Photoshop CS6 switched to Trial on 02-Feb-2026 — CS6 perpetual granted by Adobe Support in 2023 — installer now rejects serial as “invalid”

Hello,

I’m having an activation/licensing issue with Adobe Photoshop CS6 on Windows.

Summary

• On 02-Feb-2026, Photoshop CS6 suddenly displayed a message that a trial period had started, although I have had an active perpetual CS6 license since 19-Oct-2023.

• That CS6 perpetual license was provided by Adobe Support as compensation after the deactivation/end of my CS5 perpetual license.

• Now, when I try to reinstall/activate CS6, the installer rejects my serial number with:

  “The serial number you entered is invalid. Please try again. If the problem persists, contact customer support.”

Environment

• OS: Windows (original case title was WIN10)

• Product: Adobe Photoshop CS6

• Adobe Support reference / previous case: ADB-31458831-G2H9 (status shown as “Resolved” in my account)

What I already tried

1. Uninstalled Photoshop CS6

2. Downloaded the installer again from my Adobe/customer account panel

3. Restarted the computer

4. Tried to reinstall CS6 — blocked because the serial is rejected as “invalid”

What I’m asking for

Could a moderator/Product Expert advise on the correct path for legacy CS6 perpetual entitlements, specifically:

• If OFFLINE activation is possible, what is the correct official flow for CS6 today?

I have been sent to community forum, by support member, because first reach support Agent through chat. If needed then I can provide screenshots of the error message and my prior support case details.
(I will not post the full serial publicly — only partial/last 4 digits if needed.)