Participant

Question

Photoshop [CS5 perpetual license] no longer works

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
August 7, 2024
6 replies
6225 views

Hello everyone,

I bought Photoshop CS5 when I was a student. Now I wanted to install Photoshop CS5 on my newly installed computer. I still have the serial number / license number, have added it to my Adobe account and downloaded the software. That all worked. But now when I open Photoshop, Adobe asks me to activate the product again.

When I enter the serial number, I am told that it has already been activated on two computers and must first be deactivated if I want to use Photoshop here on my computer. The first computer was the family computer, which no longer exists. The second computer was the computer I am currently using before I reinstalled it. So technically, I no longer have any way of deactivating the product on the other devices.

The problem is that I'm not sure whether I even linked Photoshop to a user account back then. If that was the case, I have no idea about the access data. Of course, I know all my personal data and would also have a speculation about the e-mail address.

The telephone support tells me that Photoshop CS5 is no longer supported and they can't help me with this. Instead, I am supposed to receive a trial version of the current Photoshop for 3 months. Of course I don't want that, I want my old Photoshop CS5, for which I wrote all the add-ons. After all, I bought a lifetime license for this and now I can no longer use the product ? This is definitely not the definition of lifetime use.

Has anyone had a similar problem and possibly found a solution ? You can find a german screenshot in the attatchment.

Windows

D

Dustin5CF6

Participant

I'm with you on this one. You bought the software. You should get to use it for as long as you want like a record or a CD, you still own it after 10 years. Software seems to be able to circumvent the the 'ownership' title of the product and force you into the new cloud model aka montly subscription. I have a copy of CS5 and can't install it. Nothing wrong with it, just cant install it.

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

Creative Suite was never a 'forever license.' It was 'perpetual' to the 'life of the software' which was 3 to 5 years from its release date.

CS5 came out in 2010. Support ended in 2013.

You were expected to upgrade to a supported product. You chose to keep using CS5 at your own risk. All things considered, you got a lot of bang for your bucks, so nothing to complain about.

Fast-forward to 2024, your legacy product can no longer be activated -- mainly to do disparities between old/new technologies. Adobe didn't change CS5. It remains exactly the same as it did in 2010. But everything around it has changed.

MODERN OPTIONS:
===============
FREE Acrobat Reader -- view, comment, print & sign PDF.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/acrobat/pdf-reader.html

Paid Acrobat Pro DC -- the complete solution for creating and saving PDF.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/acrobat/acrobat-pro.html

Photoshop Elements or Premiere Elements (no subscription needed, 3 year license).
https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html

Creative Cloud Photography Plan (approx $10/month for 12 months). Includes the following:

Photoshop CC and Photoshop on iPad
Camera Raw
Lightroom on desktop, mobile and the web
Lightroom Classic
Portfolio website + hosting
Adobe Express (free starter plan)
Bridge
20 GB cloud storage (upgradable to 1 TB).
Free upgrades for paid subscribers

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html

Premium Adobe Express ($10/month). Mobile & web-based graphics & video apps for social media content creators.
https://helpx.adobe.com/express/using/express-overview.html

Creative Cloud Bundles & Single App Plans for mobile, web & desktops
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

L

Lirim Dauti

Participant

My Photoshop CS5 works fine untill a few week as i change my CPU (nice job adobe you are waitting for it).
Now it ask me to register. How i can trust a company that can turn off my software that works fine because they judge i have to pay more ? I allready pay once and i dont need update or upgrade as i use it as it is.
I was in reflexion to change for the new one but the trust was gone. Need to learn gimp, will never give a ***** to adobe anymore.

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

There is no such thing as a "lifetime license." CS5 is a 13 year old, discontinued product.

You purchased Creative Suite with an activation limit. If you used up the available activations, you must deactivate one from the HELP menu on the device to which it was previously installed.

If that device is no longer available, I'm sorry. You'll need to get modern software to replace it.

Photoshop Elements (no subscription needed).
https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html

Creative Cloud Photography Plan (approx $10/month for 12 months). Includes the following:

Photoshop CC and Photoshop on iPad
Camera Raw
Lightroom on desktop, mobile and the web
Lightroom Classic
Portfolio website + hosting
Adobe Express (free starter plan)
Bridge
20 GB cloud storage (upgradable to 1 TB).
Free upgrades for paid subscribers

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html

Creative Cloud Bundled & Single App plans.
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html

Make sure your computer meets the minimum CPU & GPU requirements. Most Creative Cloud apps work on:

Windows 11 (64-bit), Windows 10 versions 22H2, 21H2, 21H1;
MacOS 14 (Sonoma), 13 (Ventura), 12 (Monterey), macOS 11 (Big Sur).

- https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/system-requirements.html
- https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html
- https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-cc-gpu-card-faq.html

Hope that helps.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

Conrad_C

Community Expert

There is no such thing as a "lifetime license." CS5 is a 13 year old, discontinued product.
By @Nancy OShea

The license itself may be perpetual, which in practical terms means for the rest of our lives. (Legally, I am not sure about the ability of heirs to inherit software licenses for boxed or locally downloadable software. But from what I have read, various companies including Apple do not consider subscriptions or app store licenses to be transferable.) So the license may stil be valid, where the confusion comes in is that the license does not guarantee that the product will always work, or will always be available, or will be updated.

So what is happening to the owners of older versions (I have a lot of older versions too) is that the licenses are still valid and will be for life, but that does not in any way guarantee that the software will be able to run at any point in time in the future.

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

Let me begin by saying I am not an attorney. But I'm no stranger to contracts, Terms of use Agreements and California consumer protection laws.

A perpetual license was not a "lifetime license" in the way that most customers thought it was. It was perpetual to the product's lifetime; not the customer's lifetime. Creative Suite had a shelf-life of approx 3-5 years, beyond which the customer could continue using it at their own risk for as long as Adobe could keep making it available to their system. Or they could pay to upgrade to newer software that was fully supported.

In theory, if a customer never ever changed computers or upgraded their system and never needed to reinstall CS, they could potentially keep using their products indefinitely. But that's not realistic given that aging hardware & software eventually break down and stop working.

Most users upgraded when it was still possible to do so. Others subscribed to Creative Cloud which works fundamentally the same as Creative Suite except that's its distributed via a subscription model instead of boxed disks.

I don't think anyone can complain about 13 years of product use. That's vastly more longevity than I had with some cars for which I paid 100 times more. 😶

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

davescm

Community Expert

At the time student licenses were indeed perpetual and did not just apply whilst the purchaser was a student (this was discussed and confirmed fairly recently in these forums).

On the issue raised, if you cannot deactivate on your previous system or via your account then, if you have reached more than two active installs (including those not deactivated from previous installations) then you are indeed stuck.

I just dont get why Adobe sold such onetime payment products then ?

Perpetual licenses were always limited to two active installs. What has changed recently is that in dropping support for a product sold 14 years ago and replaced 12 years ago, deactivating and reactivating falls on the user and there is no longer a back up to override activations if a user uninstalls without deactivating.

Dave

B

Bernd38983906iml5Author

Participant

I have understood the principle, but I am not satisfied. I don't remember being told anywhere that I have to deactivate the software before I set up my computer again. In fact, I don't know of any other programs that require deactivation before reactivation.

In principle, I am not complaining about the process or the fact, but I find it highly questionable to sell a lifetime license that obviously cannot be used for life. Above all, I'm beginning to get the feeling that the discontinuation of support for CS5 is simply intended to force me to subscribe to the current and new software. Even though I have already bought the product.

Kevin Stohlmeyer

Community Expert

Unfortunately the term "lifetime" is not in the agreement. Keep in mind "perpetual" is dependent on staying on the same system, OS, etc once support ended in 2013.

When it comes to deactivation or limits to the number of activation, onus is on the user - it is in the agreement documentation and on all the supporting pages in HelpX. In the CS5 terms it listed a URL that now directs to here: https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/activate-deactivate-products.html

Discontinuation of support for CS5 is a moot argument. Any software company moves forward with supporting newer versions, especially after a major transition (in 2013) to Creative Cloud. It costs money to keep activation servers and support active for such an old software and Adobe is a business making a business/cost decision.

B

Bernd38983906iml5Author

Participant

To be honest, I dont think it is just while I was in school. The lifetime license was just cheaper because I was in school but it is still lifetime.

And I have no idea how I can be stuck, I mean I bought the license to use a software and now it is technically impossible because Adobe is not able to help me here ? I just dont get why Adobe sold such onetime payment products then ?

L

Lumigraphics

Legend

I believe a student license is just supposed to be while you are in school, not "lifetime." And yes, Adobe is really clamping down on older versions, I wouldn't be surprised if they quit activating CS5 installs soon.

Kevin Stohlmeyer

Community Expert

@Bernd38983906iml5 unfortunately if you cannot deactivate either of those installs you may be stuck.

https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/activate-deactivate-products.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