If you are a graphic designer, printer, or brand manager, you have likely hit a frustrating wall recently. You opened Adobe Illustrator expecting to find your trusty Pantone swatch library (such as Pantone Solid Coated or Pantone Solid Uncoated), only to see grayed-out files, missing swatches, or ominous "Not Available" error messages.
Click OK and save these swatches to your Creative Cloud Libraries for reuse.
In Illustrator, open the Swatches panel and click New Color Swatch . download pantone colors for illustrator
You are not alone. In late 2022, Adobe and Pantone ended their longstanding licensing agreement. As a result,
Choose Spot Color from the Color Type dropdown. If you are a graphic designer, printer, or
Updated for 2024-2026 (Post-Adobe & Pantone Licensing Changes)
Open Adobe Illustrator right now. Go to Window > Extensions > Discover . Install Pantone Connect. Start your 7-day free trial, download the libraries you need, and save them as an .ai template. You will be back to full productivity in less than 15 minutes. Have questions about a specific Pantone library (Neons, Pastels, Metallics, or CMYK Bridge)? Leave a comment below, or check our companion guide: "How to Convert Pantone to CMYK Without Losing Quality." In Illustrator, open the Swatches panel and click
Enter the exact Pantone number (e.g., PMS 185 C).