Adobe Illustrator

ApplicationAdobe

Also called illustrator, ai, adobe ai

AdobeCreative

Adobe's vector drawing app. On Windows the process is Illustrator.exe. Logos and type live here. A PSD is the wrong file mental model.

What you need to know

Illustrator is vector drawing. Photoshop is pixels.

Adobe Illustrator stores paths, type, and artboards in AI files. A logo job that starts as a PSD is already on the wrong mental model. Illustrator.exe is the Windows process.

What is it?: Vector drawing for logos and type
Same as Photoshop?: No. AI is vectors. PSD is pixels
How do I get it?: Creative Cloud, not a random exe host

Feex says

If the file is supposed to stay sharp at any size, I would open Illustrator, not Photoshop. A blurry logo is often a raster export, not a broken Windows font.

What is Adobe Illustrator?

Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor. Paths, type, and artboards are the document. The Windows executable is Illustrator.exe.

If you have never used it

If you have never used Illustrator, it is the Adobe app for logos, icons, and type that must scale. It is not Photoshop. A PSD is a pixel stack. An AI file is paths. Install it from Creative Cloud on adobe.com, not from a "free Illustrator" download site.

What is it used for?

Logos and marks

Draw a mark as paths so it stays sharp on a card or a billboard. That is the AI file people mean.

Type on a path

Set and outline type. This is still Illustrator, not InDesign page layout and not a Word artboard.

SVG and print export

Export SVG, PDF, or EPS for web and print. The working file is still .ai.

Who is it for?

Designers who draw logos and icons as vectors
People handing artboards to InDesign or a printer
Anyone who opened a logo in Photoshop and wondered why it went soft

Current status

Actively developed as a Creative Cloud desktop app. This article is the Windows Illustrator app, not Illustrator on the iPad.

How old is it?

Adobe first shipped Illustrator in 1987, before Photoshop. Current builds are yearly Creative Cloud branded releases. A CS6 box is the same family and a different support story.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Creative Cloud (current)

CS6 and earlier boxes

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
CPU	Multicore 64-bit processor with SSE 4.2, per Adobe
RAM	8 GB minimum. Adobe recommends 16 GB
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per Adobe

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows live effects and complex path stacks
RAM demand: Large artboards and linked rasters
GPU demand: GPU preview when Adobe enables it

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
Illustrator.exe	The drawing window and document

Startup components

Illustrator does not need to start with Windows. Creative Cloud may sit in the tray so the app can update.

File locations

Common Adobe Illustrator locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator <year>\
Creative Cloud	C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Creative Cloud\

File formats

AISVGPDFEPS

Common problems

Logo started as a PSD

Photoshop pixels do not become clean vectors by renaming the extension. Trace or redraw in Illustrator.

Missing fonts on open

Type is a document dependency. Adobe Fonts or a local install, not a Windows repair.

Getting unstuck

Confirm it is Adobe Illustrator

Open file location. Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator is the app. An Illustrator.exe in Downloads is not.

Install from Creative Cloud

The Creative Cloud desktop app is the supported installer. A third-party "AI portable" is junk.

GPU preview first, then prefs

Adobe documents GPU performance settings. Reset preferences after you confirm the file itself opens.

Alternatives

Affinity Designer, Inkscape, and CorelDRAW overlap for vectors. Photoshop does not replace Illustrator for a logo that must stay a path.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Product page	www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html What Adobe sells today
User guide	helpx.adobe.com/illustrator.html How-to and feature help
System requirements	helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/system-requirements.html CPU, RAM, GPU, and OS
Creative Cloud desktop	www.adobe.com/creativecloud/desktop-app.html Official installer
Account	account.adobe.com/ Plan and devices

Related hardware

RAM and a working GPU matter more than a famous CPU name for everyday artboards. Huge linked rasters want more memory.

Technical details

Creative Cloud year brands change. This article does not pin a build number.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Adobe Illustrator · Official product page
Illustrator user guide · Adobe help
Illustrator system requirements · Windows CPU, RAM, and OS Adobe lists
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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