Problem installing and re-activating an Adobe legacy app on a recently upgraded computer

Question

I purchased (with original order #, confirmation email and serial numbers) Photoshop Elements 12 and Premiere Elements 12 back in 2013.  I do not know which account was used to register the serial numbers, but I cannot see them activated on my current adobe account.  When I try to register on my account, I see the message the “serial number is in use”.  How can I de-register from an old Adobe account and re-register to my new account?

kglad · Accepted Answer

​@chemdorkeven if you find the account used to register your product it is not expected to show activated devices. and that account can’t be used to restore your activations.the only way to recover an activation is to use a computer that has an activation (and meets adobe’s security requirements). in particular, adobe support can not restore your activation count.seehttps://community.adobe.com/t5/download-install-discussions/activation-limit-reached-for-non-subscription-adobe-desktop-applications/td-p/14804413?linkId=100000376554410if it’s impossible to use a computer with an activation, it’s impossible to recover an activation. there’s no work-around.

leo.r · Answer

It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to re-activate this legacy software. You’ll need the original machine with the software installed to deactivate it first. (If there are any known tricks to reactivate this software, I’m sure others will chime in.)

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