User's Acrobat entitlement
Last updated on
Oct 5, 2026
Find answers to frequently asked questions about Adobe Express Photos for administrators.
Product overview
Adobe Express Photos is a lightweight Windows desktop app that gives end users two everyday creative tools in one install: essential photo editing and a built-in screenshot tool for capturing and annotating their screen. It also integrates with Adobe Express for users who need more advanced design capabilities. Learn more about Adobe Express Photos.
Adobe Express and Adobe Express Photos are two complementary products that work together:
Adobe Express Photos is a lightweight Windows desktop app for everyday photo editing and screen capture. It is designed for quick, in-the-moment tasks.
Adobe Express is a full web and desktop content creation app for designing social posts, flyers, presentations, videos, and other creative assets.
End users can start a quick edit or screenshot in Adobe Express Photos and open the result in Adobe Express when they need more advanced design capabilities.
Adobe Express Photos is a separate Windows application, not a component of Acrobat. It is distributed alongside Acrobat for convenience and installs by default when Acrobat is deployed. Admins can exclude it during packaging if they don't want it installed across the organization.
Adobe Express Photos is available to customers who have purchased Acrobat Studio or Acrobat Express. Key points for admins:
It is included in the Acrobat Package in the Admin Console.
Eligible organizations can deploy it to any Windows user in the organization, regardless of which Acrobat product each user is assigned.
It does not require a separate license assignment.
Adobe Express Photos is available only as a Windows desktop application. It isn't available on macOS, the web, or mobile devices.
Availability and entitlement
No. Adobe Express Photos is included at no additional cost for organizations that have purchased Acrobat Studio or Acrobat Express. It does not require a separate purchase or per-user license assignment.
Whether a user receives Adobe Express Photos automatically depends on which Acrobat product they are assigned. For organizations that have purchased Acrobat Studio or Acrobat Express, there are two ways users can receive Adobe Express Photos:
- Admin-managed deployment. Administrators can deploy an Acrobat package that includes Adobe Express Photos to any Windows user in the organization, regardless of which Acrobat product each user is assigned (Acrobat Studio, Acrobat Express, Acrobat Pro, or Acrobat Standard).
- Auto-install for Acrobat Studio and Acrobat Express users. Adobe Express Premium and Adobe Express Photos are part of the core value of Acrobat Studio and Acrobat Express, so Adobe Express Photos installs automatically with an Acrobat update for Windows users assigned one of these products. Admins who do not want this can opt out.
Auto-install does not apply to users assigned Acrobat Pro, Acrobat Standard, or other Acrobat offers, even if they are part of an organization that has purchased Acrobat Studio or Acrobat Express. For these users, administrators can still make Adobe Express Photos available through admin-managed deployment.
Acrobat Reader users: Adobe Express Photos is not automatically installed with Acrobat Reader. In an upcoming, phased rollout, Acrobat Reader users will see a notification inviting them to install it, and they will choose whether to do so. See Adobe Express Photos and Acrobat Reader.
Adobe Express Photos is available to commercial customers worldwide. Specific availability depends on the deployment method:
- Auto-install: Available worldwide for users on Acrobat Studio and Acrobat Express.
- Acrobat Packager deployment: Available worldwide, except in Japan and Germany.
- Direct download from Creative Cloud desktop (CCD): Available to users in all regions.
In an upcoming, phased rollout, Adobe Express Photos will be introduced to Acrobat Reader users. The behavior is different from Acrobat Studio and Acrobat Express. Acrobat Reader users are not automatically given the app. They are made aware of it and can choose to install it.
Adobe Express Photos is not auto-installed for Acrobat Reader users. Instead, eligible Acrobat Reader users on Windows will see an in-product notification letting them know Adobe Express Photos is available. From there:
- The user decides whether to install it. If they take no action, nothing is installed.
- Nothing is installed in the background, and no Acrobat or Acrobat Reader update will install it on their behalf.
The rollout to Acrobat Reader users will happen in phases rather than all at once. Before the rollout begins, administrators will receive two email communications from Adobe with advance notice, so they have time to review the change and decide whether to suppress the notification for their users.
Administrators who do not want their Acrobat Reader users to see the notification can suppress it in advance by using a registry key.
Adobe Express Premium and Adobe Express Photos are part of the core value of Acrobat Studio and Acrobat Express. Because those products are designed to include this creative capability, Adobe Express Photos installs automatically for users assigned Acrobat Studio or Acrobat Express, unless the admin opts out.
Acrobat Reader is a free product with a different purpose, so Adobe Express Photos is offered to Acrobat Reader users on an opt-in basis through a notification rather than being installed automatically.
No. For Acrobat Reader, installation is always initiated by the user in response to the notification. There is no silent or automatic install for Acrobat Reader.
Yes. Administrators who do not want their Acrobat Reader users to see the Adobe Express Photos install notification can suppress it by setting the same registry key used to opt out of auto-install for Acrobat Studio and Acrobat Express. Set the following key on the target machines:
Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown
Value: bDisableHarmonyInstallationFeature
Type: REG_DWORD
Data: 00000001
When this key is set, eligible Acrobat Reader users will not see the notification, and Adobe Express Photos will not be offered on those machines. This is the same key used to opt out of auto-install for Acrobat Studio and Acrobat Express.
Deployment and installation
The way Adobe Express Photos reaches a Windows machine depends on the Acrobat entitlement assigned to the user. This table summarizes the default behavior and the control available to administrators.
|
|
Default install behavior |
User choice |
How admins control |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Acrobat Studio |
Auto-installs with an Acrobat update |
No, installs automatically |
Opt out with the registry key, or exclude during packaging |
|
|
Acrobat Express |
Auto-installs with an Acrobat update |
No, installs automatically |
Opt out with the registry key, or exclude during packaging |
|
|
Acrobat Reader |
Not installed automatically. User sees an install notification. |
Yes, the user decides |
Suppress the notification with the registry key |
|
|
Acrobat Pro, Acrobat Standard, or other offers |
Not installed automatically. |
Not applicable |
|
Note
Once Adobe Express Photos has been uninstalled from a machine, future Acrobat updates will not reinstall it, regardless of the user's entitlement.
How Adobe Express Photos reaches a machine depends on the deployment path and the user's entitlement:
- Admin-managed deployment. Adobe Express Photos is included in the Acrobat enterprise installer. Administrators can deploy it via the Admin Console and enterprise management tools, using the same packaging and distribution methods as Acrobat. Learn more..
- Auto-install for Acrobat Studio and Acrobat Express users. On Windows, Adobe Express Photos installs automatically as part of an Acrobat auto-update for users on Acrobat Studio and Acrobat Express, unless the administrator has opted out. Learn how you can opt out of Adobe Express Photos deployment.
- Notification-based install for Acrobat Reader users. Acrobat Reader users are not automatically given the app. They receive a notification and choose whether to install it. Admins can suppress the notification. See Adobe Express Photos and Acrobat Reader.
In Acrobat Reader, users can download and install Express Photos from a modal displayed in the UI. To prevent this option from appearing, configure the auto-update registry key.
Administrators can prevent Adobe Express Photos from being installed using one of two methods, depending on the deployment path:
Method 1: Exclude during packaging (admin-managed deployment). To exclude Adobe Express Photos from an admin-driven deployment, deselect it during Acrobat installer configuration in the Admin Console. This only excludes Adobe Express Photos from the package itself. It does not prevent auto-installation for users assigned Acrobat Studio or Acrobat Express, nor does it suppress the notification for Acrobat Reader users. To block those paths, use Method 2.
Method 2: Set a registry key (auto-install opt-out and Acrobat Reader notification suppression). Set the following registry key on the target machines to block auto-installation via Acrobat updates for users of Acrobat Studio or Acrobat Express, and to suppress the installation notification for Acrobat Reader users. This is the same key for all three entitlements:
Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown
Value: bDisableHarmonyInstallationFeature
Type: REG_DWORD
Data: 00000001
Note
To block every path (packaging as well as auto-install and the Acrobat Reader notification), apply both methods. Applying only one method leaves the other deployment path active.
No. Once Adobe Express Photos has been uninstalled from a machine, Adobe remembers that choice on that machine. Future Acrobat updates will not reinstall it. This applies to all entitlements, including Acrobat Studio, Acrobat Express, and Acrobat Reader.
You can uninstall Adobe Express Photos using standard enterprise software management tools or through the Windows Add or Remove Programs control panel. No registry key is required to keep it from returning after an uninstall.
Tip
Uninstalling removes the app from machines where it is already installed and prevents it from being reinstalled by Acrobat updates. If instead you want to proactively prevent the first install (auto-install) or suppress the Acrobat Reader notification across your fleet, set the registry key
Adobe Express Photos updates automatically in the background, delivering the latest features and security enhancements without administrator action.
IT control and configuration
Yes. Administrators can uninstall Adobe Express Photos at any time using standard enterprise software management tools or the Windows Add or Remove Programs control panel. Once it is uninstalled from a machine, future Acrobat updates will not reinstall it. See How do I opt out of Adobe Express Photos deployment?
if you also want to prevent the first install or suppress the Acrobat Reader notification across your fleet.
No. Users can edit photos, capture screenshots, and save their work locally without signing in. Sign-in is only required to access cloud-based features or to hand off work to Adobe Express. For common end-user questions about using Adobe Express Photos on Windows, see the Adobe Express Photos FAQ.
No. The Adobe Express toggle in the Admin Console does not affect Adobe Express Photos, because they are managed as separate applications. To prevent automatic installation or reinstallation of Adobe Express Photos, administrators must use the registry key opt-out method. Learn how to opt out of Adobe Express Photos deployment.
Yes. Users can capture screenshots, edit photos, and save their work locally without an internet connection. Features that connect to Adobe Express or other cloud services require internet access.
- Direct download for admin distribution: Available to users in all regions.
- Direct download deployment. Administrators can download the Windows installer and distribute it using their enterprise deployment tools, such as Microsoft Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM) or Microsoft Intune. After extracting the ZIP file, run setup.exe to install.
