GridMe

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Installation & setup

GridMe ships as a native installer for each platform. Double-click, follow the wizard, restart Illustrator, and open the panel. The installer handles everything — no terminal commands or developer mode to enable yourself.

System requirements

Check this list before you download. GridMe runs on the Illustrator versions studios use today.

Adobe Illustrator

  • Illustrator CC 2021 or later
  • macOS or Windows

Does not work in Photoshop, InDesign, or any other application. Desktop app only — Creative Cloud Browser previews are not supported.

Operating system

  • macOS — any recent version
  • Windows — any recent version (64-bit)

The installer writes to a system folder so you need your login password on Mac, or administrator access on Windows.

Step 1: Download the installer

Go to the download page and grab the installer for your platform. Mac and Windows each have their own file — do not mix them.

Save it somewhere convenient. Your Downloads folder is fine. You run it in the next step.

Step 2: Run the installer

The installer copies GridMe into the Adobe CEP extensions folder that Illustrator reads at startup. It also applies the PlayerDebugMode setting Adobe requires for third-party panels to load.

macOS — gridme_installer.pkg

  1. 1Double-click gridme_installer.pkg.
  2. 2Click through the installer wizard (Introduction → Installation).
  3. 3Enter your Mac login password when prompted — this is required because the installer writes to a system folder.
  4. 4Click Install Software.
  5. 5When it says The installation was successful, click Close.

Windows — GridMe-Installer.exe

  1. 1Double-click GridMe-Installer.exe.
  2. 2If Windows shows a Windows protected your PC prompt, click More info then Run anyway. This appears because the installer is not signed with a Windows code-signing certificate.
  3. 3Click through the installer wizard.
  4. 4Click Install.
  5. 5When the installer finishes, click Close.

The extension is installed to:

  • macOS: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/in.gridme.panel/
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Adobe\CEP\extensions\in.gridme.panel\

Step 3: Restart Illustrator

Quit Adobe Illustrator completely if it was open. On macOS, check the Dock so Illustrator is not still running before you relaunch. On Windows, use File → Exit or confirm the process ended in Task Manager.

Illustrator only loads CEP extensions at startup, not on document open. Fully quitting and relaunching is required.

Step 4: Open the panel

After relaunching, find GridMe through the Illustrator menu bar:

Window → Extensions → GridMe

The panel opens and shows Ready in the status bar. You are on a 7-day trial from this point.

If GridMe does not appear in the Extensions submenu after a full restart, see the Troubleshooting section for the debug mode fix.

Step 5: Activate your license key

Click the info icon (top right of the panel, next to GridMe) to open Settings. Enter your license key in the field labeled License Key and click Activate. Your key comes from your purchase email or your account license page.

If the key is valid, the panel immediately unlocks and shows Pro in the status pill. The panel stores the activation locally, so later launches load Pro mode without a network call unless 24 hours have passed. See what data is sent during activation.

Docking the panel

GridMe opens floating by default. Drag it by the tab and drop it next to Layers or Properties until you see the blue insert marker, then release. Aim for about 280 to 320 px wide. Illustrator saves the layout with your workspace, so you set it once per machine.

Uninstalling

macOS

Open Terminal and run:

sudo rm -rf "/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/in.gridme.panel"

Enter your Mac password when prompted. Quit and reopen Illustrator — the panel will no longer appear.

Windows

Open Windows Settings → Apps, search for GridMe, and click Uninstall. Alternatively, re-run GridMe-Installer.exe and choose Remove. Quit and reopen Illustrator after uninstalling.

Uninstalling does not affect your license key or activation record. If you reinstall later, enter the same key and it will activate without a new purchase.