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Jeffrey_A_Wright
Community Manager
Jeffrey_A_WrightCommunity Manager
Community Manager
June 17, 2013
Question

When I open my Creative Cloud application it asks me for my serial number?

  • June 17, 2013
  • 24 replies
  • 162752 views

If you are being prompted to enter your serial number when opening your actively subscribed Creative Cloud application then there maybe missing account information.  Please see Creative Cloud products prompt for serial number on launch | CCM - http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/ccm-prompt-serial-number.html for additional information.

In addition if you are facing difficulties reaching the activation server please see Sign in or activation errors | CS6, CS5.5 Subscriptions, CS6 Perpetual - http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-network-issues.html.  Also if you are managing a network please see the Adobe Creative Cloud Service Access Documentation for IT section of http://www.adobe.com/devnet/creativesuite/enterprisedeployment.html.

Finally for additional information on managing your Creative Cloud account please see Manage your membership | Creative Cloud - http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/membership-subscription-troubleshooting-creative-cloud.html.

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    24 replies

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    ColinToner
    ColinToner
    Participant
    July 23, 2014

    I've no idea why I have been directed here, why is there no direct line to ring, this is taking up too much time. I have a subscription now its saying i don't and i can't open acrobat....bullshit of the highest order.

      Jeffrey_A_Wright
      Community Manager
      Jeffrey_A_WrightCommunity ManagerAuthor
      Community Manager
      July 23, 2014

      Collintoner are you being prompted for a serial number when you open your Creative Cloud applications?

      C
      carstenluhrs
      Participant
      June 27, 2013

      I have spent hours trying to get help with this problem. I have followed all advice concerning verification of my account, adress etc but the problem persists. Adobe AppManager keeps asking for a serial number. No one at Adobe in Sweden or else where seems to be able to advice me on how to fix this extremely irritating problem.

        Jeffrey_A_Wright
        Community Manager
        Jeffrey_A_WrightCommunity ManagerAuthor
        Community Manager
        June 27, 2013

        Carstenluhrs and Kenyongerbrandt please see the network configuration documentation in the original post.  If you are being prompted for a serial number then it is likely that your computer is not able to contact our activation server.  There should be no need to enter a serial number for software included within the subscription to Creative Cloud.

        C
        carstenluhrs
        Participant
        June 27, 2013

        By default my download was the swedish version, where as my subsciption is in english. Seting the language to english in appmanager solved the problem. Thank you.

          K
          kenyongerbrandt
          Inspiring
          June 27, 2013

          I purchased my CC subscription in May 2012 through CDW as it was a non-profit license. I have upgraded and installed the newest CC app manager. When I go to license my Adobe CC products with the serials from my Volume License site the keys are not valid. I have chatted with Adobe support twice. I have called CDW more than three times. No one seems capable of resolving this issue. Appareanlty my account was established as a Team Ready and needs to be migrated to a Creative Cloud for Teams. How do I do this? I am totally helpless and spending WAY too much time on this issue...PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!

          Thank you!

            I
            Int_Des
            Participant
            August 31, 2014

            I have a similar problem. The Adobe database seems to be in a right mess. I had a trial version in 2012 but didn't buy the product, this creates conflicts. It doesn't help that if a download fails the help desk suggests downloading via the trial page rather than cloud, Doing this conflicts with the cloud membership and exasperates the problems. Add to that the fact the support link for Lightroom take the user to the Muse support page .....and I am ready to scream in frustration. I spend an average of 6 hours a month resolving this and am seriously hacked off with it.. They seem to have a real problem with data hygiene and acknowledging that there are any issues to fix..

              Jeffrey_A_Wright
              Community Manager
              Jeffrey_A_WrightCommunity ManagerAuthor
              Community Manager
              September 2, 2014

              Int.des if you are being prompted to enter a serial number and you have a valid Creative Cloud Membership then please review the links offered in the original post.  This error occurs due to the computers inability to contact our activation server.

              K
              Kysymys73
              Participant
              June 18, 2013

              A language conflict of your operating system and your CC licence could also cause problems. You could check that the apps default language setting in the application manager is international English before you start to download the new apps.

              Jeffrey_A_Wright
              Community Manager
              Jeffrey_A_WrightCommunity ManagerAuthor
              Community Manager
              June 18, 2013

              Great point Kysysmys73 we do offer an English only subscription option in the EMEA region.  If you have purchased this subscription then please ensure that your language is set to International English.

              A
              Arf thuis
              Participant
              July 29, 2013

              Jeff A Wright wrote:

              ...please ensure that your language is set to International English.

              Thanks Kysmys73 for a solution for a very frustrating and time consuming error. I think it's a major fail from Adobe not to make clear these required language setting. Not upfront, when you order the Adobbe CC licenses, not when installing. Worse: other languages (like in our case 'Nederlands' - Dutch) are valid options in the menu. And finally not by giving an clueless error message after installing: 'this software will run in demo mode'.

              Allthough it's nice Jeff A Wright gives kudo's to Kysmys73, the quoted answer is not correct and will again lead to frustration. It's NOT 'the' or 'your' language that should be set to International English. It is, as Kysmys73 points out, the App Language: setting in the Preferences of Adobe Creative Cloud desktop, or Adobe Application Manager. Choose the gear -> Preferences-> second tab which is called Apps.

              So you don't have to change your OS language, just change the language setting in de Adobe CC download program. And make sure you do this BEFORE you download the other Adobe CC programs.

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