Adobe Creative Cloud - Apps Panel Access Denied

A common issue with Adobe CC releases is the inaccessible Apps Panel where programs are managed by individuals and departments. Below is a quick fix to have it show up properly.

This commonly occurs when a department member gets a new laptop and tries to open Adobe Creative Cloud to install some Adobe software they desire.  Almost immediately the apps panel will be selectable but when selecting it, this shows: 

AppsPanelAccessDenied.png

If you see this in your Apps Panel, do not worry. There is a solution you can do (as long as you are an admin or have admin rights on your computer).  Solutions for Windows will be shown first, MacOS will be second.

Making the Apps panel accessible in Creative Cloud (for Windows users)

1.  Close Adobe Creative Cloud and all other Adobe programs.  Go to File Explorer and navigate to, or enter, this path C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\OOBE\Configs shown below:

PathtoConfigxmlfile.png

2.  Copy ServiceConfig.xml to the desktop and open it in Notepad or similar text editor. You will see the following:

ServiceConfigwrongdetails.png

3.  The only thing you need to edit is the <visible> value under AppsPanel.  Change the value from false to true. It should now look like this:

ServiceConfigcorrectdetails.png

4.  Save and close the .xml file.  Now drag and replace the original ServiceConfig.xml file in C:\Program Files (x86)\CommonFiles\Adobe\OOBE\Configs. 
5. Restart the computer and reopen Adobe Creative Cloud; the Apps Panel should display correctly from now on.

Making the Apps panel accessible in Creative Cloud (for MacOS users)

1. Close Adobe Creative Cloud.  Go to Finder and paste in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/OOBE/Configs and hit Enter. (You can also hit Cmd+Shift+G and a search bar will appear where you can paste in the previous path)
2. Drag ServiceConfig.xml to the desktop and open it with TextEdit or similar text editor.
3. Edit the <visible> value under AppsPanel.  Change the value from false to TRUE.
4. Save the .xml file and close it. Drag the desktop version of the .xml file back into /Library/Application Support/Adobe/OOBE/Configs.
5. Restart your computer.  Your Apps panel should now show the correct view (example image given below).


The correct view for the Apps panel will look like the image below:

AdobeCCAppsPanelCorrectView.png

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact your ACES IT Pro. You can find your department's IT contact information here: https://techsupport.aces.illinois.edu/departmental-it-offices


Keywords:
adobe creative cloud cc apps panel missing tab 
Doc ID:
107858
Owned by:
Jen L. in Answers @ ACES
Created:
2020-12-15
Updated:
2024-09-06
Sites:
University of Illinois - College of ACES