This page will guide you through setting up the Adobe Admin console with a "simple setup." In a simple setup, Adobe Federated Accounts are created on their first login, and licenses are assigned to users just in time.
This guide covers typical setups for both K-12 (Primary and Secondary) and Higher Education
This simple method enables users to log in and access apps with no additional configuration. There is no directory sync, so this config will not disable users in the Adobe directory. If a user is disabled or deleted from the identity platform, they cannot log in to their federated account.
Organizations can enhance their setup with a User sync or Roster sync following this simple setup.
Steps 1 to 4 have been completed for K-12 organizations that used the K-12 Onboarding Wizard to set up their Adobe Admin Console.
Adobe Admin Console > Settings > Create Directory
A wizard will guide you through. On the first screen, provide a name for this directory. This name is for internal use and is not exposed to your end users.
If you cannot create a directory, visit Products > Select "Get Started" with Adobe Express for K-12 or Creative Cloud Shared Device Access License.
Selecting Federated Directory will trigger a wizard. You are presented with three options: Microsoft Entra, Google SAML, or Custom SAML.
Each flow will guide you through the required steps in your external Identity Platform. On the SSO confirmation screen, keep the Enabled setting for Auto-Account Creation.
This will create a federated user automatically on their successful login.
For Continue with Google to function, add the following ClientID 1014431251553-kq98rctnjtv76ag4ulrfkem43b74poni.apps.googleusercontent.com with the following steps.
Once your federated directory is created, you must add domains to it. With Entra or Google, you can log in with your admin account. The domains claimed in these platforms will be available to add to the directory. If you don’t have access to Microsoft or Google Admin accounts, you can prove domain ownership with a DNS text record.
If you are blocked during the domain claim process with Google due to an API add the following Client ID 880547366666-6dhr4mqsutv0a98arjksgflfh02kgp98.apps.googleusercontent.com with the following steps.
It can take up to 20 minutes for the Google API to update the permissions.
Adobe Admin Console > Products > Product automation rules
Select a Product and Product Profile
The option enables admins to select specific directories or domains and the following ways to gain their license;
Note:- This URL can be re-generated if required.
For Adobe Express, share a specific URL with your users. This URL will trigger an SSO login to your primary IDP configured in the directory that owns the domain.
The URL format is
https://new.express.adobe.com/a/domain.org
Replace domain.org with a registered of the domains in the directory.
In the Google Admin Console > Apps & Extensions https://admin.google.com/ac/chrome/apps/user add the following as a URL:
https://new.express.adobe.com/chrome-tab/a/domain.org
Replace domain.org with a domain claimed in your Admin Console federated directory.
To pin to the taskbar, select Force install + Pin to ChromeOS taskbar.
This will enable the monitoring of usage of the auto-assignment rule or URL.
To control and enable on-demand licensing for paid products, such as Creative Cloud All Apps or Adobe Express for Higher Education.
Note:- Adobe Express for K-12 and Shared Device Access licenses are Free.
The product access automation feature provides an option for a unique URL; when users visit the URL and authenticate, they are assigned a license based on the associated product profile.
In the Adobe Admin Console > Products
Select a Product, For Example, All Apps
Select New Profile
Create a new product profile for the specific license type and provide a name—this name should differ from any other product profile or group name.
In this example, the profile name is, All Apps Students Semester A 25
Set the quota of licenses available for use in this profile.
For ETLA Customers, please see the note below.
The quota will not be enforced if your contract type is ETLA.
VIP customer product profile quotas will be enforced.
If multiple product profiles of the same product are assigned to a single user, this will consume multiple licenses.
Create a new Product License Assignment Rule
Select All users in this organization
If you have multiple directories or domain you can select based on these criteria.
Select URL access only
This will require users to authenticate with this URL. This URL can be updated without creating a new rule.
When users access the product via this rule, the license assignment will be visible at the product profile level.
Adobe Admin Console > Products > Select the specific Product > Select the Product Profile
To monitor license assignments, create a new product profile and assignment rule for each semester.
Removing licenses assigned to users will not delete assets.
Removing all licenses assigned to a user will not delete their cloud docs, the user assets become read-only at https://assets.adobe.com
Some organizations remove all licenses at the end of the academic year and rely on license assignment rules/URLS to manage the on-demand license access.
Organizations can move from a simple setup (JIT account creation and license assignment) to a user sync with the following steps;
Adobe Admin Console > Settings > Directory > Add Sync > Select Azure
Select Sync from the directory settings, add sync, select Azure, and follow the wizard.
To configure user sync when you have a Google simple setup. The first step is to add Google SAML as a secondary Authentication provider; this is a required setup for configuring the Google Sync App.
Adobe Admin Console > Settings > Directory > Add new idp > Select Google
Once the Google SAML authentication has been completed.
Adobe Admin Console > Settings > Directory > Add Sync > Select Google
select Sync from the directory settings, Add Sync, select Google, and follow the wizard.
Roster your users and assign licenses from Clever or Classlink
Adobe Admin Console > Settings > Directory > Add Sync > Select Sync users from an education portal
