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Wojciech+PSAI
Wojciech+PSAI
Participant
Jul 27, 2026 3:54 PM UTC
Answered

Photoshop CS6 and Illustrator CS6 Activation limit reached - old computer crashed. Cannot access chat.

Hello, my old computer experienced a hardware failure and I cannot deactivate Photoshop CS6 and Illustrator CS6. I need to install it on my new machine, but I am getting an activation limit error. Since I do not have an active Creative Cloud subscription, the automated chat bot blocks me from reaching a human agent. Could an Adobe Employee please look into this and help me reset my activation count?

    kglad
    kgladCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    Jul 27, 2026 3:59 PM UTC

    no one inside adobe can help you.  they can no longer reset activation counts.

     

    the only way to recover an activation is to use a computer that has an activation.  because that’s impossible for you, it’s impossible to recover an activation.

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    6 replies

    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    Nancy OSheaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    Jul 28, 2026 11:32 PM UTC
    1. Legacy CS6 is an unsupported product from 2012. That’s why Adobe agents can’t help you.
    2. CS6 was designed to work on WinXP & Win7, not modern Win11 machines with super-fast chips and advanced file management systems.   
    3. Consider these replacement options for your new devices:

    Hope that helps.

     

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    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    kglad
    Community Expert
    kgladCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    Jul 27, 2026 3:59 PM UTC

    no one inside adobe can help you.  they can no longer reset activation counts.

     

    the only way to recover an activation is to use a computer that has an activation.  because that’s impossible for you, it’s impossible to recover an activation.

    Translate
      Wojciech+PSAI
      Wojciech+PSAIAuthor
      Participant
      Jul 27, 2026 4:11 PM UTC

      Thank you for your reply.

      I'll try to restart my broken computer. I've been working on it with AI for 33 hours now. So far, I know the crash was caused by simultaneous updates to Windows 11 and the graphics card driver. After restarting, the computer doesn't display the login screen. I don't use Adobe programs often enough to purchase a subscription.

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      John T Smith
      Community Expert
      John T SmithCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      Jul 27, 2026 5:10 PM UTC

      I have never done this (search http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ to find out how) but you MAY be able to start in ‘safe mode’ to bypass the corrupt updates

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