Troubleshoot activation | Acrobat DC subscription

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Learn how to activate Acrobat DC and resolve activation-related issues.

Activate or deactivate Acrobat DC

  1. Ensure that your device is connected to the Internet.

  2. Open Acrobat DC, and do the following:

    • To activate: On the Help menu, choose Sign In. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the sign-in process.
    • To deactivate: On the Help menu, choose Sign Out <your Adobe ID>. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the sign-out process.

Activate subscription on a trial - sign out from Acrobat DC and sign in

If you have purchased an Acrobat subscription using your Adobe ID and unable to activate Acrobat, follow these steps to activate your copy of Acrobat from trial to subscription:

Try the following steps:

  1. Ensure that your device is connected to the Internet.

  2. In Acrobat DC, choose Help > Sign Out <Your Adobe ID>.

    Sign Out option on the Help menu

  3. Click Sign Out.

    Sign Out dialog box

  4. Choose Help > Sign In.

    Sign In option on the Help menu

  5. Click Sign In Now.

    Sign In dialog box

  6. Sign in with the Adobe ID you used to purchase your Acrobat subscription.

    Adobe ID sign in dialog box

  7. After successful sign-in, click Continue, and then restart Acrobat.

    Thank you dialog box

    Note:

    If you purchased an Acrobat DC serial number, you need to download and install a separate Acrobat installer.

Sign in loop - Acrobat repeatedly prompts for sign-in

Ensure that the system date of your device is correct, and the Adobe ID used for sign-in has a valid Acrobat DC subscription. For more solutions, see Acrobat prompts you to sign in repeatedly

Unable to sign in to Acrobat, it keeps on waiting forever with a blank screen

Try the following steps:

  1. Close the Acrobat sign-in window.

  2. Ensure that your device is connected to the Internet.

  3. Open Acrobat, and try signing in to Acrobat again.

Sorry, something went wrong, error on opening Acrobat DC (macOS)

Something went wrong

To resolve the error, do the following:

  • If you have a serial number, ensure that you have activated the serial number on the device using the APTEE tool and the "prov.xml" file.

  • If you have a Named User (Subscription) License, launch Acrobat and sign in with your Adobe ID to activate your subscription. In case you are still facing the issue, do the following:

    1. Quit Acrobat DC/Acrobat Reader DC application if it's already running.

    2. Download the AcrobatNGLEnableTool.zip file – click Get File. Extract the zip file.

      Download

      Get file
      Download the AcrobatNGLEnableTool.zip file.

    3. Open Terminal, and run the following command - type the complete path to the file and press return:

      $ chmod 775 <Path to the tool>

      $ <Path to the tool>

      For example,

      <Device name> ~ % chmod 775 /Users/<username>/Desktop/AcroNGLEnableTool

      <Device name> ~ % /Users/<username>/Desktop/AcroNGLEnableTool

    4. Quit Terminal and launch Acrobat DC.

Common error codes and solutions

Error Code

Solution

SERIAL_NUMBER_OVERACTIVATION_EXPIRED

You are trying to activate Acrobat on more than two machines. Sign out from this machine and

  • Try with a different Adobe ID, or
  • Deactivate Acrobat from previous machines and try signing back in with the same ID on this machine.

For more information, see Deactivation issues.

SERIAL_NUMBER_SIGN_IN

Restart Acrobat and sign in with your Adobe ID when prompted after launch to activate Acrobat.

TRIAL_BONUS_WF

Uninstall and reinstall Acrobat with the new serial number.

EAMES_REACTIVATION

You have been signed out from the Adobe server. Relaunch Acrobat and sign in with your Adobe ID.

EAMES_EXPIRED

Your entitlement has been canceled. Check with your IT administrator.

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