Troubleshooting
License inactive IDs indicate specific issues impacting the use of the Astute Manager or your plugins.
If you are seeing a “License Inactive” warning for any of your plugins, please read the following information, then go through the checks. If you get to the end of "Check 3" and you’re still experiencing issues, please contact us with your answers to the questions at the end of this page, this will help us to get to the bottom of the problem for you as quickly as possible.
If you are seeing "License Inactive ID:1", please check that you are using the most up to date Astute Manager. To check which version of Astute Manager you are running, click on the settings option in the Astute Manager and scroll to the bottom, there near the bottom you will see the App number. You can find up to date details on the Astute Manager versions here.
If you are seeing "License Inactive ID:6", please check that you are logged into the Astute Manager. It is highly recommended to have the Astute Manager loaded in the menu bar/task bar to ensure that you are not inconvenienced with temporary license inactivity.
If you are seeing "License Inactive ID:8" after updating your plugins there are 2 possible reasons:
1. Most commonly, it is likely due to new versions of the plugins not yet seeing the latest license information.
This typically resolves itself in a 30 minutes or so however, to prompt the system to re-check for licensing, please follow this sequence:
Quit all instances of Adobe Illustrator
Open the Astute Manager window and sign out of your account (via the account menu, top-right, or the Sign out menu, bottom-left)
Quit the Astute Manager (via the Quit menu, bottom-left)
Restart the Astute Manager
Log into your Astute Graphics account in the Astute Manager window
Allow the Astute Manager to fully restart (you will see a progress status after logging-in)
Once the Astute Manager is displaying all the plugins as expected, restart Adobe Illustrator.
2. The second possible reason is that our system has identified multiple Free Trial activations. Only one Free Trial is allowed per machine, if you have already taken a trial it would therefore not be possible to activate our plugins again.
If you are seeing a different License Inactive ID, please read on.....
Check 1
In the first instance, please always check that your Astute Manager is running and then update it to ensure that you have the most up to date version. You will need to launch the Astute Manager on a regular basis. Previously it was necessary to launch the Astute Manager at least once every 14 days, but as we appreciated that this proved an inconvenience to a small number of our customers we have recently been able to extend this period. It is still highly recommended however, to have the Astute Manager loaded in the menu bar/task bar to ensure that you are not inconvenienced with temporary license inactivity.
(If you are a Windows user, please also try the following: Go into the Task Manager > Scroll down to Background processes > Find Astute Graphics Astute Manager > Right Click > End Task. Finally, go into the Start Menu and restart the Manager).
Please also check that you did definitely quit Illustrator before running the installation - if you didn’t, please quit Illustrator and run the installation again.
Next, please ensure that you have detected installed Illustrator versions - guidance on this here (please also note that it may take up to 5 minutes before the license appears in Illustrator)
If your licenses still don't appear, please restart your computer then reset your illustrator preferences.
Check 2
If you have checked the above, followed our How to update your Astute Manager guide and you’re still having problems, it’s possible that there is a network connection block likely caused by security software, so we would ask you to please also try restarting your computer in Safe mode. This will help ensure that no external security systems are blocking access to the licensing server.
Starting your computer in safe mode:
Windows - (In the case of Windows, if this fails, please open your Windows Task Manager. In the Astute Manager startup options, enable the Write option in application permissions which may be disabled by default (Security > All application packages > Write).
Check 3
If the above advice hasn’t worked for you, please do the following:
Use the Astute Manager to uninstall all plugins
Uninstall the Astute manager
Manually delete Astute Graphics plugins from inside the Illustrator plugins folder
Start Illustrator up again (with no plugins)
Quit Illustrator again
Restart the computer
Reinstall the Astute Manager
Finally, if you have tried all of the above and the issue still isn't resolved, then please contact us with as much of the following information as possible to enable us to more accurately understand the problem:
Full description of operation taking place and resulting issue including any error messages/license inactive IDs
Some screenshots or a screencast video showing the issue
When starting the Astute Manager, does the loading page show all green ticks under “Initialising plugins interface”? (screenshot example below). If not, please send a screenshot of this also
email address that you are logging into the Astute Manager with
Your operating System (including point release)
Your version of Illustrator (including point release)
Hardware Description (RAM, GPU, etc.)
The version number of your currently installed Astute Manager (if you know it)
Details of any additional Hardware (such as a Wacom tablet)
Details of any third party apps that you currently have installed
The most useful information is a log sent from your AM after reinstallation of the plugins - Please let us know if you do this so that we can warn the technical team to look out for it
This will then be investigated by one of our technical advisors who will reply to you as soon as possible.
When in Illustrator, you will see a question mark icon on each Astute Graphics panel. When you click on this, then providing your Astute Manager is running, it will open the related training material directly in the Astute Manager, giving text and example images of the functioning of each button, option, control and menu.
Open the Astute Manager from a panel
If you don't see this, please check the following:
What is your account status? - This feature will only function for an active account, a trial account or if using a free plugin.
What version of Astute Manager are you using? - This feature was introduced in Astute Manager v3.8, please ensure you have the latest version.
Is your Astute Manager app running? - the app does not need to be open, but you should be logged in to it and the menu bar icon (macOS) or task tray (Windows) should be active.
We strongly advise avoiding using Astute Graphics live Effects in dynamic symbols.
The problem
As an example, make a simple path with a scaleable live Effect (such as an AG Offset) and turn this into a dynamic symbol.
Turn a simple path into a dynamic symbol
Make a couple of copies of this symbol.
Select one and choose Object > Transform > Scale.
Enable Preview
Change to Uniform, 30%.
Note how toggling the Scale Strokes & Effects checkbox does nothing; the master setting in the general preferences is the only one that matters.
Toggling the Scale Strokes & Effects checkbox does nothing
Toggle the master Illustrator Scale Strokes & Effects preference...
Toggle master Illustrator Scale Strokes & Effects preference
...and scale the other copy. You now have two copies with different scaling:
Two copies with different scaling
If you duplicate these symbols (either by option-dragging or copying & pasting), the duplicates are not different! They both have the appearance that would result from the current master Scale Strokes & Effects preference.
Solution
First ensure all live Effects (we recommend native and Astute Graphics effects, to be safe) are expanded before the objects(s) is turned into a dynamic symbol.
This can be universally achieved by using the Object > Expand Appearance menu entry.
For certain Astute Graphics effects, including AG Architect, AG Block Shadow, AG Offset and AG Splatter, it is also possible to Detach the effect via the respective panel's fly-out menus. This also removes those specific live Effects individually.
Which tools does this affect?
All Astute Graphics tools which use live Effects, including:
If you experience an issue with Adobe Illustrator, including with any Astute Graphics plugin, you may be asked to delete your Adobe Illustrator Settings. This can be done by following the guidelines below.
Please note that this process will reset all your panels, workspaces, preferences and more, in Illustrator. These may be re-applied manually afterwards.
Why would I want to delete my Illustrator Settings?
Whereas, it's been common practice to reset Illustrator Preferences if minor issues are encountered, the Preference's containing folder "Adobe Illustrator [version] Settings" also stores settings and cache data which can corrupt. A prime example of this, is when upgrading to Illustrator 2020 (v24.2) which has proven to be problematic retaining historic data created using previous versions of Illustrator, even without any third party plugins being present.
What do I need to do after deleting my Illustrator Settings?
Upon starting Illustrator for the first time after deleting your Illustrator Settings, the usual start-up windows will re-appear including the native application "welcome" window and Astute Graphics' warning that you need to re-enable the Advanced toolbar to see all the tools. There may be options to tick to ensure these do not show again, otherwise they will automatically be marked to not re-appear until you delete your settings or preferences again.
Beyond this, other tasks may include:
Re-open and dock native and plugin panels (found under the Window > ... menu)
Save custom UI workspaces
Redefine any custom keypresses and save these
Readjust any custom Illustrator Preferences (Illustrator > Preferences > …)
For users of Illustrator 2019 and above, panels may not scale correctly first time - please refer to our UI Panel Scaling issue troubleshooting article for full information
Typically, all this will take 5 minutes, depending on how far you've customized Illustrator.
Can I restore previous settings?
Yes, as long as you first make a backup of the Adobe Illustrator [version] Settings folder, you can always return to your previous settings. However, you may find that issues reoccur in Illustrator.
How will resetting Illustrator's Settings affect my plugins?
It will not affect your licensing or trial period. Therefore, resetting will not mean you need to re-apply your software license keys.
How do I delete my settings?
Illustrator version references
Note: Illustrator is publicly known by its "CC" version number, eg. "CC 2018", "CC 2019", "2020", and so on. Internally, the version numbers correspond as follows:
CC 2018 = v22
CC 2019 = v23
2020 = v24
2021 = v25
2022 = v26
2023 = v27
2024 = v28
These version numbers will correspond to the folder names that follow. For example, if you wish to delete the settings for Illustrator 2020, you will be asked to delete the Adobe Illustrator 24 Settings folder.
Process to delete the settings folder
Windows users
Quit Illustrator
Open Users > [username] > AppData > Roaming > Adobe > ...
Locate the Adobe Illustrator [version] Settings folder and move it to Trash.
Restart Illustrator
macOS users
Quit Illustrator
Open [username] > Library > Preferences > ...
Locate the Adobe Illustrator [version] Settings folder and move it to Trash.
Restart Illustrator
How do I back up and restore up my Illustrator Settings?
To back up your Adobe Illustrator Settings folder…
Quit Illustrator
Locate the Adobe Illustrator [version] Settings folder
Copy it to somewhere safe
To restore it…
Quit Illustrator
Locate the active Adobe Illustrator [version] Settings folder and move it to trash
Copy the previously backed-up Adobe Illustrator [version] Settings folder back
Restoring this file will revert your panels, window positions, native Illustrator and Astute Graphics plugin preferences.
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 are seeing a "Host application with identifier ………... is not configured" error, the following steps should resolve the issue.
Uninstall and then reinstall Illustrator
• Quit the Astute Manager (Quit on macOS advice / Quit on Windows advice) >
• Quit all instances of Adobe Illustrator >
• Uninstall the affected version of Adobe Illustrator via the Creative Cloud >
• Reinstall the affected version of Illustrator >
• Run the newly installed Illustrator version to complete set up, then quit >
• Start the Astute Manager
Reset the Astute Manager
If reinstalling Illustrator didn't work for you, please try Resetting the Astute Manager.
Set default paths
If this doesn’t work, please go to the Settings section of your Astute Manager and click on the “Set default paths” button (example shown at the bottom of this page).
Further checks
If you are still experiencing issues, please check the following:
Do also check that you quit Adobe Illustrator before doing the update. If you didn't, quit it now and also quit the Astute Manager. Then re-open the Astute Manager and uninstall, then reinstall the plugins.
If the Astute Manager doesn't see your version of Illustrator after installing using the Creative Cloud, please see - Detecting and adding plugins to new installations of Illustrator.
Please also ensure that you do not have Illustrator installed on an external hard drive. Illustrator should never be installed on an external drive and doing so will cause problems.
Ensure that you do not have a beta or preview version of Illustrator installed on your machine, in this case the installer will try to place the plugin in that version's folder. To resolve this, open your Astute Manager and, in settings, check that the installer is pointing in the right direction, e.g. for Illustrator 2025 it should be: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 2025\Plug-ins
Note that you can type the address or navigate to your drive (if necessary). This issue occurs due to the way Adobe internally names beta versions.Finally, if none of the above advice has resolved the issue, please contact us providing your account email address, details (or a screenshot of the error message), and details about your operating system and version of Illustrator. One of the team will be happy to help.
When you request a Free Trial, you will then be sent straight to your account where you will be able to download Astute Manager and get started immediately.
You will also receive a Free Trial welcome email with guidance and a link to the Astute Manager. If you don't find the Free Trial email immediately, don't worry as you can continue from the website.
If you don’t see the email, please note that (particularly if you are a gmail or Hotmail customer) the email(s) may have gone into your Promotions/Other or Junk folder. So please check there if you don’t see it in your Inbox.
The trial (of all plugins) will officially begin as soon as you download any premium plugin. To begin, simply click the "Install All" button at the top right of the Astute Manager, this will install both the Free and the Premium plugins. If you prefer to install the plugins individually, you can click on the individual “install” button beneath each plugin. If you haven't previously done so, please note that clicking “install” next to any premium plugin will start the 7 day trial of all plugins.
If after reading this you are still experiencing issues, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
All existing customers are required to manually update to version 4 of the Astute Manager which is available now.
The guidance below will help you should you experience any problems.
If you are experiencing problems, the first thing to check would be that you quit Adobe Illustrator before doing the update. If you didn't, please quit it now and also quit the Astute Manager, then re-open the Astute Manager and uninstall and then reinstall the plugins.
Please also check that you’re not running a VPN as this may interfere in the functioning of the Astute Manager.
If the Astute Manager doesn't see your version of Illustrator after you install it using the Creative Cloud, please see - Detecting and adding plugins to new installations of Illustrator
If you are seeing an AG Core plugin warning, please see - I am seeing an AG Core Plugin Warning and my plugins are not working. What do I do?
If you are seeing a Host application not configured... error when trying to update, please see - Resetting the Astute Manager
If you have Illustrator installed but the Astute Manager is not recognising it, please ensure that you do not have Illustrator installed on an external drive. Illustrator should never be installed on an external drive and doing so will cause problems.
If one or more of your plugins are missing despite a successful update. It's possible that you have a beta or preview version of Illustrator installed on your machine, in this case the installer will place the plugin in that version's folder. To resolve this, open your Astute Manager and, in settings, check that the installer is pointing in the right direction: (In the example below - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 2024\Plug-ins )
Note that you can type the address or navigate to your drive (if necessary). This issue occurs due to the way Adobe internally names beta versions.
Beta or preview version installed
If after reading the above you are still experiencing problems or seeing any other error messages, please Contact Support providing as much of the following information as possible. One of the team will be happy to help you:
Full description of operation taking place and resulting issue including any error messages/license inactive IDs.
Some screenshots or a screencast video showing the issue.
email address that you are logging into the Astute Manager with.
Your operating System (including point release).
Your version of Illustrator (including point release).
Details of any third party apps/security software that you currently have installed.
Hardware Description (RAM, GPU, etc.).
The version number of your currently installed Astute Manager (if you know it).
If you are experiencing problems after updating, please work through the following steps:
1. If the the Astute Manager doesn't see your version of Illustrator after updating, please see - Detecting and adding plugins to new installations of Illustrator.
2. If that doesn't apply to you, please check that you did definitely quit Adobe Illustrator before doing the update. If you didn't, please uninstall and then reinstall Illustrator by doing the following:
Quit all instances of Adobe Illustrator >
Uninstall the affected version of Adobe Illustrator via the Creative Cloud >
Reinstall the affected version of Illustrator >
Run the newly installed Illustrator version to complete set up, then quit >
Start the Astute Manager
3. If reinstalling doesn’t work for you, please try Resetting the Astute Manager.
4. If this doesn’t work, please go to the Settings section of your Astute Manager and click on the “Set default paths” button (example shown at the bottom of this page).
5. If you are still experiencing issues, please check the following:
Please also ensure that you do not have Illustrator installed on an external drive. Illustrator should never be installed on an external drive and doing so will cause problems.
Ensure that you do not have a beta or preview version of Illustrator installed on your machine, in this case the installer will try to place the plugin in that version's folder. To resolve this, open your Astute Manager and, in settings, check that the installer is pointing in the right direction, e.g. for Illustrator 2025 it should be: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 2025\Plug-ins
Note that you can type the address or navigate to your drive (if necessary). This issue occurs due to the way Adobe internally names beta versions.If you are seeing a Host application with identifier ………... is not configured" error, please see Host Application error in Astute Manager.
6. Finally, if none of the advice provided has resolved the issue, then to enable us to more accurately understand the problem and to help us resolve it for you, ideally we would need you to contact us with as much of the following information as possible:
Full description of operation taking place and resulting issue including any error messages/license inactive IDs
Some screenshots or a screencast video showing the issue
Which version of the Astute Manager do you have installed?
Your Astute Graphics account email address
Your operating System (including point release)
Your version of Illustrator (including point release)
This will then be marked for the attention of our technical advisors, one of whom will investigate and reply to you as soon as possible.
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
We have released a major update to the Astute Manager software (now on version 4).
As a Plugin subscriber you are not affected. This update brings benefits with new free Digital Asset Management (DAM) services to all Astute Graphics account holders, you included.
The update does also offer additional functionality which is available through a new, separate Astute Manager Pro monthly subscription service. The plugin subscription service remains available independent of the new Astute Manager Pro subscription service. So customers can choose to use one service or both.
As always, the Astute Manager remains the software required to install, update and manage your Astute Graphics plugins.
For more information see:
What is the difference between an Astute Manager Pro subscription and a Plugin subscription?
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.