Accessing Lightroom CC2015

Who told you this and why?

It seems I now need to download CC2015 in order to access images taken originally on that platform

Can you elaborate?

A Lightroom CC 2015 catalog only contains a database pointing to your images on your hard drive.

Any later version of Lightroom Classic can read that catalog and access your images.

Pro Design Tools, run by an Adobe Community Professional, has direct download links to some older product versions.   The links are safe but you must follow the VERY IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS or it won't work.  Adobe may remove the installers at anytime.

https://prodesigntools.com/adobe-cc-2015-direct-download-links.html

Creative Cloud only supports the latest and one previous release version.  Adobe expect users to have modern software, no more than 2 versions back.  If you anticipate needing older versions, don't uninstall them when you upgrade.  You may never get them back again.

Adobe now offers the current and ONE older version via the online program manager
.
I do not know how far back this process will go, but try this link
-NOTE that you will have to search the site for your specific download
Direct Download Links https://prodesigntools.com/tag/ddl MAY help
-you MUST do what it says in Note: Very Important Instructions
-https://prodesigntools.com/adobe-cc-2015-direct-download-links.html#download-instructions
-the prodesign links go directly to Adobe's file server, so this process will
--only work until Adobe completely removes the old version(s) from the server
.
IF/When you do have a download, be sure to copy it to AT LEAST one external device
-since Adobe does sometimes remove old versions from the server
-a usb flash drive or external hard drive, or write to a DVD

Sorry, but it is no longer available for download.

I've moved this from the Using the Community forum (which is the forum for issues using the forums) to the Download and Install forum.