关于macOS中/Users/Shared/adi文件夹用途及可删除性的技术咨询

Hey there, let's tackle your questions about the /Users/Shared/adi folder clearly and directly:

What’s the Purpose of /Users/Shared/adi? #

This folder is tied to Adobe's Device Intelligence (ADI) system. It gets automatically created when you install any Adobe desktop application (like Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, etc.).

Inside, it stores device-specific data that Adobe uses for things like:

• Validating software licenses and ensuring compliance
• Optimizing app performance for your specific hardware
• Supporting software updates tailored to your system
• Collecting anonymized device metrics (to improve Adobe products over time)

It’s a shared system folder for Adobe’s core components, not something you’d create manually.

Can I Safely Delete It (Especially with Time Machine)? #

The answer depends on whether you still use Adobe software:

• If you have active Adobe apps installed: Don’t delete it. Removing this folder can cause unexpected issues—like apps failing to launch, license verification errors, or missing functionality. Adobe’s apps rely on this data to run smoothly.
• If you’ve fully uninstalled all Adobe products: You can safely delete it at this point, since there’s no software left that needs it. For extra peace of mind, you might want to make a quick manual backup of the folder first (just in case there’s any leftover configuration data you didn’t expect).
• For Time Machine backups: Instead of deleting the folder outright, you can add it to Time Machine’s exclusion list (in System Settings > General > Time Machine > Options). This keeps the folder on your system (if you still need it) but prevents it from taking up space in your backups. If you don’t need the folder at all, deleting it will also remove it from future Time Machine snapshots.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者kenorb