Troubleshooting
In September 2021, Astute Graphics released universal updates for all plugins and the Astute Manager, ensuring that they will run natively on both M1 and Intel hardware. Read the announcement.
Updating your plugins is very easy using the Astute Manager. For instructions, please visit our support page.
Astute Manager and Apple M1 computers
The essential February 2022 Astute Manager update then ensured that the software became Universal (native Intel and M1) for macOS.
If you experience an issue with Adobe Illustrator (including with any Astute Graphics plugin), you may be asked to reset your Adobe Illustrator preferences. This can be done by following the guidelines below.
Please note that this process will reset all your panels, etc. in Illustrator, but Astute Manager Pro enables you to quickly back up all of your preferences beforehand at just the click of a button. You can then reapply these (again at the click of a button) after doing the reset.
Why would I want to reset my Illustrator Preferences?
It's good practice, very easy to do and solves a lot of issues with Illustrator and Astute Graphics' plugins.
What do I need to do after resetting my Illustrator Preferences?
Astute Manager Pro makes it easier than ever to return to your original preferences, restoring everything in just seconds! Simply follow the advice further on in this guide to restore your preferences at the click of a button.
Can I restore previous preferences?
Yes, read on for advice on how to do so.
How will resetting Illustrator's Preferences affect my plugins?
It will not impact your license or (if trialling plugins) your trial period in any way.
How do I reset my preferences?
Follow Adobe's official guidelines here. Alternatively, read on…
There are two levels of resetting your preferences, the first and more commonly known is to:
Windows users: Press and hold Alt+Control+Shift as you start Illustrator
macOS users: Option+Command+Shift as you start Illustrator
Your current settings are deleted.
The second method is to:
Quit Illustrator
Manually locate your Adobe Illustrator Prefs file
Delete it
How do I back up and restore up my Illustrator Preferences?
The best time to make this backup is after Illustrator has been running smoothly - when everything’s stable, and you can quit the app normally. Illustrator only saves your settings preferences when it quits successfully, so if it crashes, those preferences are lost and replaced with the defaults.
To back up your Adobe Illustrator Preferences
Quit Illustrator.
In Astute Manager Pro, go to the Asset Manager and select Illustrator.
Next, go to Illustrator preferences and click on the orange button.
Simple. Your preferences are now backed up to the Astute Manager Pro cloud
Watch this video for a quick guide to backing up your preferences.
To restore your preferences
Quit Illustrator
In Astute Manager Pro, go to the Asset Manager and select Illustrator
Next, go to Illustrator preferences and click on the orange Download and install button
On re-opening Illustrator you will see that your original preferences are restored.
Watch this video for a quick visual guide to restoring your preferences.
Locating your Illustrator Preferences file
The file is named Adobe Illustrator Prefs
Adobe document the location of this file here. But here is a quick guide on how to find the folder which contains the Adobe Illustrator Prefs file…
macOS users:
In the Finder menu bar, follow Go > Library (this may be hidden, so hold down the Option key to reveal)
Open the Preferences > Adobe Illustrator [version*] Settings > [local language] > … folder
Windows users:
Users > [username] > AppData > Roaming > Adobe > Adobe Illustrator [version*] Settings > [local language / 32/64] > …
*Depending on your Illustrator version this folder will be named as follows:
Adobe Illustrator CS6 Settings = CS6
Adobe Illustrator 17 Settings = CC (initial CC release in 2013)
Adobe Illustrator 18 Settings = CC2014
Adobe Illustrator 19 Settings = CC2015
Adobe Illustrator 20 Settings = CC2015.3
Adobe Illustrator 21 Settings = CC2017
Adobe Illustrator 22 Settings = CC2018
Adobe Illustrator 23 Settings = Illustrator 2019
Adobe Illustrator 24 Settings = 2020
Adobe Illustrator 25 Settings = 2021
Adobe Illustrator 26 Settings = 2022
Adobe Illustrator 27 Settings = 2023
Adobe Illustrator 28 Settings = 2024
Adobe Illustrator 29 Settings = 2025
For the full Illustrator version/naming list, please refer to the Illustrator Wikipedia page.
The introduction of AG Docs has been a long project which we are happy to add to our existing learning material, and as we recognise that it's a facility that our customers have been keen to have access to, we wanted to release it as soon as possible. This means that whilst more than half the information is already present, there is much more to be added over time.
This is also the case with language translation which is still under development. We are very conscious of improved support for many of our international subscribers and whilst we do not display various languages within our panels in Adobe Illustrator, we aim to compensate for that with the initiation of support for translations in the written documentation. At this stage, Japanese language is the first translation option available however, further language translations will also be added over time. Each translation option will begin as an automatic translation but will later be fine-tuned to provide more accuracy.
We look forward to making further language translations available as soon as possible. We can never be certain that the translations are correct, so if you would like to help us with that, do feel free to get in touch.
To improve power consumption, the Astute Manager v3 is separated into two components:
The background "Astute Manager Tray" (running in the background checking for updates, etc., and existing only in the macOS menu bar, top right of the screen)
The user interface "Astute Manager" window (which allows you to manage your plugins)
If the Astute Manager window is open, CMD-Q will only quit the "Astute Manager" app and user interface. It does not automatically quit the background "Astute Manager Tray" app.
If you want to quit both in macOS, either:
With the Astute Manager window open, click on the Quit button (bottom left):
Click on the Quit button
Right-click on the menu bar icon and opt for Quit Astute Manager:
Right click on the menu bar icon
If you need to Force Quit the Astute Manager
If the Astute Manager become unresponsive for any reason, and you are unable to quit using either method described above, take the following action.
Open the macOS filer and navigate to the Applications > Utilities folder
Locate and run the Activity Monitor app:
Locate and run the Activity Monitor app
Locate all instances of "Astute Manager" in Processes:
Locate all instances of Astute Manager in Processes
Click on the Stop button as highlighted above
To improve power consumption, the Astute Manager is separated into two components:
The background "Astute Manager Tray" (running in the background checking for updates, etc., and existing only in the Windows tray, normally bottom right of the screen)
The user interface "Astute Manager" window (which allows you to manage your plugins)
If the Astute Manager window is open, Ctrl-Q will only quit the "Astute Manager" app and user interface. It does not automatically quit the background "Astute Manager Tray" app.
If you want to quit both in Windows, with the Astute Manager window open, click on the Quit button (bottom left):
Click on the Quit button
If you need to force quit ("End task") the Astute Manager
If the Astute Manager become unresponsive for any reason, and you are unable to quit using either method described above, take the following action.
Open the Task Manager and view the Processes
Locate all instances of "Astute Manager", selecting them
Right-click on these instances and opt for End task
Whilst Astute Manager Pro brings a wealth of benefits to creative teams, with quicker, easier and more secure file organizing and sharing. The benefits for individual users are significant also, and if you’re working outside of a team then these benefits are free.
With the Astute Manager, all the stress and hassle of resetting your Illustrator preferences is gone, instead you can quickly back up and restore those preferences and settings along with all your own custom assets such as brushes and swatches at the click of a button. Brushes and workspaces are downloaded directly into Adobe Illustrator’s folder system, not the downloads folder, and there is need to quit Illustrator to install.
If you are trying to upload or replace an asset in Astute Manager but the Upload icon is greyed out, this could mean that you have a file in your cloud storage that’s not present on your machine.
This could happen (for example) if you make some changes to your Keyboard Shortcuts file, and want to overwrite the one you had in the cloud with this new file.
The Astute Manager will display an orange marker to tell you the cloud file is not present on your machine, and will prompt you to re-download the older asset. If you want to replace this with the one you have saved locally, use the 3-dot menu to delete the Cloud Files. The Astute Manager will then allow you to re-upload the local newer file into the cloud.
The Astute Manager is designed to avoid overwriting existing files. If an uploaded asset has the exact same name as an asset already installed on your machine, the Astute Manager will not replace it.
Instead, it will:
Add a (1) at the end of the file name, or
Create a new subfolder named "pkg" and store the new version there.
Which method is uses depends on the type and number of assets involved.
This behavior ensures that your personal files are never unintentionally overwritten, but it can lead to duplicate-looking files, especially if you've downloaded or reinstalled assets more than once.
About Astute Library Assets
Assets provided through the Astute Library, such as Von Glitschka’s Brush Packs or the Vintage Text Effect Graphic Styles, are uploaded by Astute Graphics and:
Do not count toward your personal cloud storage allowance.
Do not appear in your User tab, as they can be redownloaded at any time from the Asset Library.
However, if these files have been previously installed on your system, the Astute Manager may treat newly downloaded copies as User files if it can’t match them to the originals. This can result in duplicate files being saved in your user folder, even though they’re technically the same assets.
Why It Matters
When the Astute Manager treats these duplicate files as user-owned, they will:
Appear in your User Files list
Count toward your cloud storage limit
Over time, this can lead to unnecessary file clutter and take up storage space you'd prefer to use for your own work.
How to Clean It Up
If you would like to remove duplicates and organize your files, follow these steps:
Go to:
Astute Library > Brush Sets > Open the 3-dot menu and select Delete Local Files.Navigate to:
Asset Manager > Illustrator > User tab.In the Brushes section, open the 3-dot menu and choose Show Folder, then manually review the files in this folder.
Now:
Delete duplicates, especially those with a (1) at the end of the name.
Check inside any "pkg" folders for duplicate content.
You may also see files shared by team members—delete any you no longer need.
⚠️ Important: Be careful not to delete any files that are genuinely yours!
Back in the User tab, click the Upload icon to re-sync your updated files.
(Optional) Return to:
Astute Library > Brush Sets > and re-download any official Astute Graphics brush packs you want to use again.Repeat the same process for Graphic Styles, if needed.
Once you’ve followed these steps, your user storage will be optimized, and any unnecessary duplicates removed.