Participant

Creative Cloud / Adobe logs out user because password is reset "in use by more than one person"

Forum|Forum|4 months ago
January 18, 2026
10 replies
145 views

This is a bug and I don't want to hear any excuses or "blame the user" responses. No "unplug it and wait 30 seconds" nonesense. This is a productivity killer on a daily basis.

Single user here with a single licence. Adobe "Cloud" is installed on three machines - my desktop at my office, my desktop at home when I work remote, and my laptop for travel. Adobe randomly decides that my licence is in use by more than one person and decides that my password needs to be reset, logging out my work WITHOUT SAVING, forcing me to reset my password and login all over again.

What is wrong, Adobe? Can't figure out how to do licence control? I've been a high-end (Esko, PackZ) user for decades - software that costs $$$$$ a year, and they seem to have it figured out. "Device XXX last used the licence registered to this install - do you want to close that session on Device XXX and activate the licence here?" Heck, yeah, I do - thanks! Wilcom is another example - login to an instance on another machine releases the licence on the first machine. Easy. And on and on. Only Adobe does this for its precious $1000 a year software and refuses to fix what is a genuine problem.

Do NOT tell me to log out of Creative Cloud on one machine to "log in" on another machine. The licence permits active installations on two machines, but not use by two users. When I'm on the road with my laptop, and no other users are using my machines in any way - let me repeat, those machines are idle with nary a mouse nudge - how is it that Adobe halluciantes more than one user is using this software? How?

It's a bug, that's how. Some inclinationational overreach by an enthusiastic application of AI, no doubt. Go ahead, Adobe, by all means, protect your IP: I fully support you. But treating legitimate users that have contributed to your growth and wealth by cutting cheques for the last two decades like crooks is just rude.

This is a usability bug that needs to be rethought and fixed. If clients didn't provide Adobe-based files to us, this woudln't be a problem, because there would be no reason to open an Adobe application ever.

Others

kglad

Community Expert

your email/adobe id may be in use by a hacker trying to guess your password and triggering the adobe prompts to change your password.

P

PressdiskAuthor

Participant

Adobe-Screenshot 2026-01-25 123208.pngAdobe-Capture.PNG

Here we go again.

"Change your account password and sign out of all active logins - or we will reset your password." Again and again and again. Stop work for absolutely no reason whatsoever. And, by the way, sign I knew I was going to be iced in and remote, my work desktop, which IS logged out, with no one even able to be at the facility, shows as active today.

P

PressdiskAuthor

Participant

2FA is enabled for my personal account. The link you provided addresses how to create an account and how to change an email address associated with an account. It does not address this issue.

kglad

Community Expert

the official adobe recommendation is that you enable 2fa (if it's not already activated) and, if that fails, you use an alternative email address, https://helpx.adobe.com/in/manage-account/using/create-update-adobe-id.html

JennyXS

I know how it is suppose to work. But it does not work that way.

kglad

Community Expert

you can install the cc desktop app from here https://creative.adobe.com/products/creative-cloud on as many computers as you own and use it to install all (or some, if you want) of your cc subscription programs. the only (insignificant for internet connected computers) limitation is that you can sign-in (and therefore start your adobe programs) on, at most, two computers at any one time.

because you can sign out from either (or both) signed-in computers using a 3rd computer, this could not (imo) be easier.

https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/using/install-apps-number-of-computers.htm

jane-e

Community Expert

@carolynh87040828 wrote: "Adobe should just say that it can only be installed on two machines, instead of you can only use two at once.

The reason Adobe doesn't say that is because it is not true. While CC apps can be installed on several computers, you can sign in on two at a time. You can use one at a time.

https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/apps/licensing-activation/activate-deactivate-apps/install-apps-number-of-computers.html

janee_0-1769125527277.png

Jane

JennyXS

I had this same problem. It was installed on 3 machines. Two desktops and a laptop. I would be on the road away from home with no one using the desktops and get that same thing. It was so frustrating to be in the middle of working and editing pics and have to fight with this. Especially being far from home and not be able to do anything about it. For me I just wound up purchasing a separate license on another email for one of the desktops. It is very frustrating, but I do not have the time or patience to wait till it is fixed. It is not just you. I see it in media centers across the country people coming across this error. I tell them the same thing. Uninstall it off one of the machiens or get another licence. Adobe should just say that it can only be installed on two machines, instead of you can only use two at once. Good luck!