Many Adobe applications will soon require Windows 10 (ver 1703) or newer

Introduction

In a pair of recent blog posts

Adobe has warned users that the next major version of their video and audio applications will not support Windows 7, Windows 8, or even versions of Windows 10 prior to version 1703. In addition, on the Mac side you would need MacOS 10.12 or newer for the updated applications to work. This applies to Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Media Encoder, Audition, Character Animator, and Prelude.

If you are using one of these older operating systems, you can still use these applications the same way you do today, but you will not be able to update to the next major version – or apply any updates in the future.

How to find which version of Windows you have

If you are not sure if you have Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10, the easiest way to find out is to open the Control Panel -> System page to check. To do so, either open the Start Menu and type "Control Panel System" or use the keyboard hotkey "Win+Esc". The edition of Windows will be listed under "Windows edition".

If you on Windows 10, the next step is to verify that you are using version 1703 or newer. To do so, open the Start Menu and type "About your PC". The version of Windows 10 currently installed will be listed under "Windows specifications". Note that you may need to scroll down in order to see this information.

What to do if you are not using Windows 10 ver. 1703 or newer?

If you are using Windows 7 or Windows 8 and want to be able to use the upcoming versions of Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Media Encoder, Audition, Character Animator, and Prelude, you will need to update to Windows 10. Updating to a new edition of Windows is not always a smooth process so we highly recommend backing up all your data first. In addition, if your computer is more than ~4 years old, there is the possibility that your system will not support Windows 10 at all without a hardware upgrade. For Puget Systems customers, we recommend contacting our Support Department for assistance to ensure that the upgrade process is as smooth as possible.

If you are already on Windows 10 and are simply on a version older than 1703, all you should need to do is to run Windows update and Windows will automatically upgrade to the latest version. If this does not work, you can follow our Failing to Update to Windows build 1803? article or contact our Support Department if you are a Puget Systems customer.