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Has Adobe revoked my CS6 licence that I bought legitimately?

Forum|Forum|29 days ago
March 14, 2026
6 replies
146 views

At midnight on 14 February I got a pop up message asking me to buy CS6 or continue my 30 day trial, which will end tonight. I'm fully expecting my CS6 software to stop working at midnight tonight. Adobe chat line officials were of no help.

Correct answer Jeffrey_A_Wright

@apm_93 thank you for posting to this public discussion forum about the problems you are encountering activating your copy of Creative Suite 6 Master Collection. I can confirm that the license you purchased in 2012 is still valid and active.

You stated that you received a message you have exceeded maximum number of activations for Creative Suite 6. Please see

for information on how to manage any remaining activations. You will need to deactivate the software on a previous computer to reclaim an activation. If that is not possible, then you will need to find a new solution for your creative needs in 2026.

I do appreciate that you took no direct actions, @apm_93 , to deactivate your existing installation of Master Collection CS6. As stated by @Nancy OShea the recent updates or other changes to the computer could have caused the software to request a fresh activation. If the changes on the computer are sufficient, then it can be detected as a new device. This is why we never included just one activation with any purchase.

Please do review

for complete information on the activaiton process for Creative Suite 6 in 2026.

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

At midnight on 14 February I got a pop up message asking me to buy CS6 or continue my 30 day trial...

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Possibly Related: MS rolled out Windows updates starting on Feb 10th— 4 days before your licensing problem began.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/february-10-2026-kb5077181-os-builds-26200-7840-and-26100-7840-f0fa9e54-a22a-4a06-96b6-bf5b2aded506

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

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apm_93Author

Participating Frequently

Thanks, but since I am not running Windows 11 there have been no operating system updates to my computer.

kglad

Community Expert

it was a long-shot, and a good idea, but we’re back to not knowing a plausible cause of the (apparently) spontaneous deactivation.

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

14-year-old CS6 is no longer supported. That’s why Adobe Customer Care can’t help you. To qualify for support, you must have a currently supported product.

If you’ve used up the activations that came with your license at purchase, and no longer have access to the laptop on which it was installed, there’s nothing much anyone in this user-to-user community can do except guide you towards replacements. Remote deactivation is not possible. You must manually deactivate CS6 from the machine(s) it was previously installed on.

CS6 REPLACEMENTS:

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Photoshop Elements or Premiere Elements (3 year license)

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/buy-elements.html

Creative Cloud Plans -- single or bundled apps & services for mobile, web & desktops.

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html

Hope that helps.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

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apm_93Author

Participating Frequently

No this doesn’t help. I understand that Adobe no longer supports CS6 and I’m prepared to accept that. However, the software was still working without issue. What I’m upset about is Adobe revioking my valid licences and forcing me into ransomeware subscriptions.

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apm_93Author

Participating Frequently

No-one will explain or admit that Adobe have done this.

kglad

Community Expert

@apm_93

again, what do you see when opening an app?

Peru Bob

Community Expert

Did you purchase it directly from Adobe?

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apm_93Author

Participating Frequently

Yes.

kglad

Community Expert

what do you see when trying to open an app?

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apm_93Author

Participating Frequently

I get a box saying that my serial number is already in use on the maximum number of devices. Two options: “Retry activation. I have deactivated one of my other computers” (which I’ve already explained I can’t do.

or

Enter a new serial number. If I close this box the app used to open, but now that the 30 days have passed it doesn’t.

For the separate Lightroom app I get a request to sign in. When I did this and entered my valid serial number I’m told that it is invalid and suggest I start the 30 day trial. This is what happened with CS6. Now that the 30 days are up none of the apps will open.

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apm_93Author

Participating Frequently

It is clear that Adobe has revoked my valid licences.

kglad

Community Expert

you need to reactivate it.

open an app > click help > activate.

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apm_93Author

Participating Frequently

That won’t work. There is no Activate option and the deactivate option is greyed out. I tried adding my serial number again only to be told I have already installed the maximum number of apps. The second application was installed on a laptop I rarely used and died before I could deactivate and uninstall. Now every time I open an app I’m asked to add a different seriel number, but the software does then continue to work.

kglad

Community Expert

there should be a sign-in/activate option or a sign-out/deactivate option.

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