Adobe
Sign in Privacy My Adobe

Activation, deactivation | Adobe products

Adobe Community Help


About activation

Activation is the process by which Adobe validates that your software and serial number are genuine and that they are being used in accordance with the license you purchased.

If you have purchased a single license for Adobe software, you can install the software on two computers. However, you can use it on only one computer at any given time. 

To use the software on a second computer, it's necessary to deactivate it on the first before you activate the software on the second computer. For more information, see Adobe Software Activation.


Note:

Uninstalling a software does not automatically deactivate it. You must deactivate the software using the Help menu (Help > Deactivate)

Common problems



I cannot access my previous computer (stolen/lost/crashed)

If you don't have access to your previous computer on which you installed the software, contact us. To ensure a quick resolution, be sure to have any purchase-related information ready.


If you can't activate your software, check the following:

Did you reset your computer's date and time recently?

A computer's system clock being inaccurate can cause activation problems. Check that your computer's system clock is set to the correct date and time.

 

Are you running the software on too many computers?

If you try to run the software on too many computers, you'll get an error similar to these:

  • "Maximum activations exceeded. We are unable to activate Creative Cloud Membership."
  • "Activation reached for [product]. This serial number has already been activated on 2 computers.

After ensuring that your Internet connection is enabled, deactivate the previous installation (choose Help > Deactivate) before you activate the new installation.

If you want to run the software on multiple computers simultaneously, purchase another license.

Is your computer connected to the Internet / recognized by the activation server?

Errors are displayed when your computer is not connected to the Internet, or is not recognized by the activation server. If the error is because of the activation server, contact Adobe.


Activate/deactivate your software

If you have reached your maximum activation allotment and want to install the software on a new computer, first deactivate the software on the computer you no longer use. Then, activate the software on the new computer.

If your computer is offline, put it online temporarily to complete deactivation. If you are unable to bring it online, contact Adobe Customer Support

Uninstalling the software from a computer does not automatically deactivate it.

  1. Ensure that the computer on which you have the software installed is connected to the Internet.

  2. Open the product you want to deactivate and choose Help > Deactivate.


    Help > Deactivate menu

  3. Depending on the product, when prompted, click Deactivate, Suspend Activation or Deactivate Permanently.

    • Deactivate, Suspend Activation: Deactivates the software but retains the licensing information. You can use this option if this is a temporary deactivation, and you're planning to activate on this computer again.
    • Deactivate permanently: Deactivates the software and removes the licensing information from your computer. You'll need to enter the serial number again if you want to use the software on this computer.

For volume licenses, individual users don't always have the option to deactivate manually. If the Deactivate option is unavailable or disabled, the product could be under a volume license or under a suite license. In that case try using another product in the suite.

Frequently asked questions

Deactivate option is unavailable (dimmed)

  • The software you're trying to activate could be part of a suite. Try to deactivate from another product in the suite.
  • The activation failed (silently). Because the software was never activated, you can’t deactivate.
  • It's possible that your company purchased the product under a volume licensing agreement. In this case, the serial number is not associated with an activation count. The Deactivate option is not applicable to you.

I changed my computer recently

You can receive an activation error if your computer has changed recently.

  • Changed your computer's configuration, for example, due to a crash:
    • Upgraded your computer hardware
    • Replaced a hard drive
    • Upgraded the Operating System
  • Gotten a new computer and old computer is unavailable

Contact Adobe Support specialists by chat.

Keep your serial number handy. Look for your serial number on the CD or DVD case, or in the email confirming your purchase. For assistance locating your serial number, see Find a serial number.

I cannot connect to the Internet

You can receive these errors if your computer has problems connecting to the Internet or your firewall is blocking access. Previously installed counterfeit software can modify your Hosts file and that causes genuine software to give these errors.

See Sign-in or activation errors to resolve any network-related issues.

I uninstalled the software without deactivating it

Uninstalling the software from a computer does not deactivate it. Deactivation is a separate process that you must do before uninstalling the software. If your old computer is not available, contact Adobe Support.

CS6, CS5, CS4, Acrobat X, or Acrobat 9

If you've uninstalled, reinstall the software on the old computer.

1. Connect to the Internet.

2. In the software, choose Help > Deactivate.
CS3, Acrobat 8, or earlier products

If you've uninstalled, reinstall the software on the old computer.

1. Choose Help > Deactivate or Help > Transfer Activation to start the Deactivation wizard. Internet connection is required.

2. If you want to activate on another computer, select Erase My Serial Number From This Computer.

3. When you see the Deactivation Successful message, click Exit.

Activation error after using software on VMWare or another virtual machine (CS5)

You could have an unintentional virtual machine activation. Running your CS5 software on a virtual machine can increase the activation count. 

Launch the software within the virtual machine and then choose Help > Deactivate.

Acrobat 9 activation error on a Dell computer

An error sometimes occurs when you try to activate Acrobat 9 Standard on a Dell computer running Windows. The message incorrectly claims that you have exceeded the activation count.

  1. Select "I have a different serial number for this product and I am ready to enter and activate it now."
  2. Click Next.
  3. Enter the serial number at the back of the Acrobat Standard DVD case.
  4. Click Next.

Activation errors and serial number errors

If your activation attempt fails with an error code number, for example 93:-12 or 93:-14, look up the code in Activation error codes.

If you get a serial number error when you install, you won't have an activation problem. See these pages for more information:

See also

Keywords: too many activations; activation unsuccessful; activation no connection; 1008779

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License  Twitter™ and Facebook posts are not covered under the terms of Creative Commons.

Legal Notices   |   Online Privacy Policy

Products

Download

Support & Learning

Buy

Company

Choose your region

Copyright © 2013 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Terms of Use | Privacy | Cookies

Reviewed by TRUSTe: site privacy statement