Uninstall old version of Adobe product

[7nina77]

I am trying to uninstall Adobe products version 2023 from all iMacs in our school. I am using this script: 

#!/bin/sh
"/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Desktop Common/HDBox/Setup" --uninstall=1 --sapCode="$4" --baseVersion="$5" --platform=osx10-64 --deleteUserPreferences=true

and assigning the sapcode and base version according to the product in policy, but it is not doing anything. any idea? our iMacs are Silicon 

[jwbeatty]

Since Adobe products that have a "new" version every year create a folder called Abobe [application name] [year] inside of the Applications folder I just use the rm command with the -R flag to remove the folder and all of its contents rather than trying to get the uninstaller to work.

[mschlosser]

below please find the script, i use to remove and reinstall adobe automatically. as long as the target machines are in the scope for both the policy, calling the script for uninstall and the policy, scope to kick off the reinstall, it seems to work well. the adobe install packages should be included in the secordary called policy. Can be cloud stored or smb shared as necessary.

-----------

#!/bin/bash

# Quit Adobe Apps

sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Acrobat Pro DC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Distiller"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Adobe FormsCentral"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "AcroCEF"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "AdobeIPCBroker"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "After Effects"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Flash"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Flash CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Animate CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Audition"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Adobe Audition CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Adobe Bridge CS6"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Adobe Bridge CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Character Animator"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Dreamweaver"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Dreamweaver CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Encore"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Extension Manager"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Flash Player"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Illustrator"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Illustrator CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "InDesign"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "InDesign CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Lightroom"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Adobe Media Encoder CS6"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Adobe Media Encoder CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Media Encoder CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Adobe Muse CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Photoshop"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Photoshop CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Prelude"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Prelude CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Premiere Pro"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "Premiere Pro CC"'
sudo osascript -e 'quit app "SpeedGrade CC"'

# Remove Adobe Components

sudo rm -Rf /Library/Application Support/Adobe/*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Application Support/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Application Support/Macromedia/*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Application Support/Macromedia*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Application Support/regid*adobe/*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Application Support/regid*adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/flash*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/LaunchAgents/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Logs/Adobe/*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Logs/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Logs/CreativeCloud/*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Logs/CreativeCloud*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/SpeedGrade*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/PreferencePanes/Flash*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Preferences/com.Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/Preferences/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Library/ScriptingAdditions/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /private/var/root/Library/Logs/CreativeCloud/*
sudo rm -Rf /private/var/root/Library/Logs/CreativeCloud*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/Shared/Adobe*/*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/Shared/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /usr/local/bin/RemoteUpdateManager
sudo rm -Rf /usr/local/remotedesktop/*
sudo rm -Rf /usr/local/remotedesktop

# Remove Adobe User Preferences

sudo rm -Rf /Users/Shared/Adobe/*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/Shared/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Application Scripts/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Application Support/Adobe/*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Application Support/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Application Support/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Caches/Acrobat/*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Caches/Acrobat*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Caches/Adobe*/*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Caches/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Caches/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Caches/CSXS/*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Caches/CSXS*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Containers/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Cookies/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Group Containers/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Group Containers/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/LaunchAgents/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/amt3*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/CreativeCloud/*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/CreativeCloud*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/CSXS/*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/CSXS*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/FlashPlayer*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/Fuse*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/NGLClient*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/oobelib*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/PDApp*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Logs/RemoteUpdateManager*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/PhotoshopCrashes
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Preferences/Adobe*/*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Preferences/Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Preferences/adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Preferences/com.Adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Preferences/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Preferences/com.macromedia*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Preferences/Macromedia*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Preferences/Shockwave*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Saved Application State/adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Saved Application State/com.adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/Saved Application State/com.macromedia*
sudo rm -Rf /Users/*/Library/WebKit/com.adobe*

# Remove Adobe Receipts

sudo rm -Rf /private/var/db/receipts/adobe*
sudo rm -Rf /private/var/db/receipts/com.adobe*

# Remove Adobe Apps

sudo rm -Rf /Applications/Adobe*/*
sudo rm -Rf /Applications/Adobe*/
sudo rm -Rf /Applications/Utilities/Adobe*/*
sudo rm -Rf /Applications/Utilities/Adobe*/

# Force Quit Adobe Acrobat Pro

sudo killall AdobeAcrobat
sudo killall Distiller
sudo killall Adobe FormsCentral
sudo killall AdobeResourceSynchronizer

# Force Quit Adobe Creative Cloud App

sudo killall Creative Cloud
sudo killall AdobeCRDaemon

# Terminate (some) Adobe Processes

sudo killall Adobe Desktop Service
sudo killall AdobeIPCBroker

sleep 15

sudo jamf policy -id <idtoreinstalladobe>

sudo jamf recon

exit 0

[cbrewer]

You might take a look at my script that does Adobe CC uninstalls. It's using a process similar to what you are trying to do.

https://github.com/cwmcbrewster/Adobe/blob/main/Uninstall_AdobeCreativeCloud.sh 

[Corbin]

We are also looking for a script which removes the older versions of Adobe off the Mac's. The issue is a majority of users have already installed the 2024 versions of the apps so makes it a bit more difficult.

[donmontalvo]

There’s the white elephant in the room.

As long as Adobe (a monopoly) is making tons of money with their shady “revenue healthy” subscription model, they couldn’t care less about the unmanageable mess they make on enterprise computers.

Been through this at every company I’ve worked at, as far back as I can remember. There is no supported, reliable way to remove older versions of Adobe Creative Cloud apps.

I have read that moving it to the cloud provides the user with an uninstall menu option for their cloud installed apps. Whether it works and is reliable, I have no idea. Whether old versions can be removed that way, no idea. Given Adobe’s track record, I would not be surprised if it starts to work and eventually fails, or if it fails out the gate.

So much for mitigating security vulnerabilities that require removing older versions.

The best thing that can happen is for Adobe to be charged with being a monopoly. Maybe then they’ll hire gun slingers to clean up their products, and give people less of a reason to force their hand.

Sorry Adobe, but not sorry

[JCS1]

Adobe supplied an uninstaller for the Acrobat 2023 but not for the 2024. 
I have a question in with Adobe Support asking why they do not have one for 2024. 

[dlondon]

You could use the Adobe Uninstal tool they mention here https://helpx.adobe.com/au/enterprise/using/uninstall-creative-cloud-products.html.  It's available in the Admin Console. 

They also outline some other strategies on that web page