Adobe moved to a SaaS (Software as a Service) model in 2013. You rent access to the latest version and all past versions via Creative Cloud.
Adobe After Effects 2022 (v22.0–22.6) was marketed as a performance release, yet it remained fundamentally a local-first application. Unlike cloud-native tools (e.g., Figma, Rive), AE relies on absolute or relative file paths to millions of tiny assets (PNG sequences, audio stems, expressions libraries). Concurrently, Google Drive for Desktop (released 2021, matured in 2022) introduced “Mirrored Files” and “Streaming Files,” promising seamless cloud integration. adobe after effects 2022 google drive
If you don't already have a Google account, create one by going to the Google website and following the sign-up process. Adobe moved to a SaaS (Software as a Service) model in 2013