Should I update?
All apps

Should I update Illustrator?

to 31.0.0 · out 3 daysWindows and macOS

Update

No known problem stands in the way for most users. It’s safe to update.

Your update:9 fixes · 1 new issue, none affect the verdictDetails

Not updating?

Three things that help while you wait.

  • So the app doesn’t update on its own.
  • If you have already updated.
  • Why there isn’t one answer, and what comes closest.

Go back to an earlier Illustrator version

In the Creative Cloud desktop app, on macOS and Windows.

  1. To keep your settings: first uninstall the current Illustrator (⋯ › Uninstall) and choose Keep when asked about your preferences.
  2. Open the Creative Cloud desktop app and find Illustrator in your apps.
  3. Select ⋯ (More actions) next to Illustrator, then Other versions.
  4. Choose the version you want and select Install.

So it doesn’t update again: Apps tab › ⋯ (More actions) › Manage auto-updates, and turn off Auto-update for Illustrator.

Adobe lists previous major versions there, so not every release may be offered. With a school or work account, your organisation may have hidden some of these options.

Adobe’s instructions

Which version should I install?

There isn’t one answer, and here is why.

There is no one version that is safe for everyone: which of the open issues affect you depends on how you work. A bug on Windows says nothing to a Mac, and a bug in a tool you never open says nothing to you. Naming one version for everyone would mean pretending that difference away.

So read the issues behind the verdict and see whether they touch your work. Each one says how bad it is, how many people it affects, which system it happens on, and whether there is a workaround.

If the current release doesn’t work for you: .

Turn off automatic updates for Illustrator

In the Creative Cloud desktop app, on macOS and Windows.

  1. Open the Creative Cloud desktop app.
  2. In the Apps tab, select ⋯ (More actions) in the Installed apps panel, then Manage auto-updates. If it says Enable auto-updates instead, they are already off.
  3. Turn off Auto-update for all apps, or leave it on and turn off only the switch next to Illustrator.
  4. Select Done.

To update later: check the verdict here, then in the Home tab select Updates and Update next to Illustrator.

Keeping auto-update on for other apps? Under Advanced options, leave Remove older versions unchecked, so you can still go back.

If the Auto-update switch is locked or missing, your organisation manages updates for you.

Adobe’s instructions

MinorSpecific featuremacOS onlyNot tracked by Adobe yet
Workaround: Close the AI Assistant (beta) panel, or restart Illustrator; keep panels closed when not in use.
Reported November 11, 2026DetailsRead the report

Fixes · 9

From Adobe’s release notes.

  • (macOS) A false Wacom driver warning appears on every launch on macOS, even when the tablet is working correctly.
  • (macOS) Pressing the spacebar on the Home screen or after switching tabs unexpectedly opens an unexpected file dialog.
  • (Windows) Zoom is extremely slow and unresponsive when GPU preview is enabled.
  • Severe lag occurs when zooming, panning, and switching tools, especially in documents with multiple artboards.
  • Documents with stacked dimension annotations or objects with accumulated metadata cause significant lag when moving or editing artwork.
  • Blend orientation always reverts to Align to Path instead of preserving the chosen setting.
  • Blend panel settings could not be recorded or played back as Actions.
  • Adjusting CMYK color values using Cmd/Ctrl+Enter incorrectly modifies color channels set to zero.
  • The ExtendScript Debugger extension for Visual Studio Code does not attach to Illustrator for script debugging.

New issues · 1

First reported after 30.8. None of them affects the verdict. See them with the known issues.

Fixes are Adobe’s own list; issues are what users reported, listed under the version the report names.

MajorCommon workflowsince 30.6Adobe: Under Review
Reported July 21, 2026DetailsRead the report

MajorSpecific featuresince 30.6Adobe: Under Review
Workaround: Use Save As to write a new .ai file after exporting artboards to EPS.
Reported July 15, 2026DetailsRead the report

Known issues in Illustrator 31.0Earlier releases: 30.8, 30.7, 30.6, 30.5, all of 2027, all of 2026

How we decide

Based on public bug reports, not Adobe statements. Small numbers, read as a trend.

Every night we read the Illustrator bug reports on Illustrator’s UserVoice forum. An issue is listed once Adobe tracks it (sets a status such as “Under Review” or “Planned”), or once it has 3 votes. Tracked doesn’t mean Adobe has reproduced it, only that someone at Adobe has taken it up. Issues Adobe isn’t tracking yet only count toward the verdict from 5 votes, so a handful of reports can’t swing it.

The verdict covers the whole 31.0 release, including its updates: an issue reported on an earlier build still counts until Adobe marks it fixed, since an update only fixes what it says it fixes.

Each issue is rated for how bad it is and how many people it affects, with AI assistance following a published rubric and checked by hand where it matters. The worst open issue decides the verdict: a problem practically everyone runs into means “Don’t update”, a problem in a common workflow means “Check known issues”.

Windows and macOS get their own verdict: the same rule over the issues that happen on that system. They are shown side by side when they differ, and as one box when they agree. Which system an issue affects is counted from its thread: an AI reads every reply that names Windows or macOS and decides whether it is a report of the bug. Instructions, questions and “works fine on my Mac” don’t count. If the reports come from Windows users and at most one person reports it on macOS, it counts as a Windows issue.

“Not marked fixed from earlier versions” lists issues from the previous 5 releases with 3 or more votes that Adobe tracks and hasn’t marked fixed: they are most likely in the current release too. Issues Adobe marks as released are fixed in a later update.

The line under the verdict is about your own update. It starts from the release before the current one, which is also the view the verdict takes, and you can pick the version you have. The fixes it counts are Adobe’s own list from its release notes; the new issues are the reports first made after your version that are worth a check.

What we don’t do is name one version to install instead. There is no one version that is safe for everyone: which of the open issues affect you depends on how you work. A bug on Windows says nothing to a Mac, and a bug in a tool you never open says nothing to you. That is why every issue is listed with who it affects, and why the verdict is a starting point rather than an instruction.

Something look wrong, or missing? Write to shouldiupdate@pixelsucht.net.