A developer has created patches for the Wine compatibility layer that allow Adobe's Creative Cloud installer to run on Linux, making it possible to install Photoshop and other apps. The fix addresses longstanding issues with JavaScript and XML handling in Wine. While installation now works for versions like Photoshop 2021 and 2025, running the software may still require additional tweaks.
Linux users have long faced barriers in accessing Adobe's creative suite, particularly due to the Creative Cloud installer's incompatibility with the platform. On January 19, 2026, developer PhialsBasement announced patches for Wine, a tool that enables Windows applications to run on Linux, resolving key issues that prevented the installer from completing.
The patches target specific Wine components: for mshtml, they include not delegating dynamic DISPIDs to jscript to avoid breaking the JSObject bridge, routing event attributes through Wine's event system in IE9+ mode, compiling event handler strings instead of storing them, and fixing NodeList to expose correct interfaces. For msxml3, embedded XML declarations are wrapped in CDATA sections, as libxml2 is stricter than Windows in handling them.
Testing confirmed successful installations of Photoshop 2021 and 2025, as well as Adobe's Collection installer, enabling most Creative Cloud apps except UWP-based ones like Adobe XD and Fresco. The developer has submitted these changes to Valve's bleeding-edge Wine fork, known as Proton, but they must first be accepted upstream into the main Wine project for broader adoption, including potential backports to Proton.
Pre-built binaries are available on the developer's GitHub repository for those eager to test. However, while installation is now feasible, the full functionality of running Adobe apps on Linux remains unverified in all cases and may encounter further hurdles. This development could significantly aid Linux adoption among creatives, especially on devices like the Steam Deck, which can double as a docked desktop for photo editing and design work. Valve's Kisak noted the need for upstream integration before wider use.
For now, users must manually apply the patches, but if merged, this could bridge a major gap keeping many on Windows or macOS.