I can't assign my valid Adobe CS5 Production Premium license to my account

Question

Hello,I own a valid perpetual license for Adobe CS5 Production Premium. It was purchased legally years ago and has been used on my previous hardware without any issues. Recently, due to a hardware failure (SSD crash), I cannot activate the software on my current machine. I also noticed I am not allowed to assign the serial number to my Adobe account — the system rejects it. This was never required in the past, but now Adobe uses this as justification to claim I do not own any license, which is false. I have a valid serial number and proof of ownership. I contacted Adobe Customer Care multiple times and received only template replies stating CS5 is discontinued and no longer supported. However, the core issue remains unanswered: why is a legally purchased perpetual license completely blocked from activation, especially when hardware failure is out of the user’s control? This situation has dragged on for over two weeks, with repeated ping-pong between different support agents, none able to escalate the case to decision-makers. It feels like deliberate stalling.I have already escalated this issue to UOKiK, the Polish consumer protection authority, and a major Polish tech media outlet published an article about this: https://antyweb.pl/adobe-licencja-na-photoshopa I strongly believe no company policy can override consumer rights regarding perpetual licenses. Regardless of whether Adobe supports CS5, I should be able to activate the software I own. If support is discontinued, then the activation system should be unlocked or reset options provided.To put it simply — it’s like buying a refrigerator or a car; I have the right to use it as long as it functions, regardless of manufacturer support. Denying this right, while still verifying serial numbers and blocking reactivation, puts Adobe in a legally and ethically questionable position.Please provide a clear and final answer — technical or legal — why I am blocked from using my legally owned software. Thank you,Sebastian

Jeffrey_A_Wright · Accepted Answer

Thank you for your reply.When I try to activate my valid serial number for CS5 Production Premium, the message I receive is:"This serial number has already been activated on 2 computers."That’s simply not true. I’ve only ever used this license on one machine, which recently suffered an SSD failure. After replacing the drive and reinstalling the system, I was unable to deactivate the old installation (obviously, since the drive is dead), and now I’m blocked from reactivation due to Adobe’s two-device limit — even though I’m still using just one device. To make matters worse, nobody at Adobe is able to tell me where this serial number is supposedly still "in use", or by whom. I’ve asked this simple question repeatedly for more than two weeks, and each time I’ve been ignored or deflected, with support just telling me to buy a new subscription instead. This is unacceptable. What’s even more frustrating is that I am not allowed to register the serial number to my Adobe ID. The system simply says it cannot be added — likely because it was activated in the past, but not linked to my account (which was normal back then). This means my Adobe account shows no licenses at all, and I have no self-service option to manage or even prove ownership of my CS5 license.This situation creates a double bind:1. I can’t activate my product.2. I can’t register my product.And Adobe support refuses to help, even when I provide all the original data.I must stress again: company policy cannot override consumer rights or contract law. If Adobe no longer supports CS5, fine. But then you must either disable the activation mechanism entirely, or provide a way to reset activations — especially when the hardware failure is not the user's fault.Right now, Adobe is enforcing a limitation (activation lock) without offering any support, which effectively blocks me from using a legally purchased perpetual license.This case is already being monitored by UOKiK (the Polish consumer protection authority) and has been submitted to relevant media outlets.I urge Adobe to stop hiding behind canned responses and respect the rights of paying customers. You're not just making a bad impression — you're making it worse with every non-answer.Thanks for the update, Sebasoul. If you have exceeded the amount of allowable activations and have already attempted to deactivate the software, then you will need to find a new solution to open and edit your PDFs, Sebasoul. No one can increase the activation count, and you can find complete instructions on how to attempt a successful deactivation at https://adobe.ly/4mrGFW6. Activation is separate from having access to the account where the software is registered, Sebasoul. If you were logged in under the account that was used to register the software, and it was a retail license, then you could complete the steps listed in https://adobe.ly/45zq0u6 to download a fresh copy of the installation files from the account. You can use the information in https://adobe.ly/45AXl7W to request a password reset for the other account that has the registered software. You will need to sort out what email addresses could have been used, and you will still need access to the email account to regain access. I would not recommend spending much more time with Acrobat X, Sebasoul, including trying to regain access to the registered Adobe account if you have already exceeded the amount of allowable activations. Your time would be better spent using a modern solution that is still secure in 2025. Beyond licensing and activating Acrobat X, you are putting your computer at risk by using such an old program with known exploits to open, edit, and print your PDF files. MacOS and Windows 11 have built-in PDF capabilities, so you should check if they meet your current needs.  If you would also like a link to information about the current release of Acrobat, Sebasoul, then please update this public discussion. ^JW

kglad · Answer

it's not supported by adobe. what do you see when trying to activate?

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