe.acc.default.prefs

User Configuration - Preferences - Windows Settings - Files

5. Stop Adobe Creative Cloud from running at startup

On Citrix virtual desktop Adobe Creative Cloud launches at startup and prompts to install updates

Installing updates requires admin rights which users don't have on the Virtual Desktops

Creative Cloud doesn't need to run at startup for any of the Adobe applications to work.
For example, when users launch Photoshop, they will be prompted to sign in to activate their license, and Photoshop works as usual. Creative Cloud is not needed.

Add this registry key using group policy to stop Adobe Creative Cloud from running at startup

Group Policy settings

Computer configuration - preferences - Windows settings - registry

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run32
Name: Adobe Creative Cloud
Type: REG_BINARY
Data: 030000009818FB164428D501

6. Updating Adobe Creative Cloud

To update Creative Cloud on the master image VM; uninstall old versions of the Adobe applications and Creative Cloud desktop, then re-install the new package.

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Comments 6

Guest - ZAY on Friday, 08 April 2022 14:25

This is a very useful, detailed description, best practice guide on how to achieve the Creative Cloud Installation on virtualized systems. Thanks to the author of this article – and that very much!

This is a very useful, detailed description, best practice guide on how to achieve the Creative Cloud Installation on virtualized systems. Thanks to the author of this article – and that very much!
TechLabs on Friday, 08 April 2022 19:21

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you found the article helpful

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you found the article helpful :)
Guest - Jonathan Pitre on Wednesday, 20 April 2022 16:22

Awesome blog, I will totally script the hell out of it!

Please check my github repo, I have an Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Acrobat DC script that I think you will enjoy!

https://github.com/JonathanPitre/Apps/tree/master/Adobe

Awesome blog, I will totally script the hell out of it! Please check my github repo, I have an Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Acrobat DC script that I think you will enjoy! https://github.com/JonathanPitre/Apps/tree/master/Adobe
TechLabs on Tuesday, 26 April 2022 19:22

Hi, thanks for the feedback! I will definitely check out your GitHub repo!

Hi, thanks for the feedback! I will definitely check out your GitHub repo!
Guest - John on Thursday, 23 February 2023 16:50

Thanks for thisDo you have the guide for installing Adobe Acrobat DC through creative cloud on a Citrix environment ?

Thanks for thisDo you have the guide for installing Adobe Acrobat DC through creative cloud on a Citrix environment ?
TechLabs on Saturday, 29 April 2023 12:48

Hi John, you can use the Creative Cloud installer for Adobe Acrobat but I prefer to use PowerShell to install Acrobat on Citrix.

Take a look at this guide
https://techlabs.blog/categories/guides/install-adobe-acrobat-pro-dc-virtual-desktop-using-powershell

Hi John, you can use the Creative Cloud installer for Adobe Acrobat but I prefer to use PowerShell to install Acrobat on Citrix. Take a look at this guide [url=https://techlabs.blog/categories/guides/install-adobe-acrobat-pro-dc-virtual-desktop-using-powershell][/url]
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