Where apps hide your files

Photoshop's plug-in folders on a Mac

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

Photoshop loads traditional plug-ins from a shared Library folder or from each version's own Plug-ins folder, while UXP plug-ins come through the Plugin Marketplace. Here are Adobe's paths, the Apple silicon catch, and how to find a plug-in that will not show up.

The location

Adobe's current help page on Photoshop plug-ins gives two folders on a Mac. The shared Creative Cloud folder, which every installed Photoshop version loads:

/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC/

And the version-specific folder inside the app's own folder:

/Applications/Adobe Photoshop [version]/Plug-ins/

Replace [version] with the folder name you see in Applications, such as Adobe Photoshop 2025. Note the leading / on the first path: it is the Library at the top of your disk, not the one in your home folder. Adobe's tip is to install traditional plug-ins in the shared folder so you do not have to reinstall them after each Photoshop update. Third-party makers choose their own location, so their instructions come first.

On the Mac used for this guide, the shared folder holds a File Formats folder with Adobe's own Camera Raw.plugin and a third-party folder with one .plugin bundle, all owned by root because installers put them there.

Open either from Finder with Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G), or from Terminal:

open "/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC"

Three kinds of plug-in

Adobe's page sorts them like this, and it tells you where to look:

Kind	How it is installed	Where it shows up
Traditional plug-in (a .plugin bundle on a Mac; .8bf is the Windows format)	The maker's installer, into one of the folders above	The Filter menu, or another menu depending on the plug-in
UXP plug-in	The Plugin Marketplace, from the Creative Cloud app or Photoshop's Plugins menu	Plugins > the plug-in's name
CEP extension panel (older technology)	The Plugin Marketplace or Adobe Exchange	Window > Extensions (Legacy)

If a plug-in appears under Plugins, it is a UXP plug-in and no folder in this post is the right way to manage it.

UXP plug-ins and CEP panels

Adobe says UXP plug-ins are installed, disabled and uninstalled through the Plugin Marketplace, so there is rarely a reason to open their files. Adobe does not document where the files land on a Mac. Developer reports point to a UXP/Plugins folder in one of the two Library folders, often with an External subfolder, but treat that as unconfirmed and use this read-only command to see what exists:

ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe/UXP "/Library/Application Support/Adobe/UXP" 2>/dev/null

On the Mac used for this guide, /Library/Application Support/Adobe/UXP/extensions holds only Adobe's own components (named like com.adobe.ccx.start-7.5.0), and CEP panels sit in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions. Leave Adobe's entries alone.

Install a traditional plug-in

1. Quit Photoshop.
2. Run the maker's installer if there is one. It puts the plug-in where it belongs.
3. If you must copy by hand, follow the maker's instructions. Copying into the shared folder in /Library needs an administrator password, which Finder asks for.
4. Open Photoshop and look in the menu the maker names.

Plug-ins run code with your permissions, so install them only from the maker's own site.

No folder of your choice

Old versions of Photoshop had an Additional Plug-ins Folder preference for keeping plug-ins anywhere you liked. Plug-in makers' support pages say it disappeared with Photoshop CC, and Adobe's current settings help lists only a Plug-ins category for plug-in loading options. Use the shared folder instead. Settings are under Photoshop > Settings (⌘K) on a Mac in current versions.

Apple silicon and Rosetta

Adobe's Apple silicon page is direct about this: Intel-based plug-ins will not appear in Photoshop running natively. Its workaround is to run Photoshop using Rosetta until the maker ships an Apple silicon build. Adobe also says CEP panels need Rosetta mode, and that multi-app workflows between a native app and a Rosetta app do not work, so switch the apps you use together at the same time.

To see which architectures each plug-in in the shared folder contains, without changing anything:

find "/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC" -path "*.plugin/Contents/MacOS/*" -type f -exec file {} \;

Each line names a binary. x86_64 and arm64 together means a universal build that loads natively; x86_64 alone means Intel only. Point the same command at /Applications/Adobe Photoshop [version]/Plug-ins to check the app's own folder. To run Photoshop under Rosetta, select the app in Finder, choose File > Get Info and tick Open using Rosetta. Adobe notes the option does not appear on an alias, so select the app itself.

When a plug-in does not appear

• Wrong version's folder: each year's Photoshop has its own folder in Applications, and a plug-in copied into the 2024 folder will not load in 2025. The shared folder avoids this.
• Not restarted: quit and reopen Photoshop after any change.
• Intel only: see the Rosetta section above.
• Switched off by name: Adobe's plug-in troubleshooting page says Photoshop does not load files whose names begin with a tilde (~). Remove the tilde to bring a plug-in back. Renaming one this way is also Adobe's method for testing a plug-in you suspect of causing crashes.

Removing a plug-in

Quit Photoshop and use the maker's uninstaller if there is one. Otherwise move the plug-in to the Trash in Finder, which may ask for your password for the shared folder. Never remove Camera Raw.plugin from File Formats: it is part of Adobe's own install.

Back up and move to a new Mac

Keep the makers' installers and licence keys, and reinstall on the new Mac. A plug-in copied by hand can be copied again, but one that came with an installer may rely on files elsewhere, so the installer is the safer route.

Why a normal search misses these

Spotlight and Finder searches leave out /Library/Application Support and the contents of app folders, and a .plugin is a package that Finder shows as a single item.

Finding a plug-in again

Type the plug-in's name, or .plugin with part of it, into Everywhere to see each copy with its folder, which shows at a glance whether it sits in the shared folder or in one year's Photoshop folder. ⌘↵ reveals the result in Finder. Both locations are part of the normal scan, and Everywhere matches names only, not what a plug-in contains.

Common questions

Where is the Photoshop plug-ins folder on a Mac?

Adobe gives two: the shared /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC/, which every installed version loads, and /Applications/Adobe Photoshop [version]/Plug-ins/ for one version only. Adobe recommends the shared folder so updates do not need a reinstall.

Why is my plug-in not showing in Photoshop on an Apple silicon Mac?

Adobe says Intel-based plug-ins do not appear in Photoshop running natively. Check the plug-in's binary with the file command, then get an Apple silicon build from the maker or open Photoshop using Rosetta.

Where are UXP plug-ins installed?

Adobe does not document a folder for them; they are installed, disabled and removed through the Plugin Marketplace. They appear under Photoshop's Plugins menu.

Do I need to restart Photoshop after adding a plug-in?

Yes. Quit and reopen Photoshop after installing or removing a traditional plug-in so it loads the change.