Deploying Adobe CC Applications using Addigy – Addigy

This guide walks you through deploying Adobe Creative Cloud applications to managed Mac devices using Addigy Smart Software. The process involves building a Managed Package in the Adobe Admin Console, preparing the installer files, and uploading them to Addigy for deployment.

Tip: Before building a custom package, check Addigy's PreBuilt Apps Catalog. Several Adobe applications — including Acrobat DC, Acrobat Reader, and the Creative Cloud Desktop App — are available there for one-click deployment without any manual package preparation.

Prerequisites

Admin access to the Adobe Admin Console
Familiarity with Smart Software — see Creating Smart Software if you haven't set one up before

Step 1: Build a Managed Package in the Adobe Admin Console

Log in to the Adobe Admin Console.
Click Packages in the top navigation bar.
Click Create a Package.
Select Managed Package as your deployment method.
Select macOS as the platform and choose your desired language.
Select the Adobe application you want to deploy.

Important: Create one package per application. Bundling multiple apps into a single package makes it harder to manage updates and troubleshoot installation issues.

On the Options screen, configure your preferred Creative Cloud Desktop and Management settings, then click Next.
Click Finish. Once the package has been generated, click Download.
A DMG file will download. Open it and double-click the Adobe Package Downloader icon.
Choose a download location and click Continue. The downloader will save a .zip file containing your package to the specified location.

Step 2: Prepare the Installer for Addigy

Adobe packages download as a nested folder structure. You'll need to extract the inner .pkg file and re-compress it before uploading to Addigy.

Navigate to the downloaded .zip file and double-click to unzip it.
Open the extracted folder and navigate to: [AppName] > Build > [AppName]_Install.pkg
For example: Photoshop > Build > Photoshop_Install.pkg
Right-click [AppName]_Install.pkg and select Compress. This creates a new .zip file.
Rename the resulting file to remove the .pkg from the filename — for example, rename Photoshop_Install.pkg.zip to Photoshop_Install.zip.

Note: The renamed .zip file is what you'll upload to Addigy. Addigy requires the file extension to end in .zip, not .pkg.zip.

Step 3: Create the Smart Software Item in Addigy

In Addigy, navigate to Catalog > Smart Software and click New.
Enter a descriptive name for the Smart Software item — for example: Photoshop CC (20.0.8).
Set the Version to match — for example: 20.0.8.
Upload your renamed .zip file (e.g., Photoshop_Install.zip) as the Installation File.
In the Installation Command field, enter the following script — replacing the app name, version, and .pkg filename to match your package:

unzip -o "/Library/Addigy/ansible/packages/Photoshop CC (20.0.8)/Photoshop_Install.zip" -d "/Library/Addigy/ansible/packages/Photoshop CC (20.0.8)/"

/usr/sbin/installer -pkg "/Library/Addigy/ansible/packages/Photoshop CC (20.0.8)/Photoshop_Install.pkg" -target /

Note: The folder path in the script must match the exact Software Identifier name and version you entered in Addigy. Update both the unzip and installer lines if your app name or version differs.

Optionally, add the following Custom Conditional Command to skip re-installation on devices where the app is already present — updating the application path to match your app and version:

/bin/ls "/Applications/Adobe Photoshop 2020/Adobe Photoshop 2020.app"

Add the Smart Software item to your desired policy from the Catalog.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to re-compress the .pkg file instead of uploading it directly?

Addigy's Smart Software handles .zip files and auto-generates install commands for them. Uploading the inner .pkg directly inside a .zip named .pkg.zip can cause the install command generation to fail or behave unexpectedly. Renaming the file to end in .zip ensures Addigy processes it correctly.

Can I include multiple Adobe apps in a single package?

Technically yes, but it's strongly recommended to create one package per application. Per-app packages are easier to update individually when Adobe releases new versions, and make it simpler to troubleshoot deployment failures.

How do I keep Adobe apps updated after initial deployment?

When a new version is released, build a new Managed Package in the Adobe Admin Console, prepare the installer using the same steps above, and create a new Smart Software item in Addigy with the updated version number. You can then update your policy to point to the new item.

The condition script path doesn't match what's installed on my devices. What should I check?

Adobe application paths vary by product and version. For example, Photoshop 2024 installs to /Applications/Adobe Photoshop 2024/Adobe Photoshop 2024.app. Verify the exact path on a device where the app is installed before using the condition script in production.