Adobe Animate to shut down next month, with one-year window to download existing files
Adobe will stop selling the 2D animation app Animate on March 1, 2026, with existing users able to download their files until March 1, 2027 (enterprise customers until March 1, 2029). The history goes back to 1996 as FutureSplash/Flash before being renamed Animate in 2015; Adobe says Creative Cloud Pro users can replace some functionality with After Effects or Express, but many creators—like those behind Chikn Nuggit and Salad Fingers—warn the shutdown could harm jobs and render past works as lost media. In the past year Adobe has leaned into AI with Firefly and AI editing tools, signaling a shift away from Animate.