How to Fix "Illustrator Crashes on Startup"
Illustrator crashing immediately after startup is a serious issue that can stem from various causes, including corrupted preferences, problematic plugins, or outdated software.
To solve this, start by resetting your preferences.
On Windows, hold Ctrl + Alt + Shift when launching Illustrator, and on macOS, hold Cmd + Option + Shift.
This will reset your preferences to default, which can fix many startup issues caused by corrupted settings.
If resetting preferences doesn’t work, check for third-party plugins that might be causing the crash.
In the Illustrator application folder, find and remove any third-party plugin files from the Plug-ins folder.
Restart Illustrator to check if the issue is resolved.
If the software still crashes, update Illustrator to the latest version by going to Help > Updates.
An outdated version might not be compatible with your operating system, which can lead to crashes.
If Illustrator crashes while trying to open a particular file, that file may be corrupt.
Try opening other files to confirm if the issue is specific to one file or general.
If the crashes persist, try disabling GPU performance by going to Edit > Preferences > Performance and unchecking GPU Performance.
This can solve issues related to specific graphic drivers.
Sometimes, Illustrator crashes due to outdated system drivers, so update your graphics card drivers from the manufacturer’s website (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) to make sure they are compatible.
If the problem continues, consider uninstalling and reinstalling Illustrator to resolve any deeper issues with the installation files.
