Catalina introduced enhanced security checks: apps and plugins needed to be notarized by Apple to run without warnings or blocks. Suddenly, installing a custom Illustrator script or an extension from a small foundry triggered a “cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software” dialog.
Power users had to navigate System Preferences > Security & Privacy to manually override blocks — or disable Gatekeeper entirely (not recommended). Adobe itself updated its Creative Cloud installer to be fully notarized, but the ecosystem of community‑driven tools faced a fragmentation moment.
Use it if you must; avoid it if you can.
Catalina’s snapshotting system can bloat Illustrator temp files.
Updated for 2025
When Apple released macOS Catalina (version 10.15) in October 2019, it marked a seismic shift for creative professionals. By dropping support for 32-bit applications entirely and introducing strict new security protocols, Catalina turned the Mac ecosystem upside down.
For designers using Adobe Illustrator, this update was a major event. While Adobe has since moved on to newer macOS versions (Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia), millions of users remain on Catalina due to hardware limitations or legacy workflow requirements.
If you are running—or are forced to run—Adobe Illustrator on macOS Catalina, this guide is for you. We will cover which versions work, which fail, how to fix common crashes, and whether you should upgrade or stay put.