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Bernie_Carter5069
Participant
August 7, 2026
Answered

Error message '..unable to license some content. Please replace or delete the asset and try again'.

I don’t know which asset. Help!

    Amitej S
    Amitej SCorrect answer
    Community Manager
    August 13, 2026

    Got it ​@Bernie_Carter5069, and thanks for clarifying!

    Since you're working on an Adobe Express webpage, the Layers panel isn't available for this type of project, so the workaround you used, replacing the images one by one, was unfortunately the available option. You may also see an exclamation mark (!) on an asset if there’s a potential licensing issue, which can help identify problematic assets.

    Also, we’re working on a workflow that identifies and flags assets with licensing issues, so you can replace them directly instead of having to troubleshoot each asset individually. 

    Thanks for bearing with us, while we make Express better!

    View reply

    13 replies

    Bernie_Carter5069Author
    Participant
    October 13, 2026

    I’m wondering if the solution you mention has been activated as I’ve got an error message again in the document I’ve just ‘finished’ . This is super frustrating as there is NO indication while I was building this current newsletter that there could be a problem. I’ve spent hours working on this.

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    Rose DV
    Community Manager
    Rose DVCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    October 13, 2026

    Hi ​@Bernie_Carter5069,

    I completely get it!

    Just to answer your question directly: the update that identifies the specific asset causing the issue hasn't been rolled out yet. It's something the team is working on, but it's not available today.

    If you'd like, you can share edit access to the project with me and send the link via private message, and I can have someone take a look on the backend to help identify the asset that's causing the error.

    I know that's not the experience you were hoping for, and I'm sorry for the time you've already spent troubleshooting. I've shared your feedback internally because this is the kind of situation the planned fix is meant to address.

    If you'd like me to take a look at the project, just let me know.

    Rose

     

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    Bernie_Carter5069Author
    Participant
    October 14, 2026

    Hi Rose

    Thanks for the reply and the offer of help. I found a work around that worked OK for me. So rather than go one image at a time and deleting and checking, I duplicated the entire newsletter and then went section by section (e.g. deleting one glideshow) and then seeing if I could publish with that glideshow missing. After a few sections deleted I then knew where the problem was and went back to the original version and just swapped out images in that glideshow. Probably not the most technical way of doing it but much faster than going through each image one by one.

    Maybe with my next project I will publish as I go along section by section so that I know which section a problem is arising in.

    Thanks for the offer of looking at backend.

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    Dennis34603414ak8z
    Dennis34603414ak8z
    Participating Frequently
    October 9, 2026

    I just opened the activity and without making any changes, I was unable to download because of the “license” error.  No assets display an exclamation mark.

     

     

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    Dennis
    Dennis34603414ak8z
    Dennis34603414ak8z
    Participating Frequently
    October 9, 2026

    We ran into this same issue yesterday.  Teachers had their students working on one of the Guided Activities, “Assemble Your Started Pack”. Students got this message when downloading their finished project.  Since this is an Adobe created activity shouldn’t all the assets be licensed?
     

    “We are unable to license this content...”

     

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    Dennis
    Rose DV
    Community Manager
    Rose DVCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    October 9, 2026

    ​@Dennis34603414ak8z 

    Hi Dennis,

    You raise a fair point - assets in Adobe-created activities should be licensed and ready to use. When this error appears in a template like Starter Pack, it usually means the licensing status of a specific asset has changed on the backend, even in Adobe-provided content.

    For a quick fix: look for assets with an exclamation mark (!) overlay - that’s the visual flag for a licensing issue. Click on it and swap it for a similar asset from the search panel. Students should only need to replace the flagged item(s), not hunt through everything.

    If multiple students hit the same error on the same activity, it’s likely the same asset causing it. Once one student identifies which element it is, you can share that with the class so they all know what to replace.

    I’ll flag this internally so the Guided Activity template can be reviewed - thanks for flagging it, and apologies for the disruption to your class.

    Rose

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    Rose DV
    Community Manager
    Rose DVCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    October 15, 2026

    ​@Dennis34603414ak8z - The team has found the asset in the template that lost licensing and replaced it, so you should be good to go moving forward! Thank you again for your patience and let me know if you still run into issues!

    Rose

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    Amitej S
    Community Manager
    Amitej SCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    August 12, 2026

    Hi ​@Bernie_Carter5069! Typically, this error can occur when the licensing for one or more assets used in the file has changed.

    Open the file's Layers panel and check for any blank or empty layers, including audio tracks if this is a video project. Delete any empty layers and try the workflow again.

    Once the blank layers are removed, the error should no longer appear.

    Hope this helps!

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    Bernie_Carter5069Author
    Participant
    August 13, 2026

    Hallo ​@Amitej S  Thanks for the reply. I was working to a deadline so I ended up going through the newsletter and replaced each image until the error message stopped popping up. Very time intensive!

    You mentioned layers but I can see any tab or anything that says layers. I am working on a document that seems to be a webpage?

     

    I’m fairly new to Adobe Express.

     

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      Amitej S
      Community Manager
      Amitej SCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
      Community Manager
      August 13, 2026

      Got it ​@Bernie_Carter5069, and thanks for clarifying!

      Since you're working on an Adobe Express webpage, the Layers panel isn't available for this type of project, so the workaround you used, replacing the images one by one, was unfortunately the available option. You may also see an exclamation mark (!) on an asset if there’s a potential licensing issue, which can help identify problematic assets.

      Also, we’re working on a workflow that identifies and flags assets with licensing issues, so you can replace them directly instead of having to troubleshoot each asset individually. 

      Thanks for bearing with us, while we make Express better!

      Translate
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