Need help reactivating my Photoshop CS6 on new computer

Question

Hi everyone, I’ve been a licensed Photoshop CS6 user since 2011. I bought it directly from the Adobe website back then and have been using it on my old computer without any problems for many years. Last week, I bought a new computer and installed CS6 again using my original installer and serial number. When I try to activate it, I get a message saying that I need to deactivate it from another computer — but I already did that before uninstalling it from my old PC. My Adobe account shows no activated devices, so it seems the old activation is still stuck on Adobe’s legacy server. I contacted Adobe Support, but they told me CS6 is no longer officially supported and suggested I post here for help. Could someone please guide me on how I can get my Photoshop CS6 reactivated on my new PC? I still have my original serial number, purchase confirmation, and proof of purchase from the Adobe website. Thank you very much for any help or advice you can offer. Best regards, Murat

creative explorer · Answer

@muratk48612561 that is correct, CS6 is no longer officially supported. Adobe's official End of Support for these perpetual licenses was 2014. It may work on the new systems, but, I would be very wary because Adobe stopped providing security patches for CS6 shortly after 2014, the software is vulnerable to new exploits discovered in the years since. Running unsupported software, especially a program that interacts with files and the internet, poses a security risk to your computer and network.

But, saying that, here's a post from Sep 16, 2025 that may help you
https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/apps/troubleshoot/licensing-activation-issues/cant-activate-reinstall-legacy-apps.html

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded