Shared Device Licensing overview

If you manage labs or classrooms where students rotate through shared workstations, you need a licensing model that ties software to machines rather than individuals. Shared Device Licensing addresses this challenge by assigning Creative Cloud apps to devices rather than to user accounts. Anyone who accesses the machines can launch the installed apps.

What is Shared Device Licensing

Shared Device Licensing is device-based licensing for shared computers. Shared Device Licensing isn't designed for use on machines used by dedicated users. For dedicated users, we recommend you deploy named-user licenses.

Shared Device Licensing versus Named User Licensing

Named User Licensing ties the license to a user's identity. When the user signs in, they can activate Adobe apps on any computer they have access to. The license travels with the user across devices and provides full access to cloud services like Adobe Fonts, cloud storage, and Creative Cloud Libraries.

Shared Device Licensing ties the license to a specific computer. Apps activate only on machines where you've installed the license package, regardless of who signs in. Users must still authenticate with valid credentials to launch apps, but the license itself resides on the device. This means a single shared device license supports unlimited users on a particular machine.

Here are the key differences between the two licensing types:

• License location: Named licenses follow the user, shared device licenses stay with the machine
• Service access: Named licenses include cloud storage and libraries by default. Shared device licenses don’t provide these entitlements, but users with individual service access can still use them.
• Deployment scope: Named licenses activate on any device the user accesses. However, shared device licenses work only on specifically configured machines

You can read more about the Adobe licensing methods if you're deciding between the two models.

End user experience

When a user launches an app on a shared device, they see a prompt to sign in with their Adobe credentials. The app displays a banner indicating the machine is configured for shared device licensing. It reminds users to sign out when finished and not to store files locally on the shared computer.

The credentials users need depend on how you've set up identity for your organization: Enterprise ID, Federated ID, or Adobe ID, depending on your access policies. Successful sign-in grants access to the installed applications.

If the user's account includes additional entitlements, such as Adobe Fonts or cloud storage, the services remain available during the session.

Controlling access to shared devices

Use the Admin Console to restrict who can use apps on shared devices and where devices can operate. Layer these controls to match your security needs.

Identity types

Identity requirements are configured through product profiles in the Admin Console. Learn more about the identity types to check which account types are supported and when each is required.

Access to shared devices is controlled through user identity, egress IP addresses, and associated machines, configured per product profile. You can manage shared device license profiles and configure each of these.

Migrating to Shared Device Licensing

Organizations can transition from older licensing models to Shared Device Licensing:

From Device Licensing: The older Device Licensing program doesn't provide access to the latest version of Creative Cloud apps. After migration, previously licensed apps continue working for 30 days while you create and deploy new shared device license packages.

From Serial Number Licensing: You can deploy shared device license packages alongside serial number packages. Both licensing methods coexist on the same machine. Continue using serial-number–licensed apps until their licenses expire. Alternatively, uninstall them and deploy only shared device packages for newer app versions.