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Question

New computer will not accept product licence keys

Forum|Forum|11 months ago
March 6, 2025
2 replies
1804 views

Hello,

I´m a Photoshop user since the start 1987 (on a Mac SE) who bumped in to problems following how my Mac Book needed to be replaced.

I changed my email address more than 10 years ago and as my computer and my Adobe programs were working I didn't even think about the fact that all my Adobe purchases were linked to my old address.

When my computer broke down I got a new one with the same operating system and I installed a Mac Time Machine backup copy of my hard drive including my Adobe software (PS and IL).

But my Adobe programs are not working. 😞

They are asking for my product license keys- but when I enter them - I get an error message.

I tried to solve the problem by creating a new Adobe account with my current email address and then register my existing and valid licenses but the system says "this serial number is already in use".

But the “already in use”-user is me myself so I end up in a Moment-22 lope.

As the old computer and the old email is dead - I cannot log in and un-register my valid licenses from this not existing account.

How can I register my licensed products to my Adobe account and make them work again in my new computer?

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

1. To deactivate a device, you must have access to the device on which Creative Suite was installed. Remote deactivation is not possible for legacy CS apps.

2. Creative Suite apps won't run, much less install, on newer Macs. You need compatible 64-bit software that can run on your current machine.

Make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements. Most Creative Cloud apps work on these systems, no more than 2 versions back:

Windows 11 (64-bit) versions 24H2, 23H2,; Windows 10 versions 22H2, 21H2;
MacOS 15 (Sequoia), 14.7 (Sonoma), 13.6.7 (Ventura).

- https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/system-requirements.html

Creative Cloud Bundles & Single App Plans for mobile, web & desktops
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

S

stefan_swedenAuthor

Participating Frequently

Hi Nacy,

Thanks for responding 🙂

I got a used 2017 Mack Book Pro with the same processor as my old one just because it had to work with my Mojave operating system where most of my software doesn’t work in newer hardware. I cannot buy a complete new one for that reason. So this part is taken car of and solved - it’s to get my licensed Adobe softwere to accept my leagaly purchased product keys that is my problem.

It appears as the system thinks I am installing it in an additional computer and not moving it from a broken computer to one that works. 🙂

Peru Bob

Community Expert

It appears as the system thinks I am installing it in an additional computer and not moving it from a broken computer to one that works. 🙂

By @stefan_sweden

That is an additional computer.

The only way to free up an activation is to deactivate it from the old computer. If you can't do that, you can't recover the activation. Adobe used to allow you to deactivate from your account if registered, but CS versions no longer have that option.

kglad

Community Expert

registration is impossible now and irrelevant.

activation is relevant and may, or may not be possible. what version are you trying to activate.?

Jeffrey_A_Wright

Community Manager

Stefan, I can confirm that you posted to this public discussion forum under an account that does not have your software registered. Please see https://adobe.ly/3DuvhI3 for information on how to request a password reset to gain access to the account you used to register the software. Once you have access to the account you can use the steps listed in https://adobe.ly/41GMWFU to access the installation files from your account. ^JW

S

stefan_swedenAuthor

Participating Frequently

Hi Jeffrey,

Thank You for your reply. 🙂

I have called your US service phone who searhed on my old email bud they couldn’t find it.

I know I use to be registred and was always invited to new vesions launch releases and workshops over the years where Adobe staff showed all new features.

As I mentioned in my original post, I have been a Photoshop user all the way from the very start in 1987 and have allways had bought licenses to my products. I would never of been invited to all those PS or CS-events if I wasn’t a registred customer.

If I dropped out of the system at some point without knowing and how this would of happened is nothing I can do anything about or answer about. But no accound could be found to my old email.

Can’t we find it the other way around as I have my license key numbers?

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