This is a common macOS gatekeeper error. Right-click the installer and select "Open," or move the installer to the desktop before running it.
Even with a perfect install, macOS security updates can break Illustrator CC 2020. Here are fixes for the top 3 errors.
| Issue | Likely Cause | Solution | |-------|--------------|----------| | App bounces and closes immediately | SIP re-enabled or missing patch | Re-run Adobe Zii, disable SIP again | | "The application is damaged" | macOS quarantine flag | xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Adobe\ Illustrator\ CC\ 2020.app | | Crashes on M1 Mac | Rosetta missing | Install Rosetta 2: /usr/sbin/softwareupdate --install-rosetta | | Fonts not loading | Permissions issue | Repair Disk Permissions via Disk Utility |
| Risk | Severity | Explanation | |------|----------|-------------| | Malware in cracked installers | 🔴 High | Most “pre-exclusive” downloads from third-party sites contain trojans (e.g., OSAMiner, XMRig). | | No security patches | 🟠 Medium | CVEs from 2020–2022 remain unpatched; malicious .EPS or .AI files can exploit them. | | Cloud feature loss | 🟡 Low | No access to Adobe Fonts, Libraries, or cloud documents. | | System instability | 🟡 Medium | Disabling SIP and installing outdated frameworks can break other apps. |
A: Yes. Pre-exclusive 2020 must be installed before any official Adobe app, or on a separate partition. The two licensing systems conflict.
To install Adobe Illustrator CC 2020 on your Mac, you typically need to use the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop app. However, because Adobe officially only supports the (currently 2024 and 2023), version 2020 (v24) may no longer appear in your default "Other Versions" list. 🛠 Prerequisites for CC 2020
