CS6 activation reset needed — one of two devices no longer exists"

Question

Hi, I have a legitimate Adobe Photoshop CS6 perpetual license that's currently showing as activated on two devices, and I'm hoping someone can help me get the activation count reset?

One of those two devices was an older computer that I wiped and sold, not realizing at the time that I needed to deactivate Photoshop first. I no longer have access to that machine.

The other device is a laptop I still own and use CS6 on. Its own Deactivate option is greyed out in the Help menu, and I've already ruled out the usual causes — connectivity is to internet is confirmed, the system clock is correct, and the GlobalSign Root CA certificate is present and trusted. So deactivating it on my laptop isn't an option either.

I understand a reset would clear both activation slots rather than just one, which is fine — I do not need CS6 on my laptop anymore, and would only like to use it on my iMac desktop (likely via offline activation, since online activation doesn't work for me either).

Could someone help me get the activation count reset for my serial? Happy to verify ownership through whatever channel works best. Thanks in advance for any help!!

Jeff_A_Wright · Accepted Answer

@aberry_89, thanks, the correct account does help.

I can confirm that you have successfully activated Photoshop CS6 for Mac five times since you purchased the software in November of 2012.

You will need to successfully complete the deactivation process at least twice, @aberry_89, to reclaim enough activations for a new installation in 2026.

Please see

for information on deactivating your software, as we previously discussed.

If you are looking for an alternative, @aberry_89, you have a copy of Photoshop Elements 9.0 that was registered in 2011, and no activations have been utilized. The software is too old to run on a current Mac, but you have a multi-platform license, so you could try running Photoshop Elements 9 on Windows 10 or 11.

Jeff_A_Wright · Answer

Thank you for posting, ​@aberry89.I appreciate your long-term use of our software.If you have not already done so, please review the guidance in the following announcement:https://community.adobe.com/announcements-616/activation-limit-reached-for-non-subscription-adobe-desktop-applications-565112This document explains how to review and manage the activations associated with your Adobe account. Since one of your previous computers is no longer available, you may be able to deactivate older activations using the process described in the announcement, then activate CS6 on your replacement computer.You will need access to one of the previously activated computers to deactivate the software, ​@aberry89. No one can reset the activations for you in 2026.Please let us know what happens when you attempt to manage the existing activations. If you receive an error message or are unable to complete the process, reply with the exact message you see, and we'll help identify the next steps.We look forward to your update, ​@aberry89.

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