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JT-in-AZ
Participating Frequently
May 19, 2024
Answered

Deactivate Acrobat Pro 2017

  • May 19, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 1790 views

I own Acrobat Pro 2017.  It's been installed on my desktop, and on my laptop... working fine on both.  I purchased a new laptop, so uninstalled Acrobat Pro (without deactivating first) from my old laptop.  When I try to install and activate on the new one I get a "license exceeded" message.  On the Adobe web site I can see where I purchased the product, and it tells me the serial number, but I can find no way to deactivate from anything, let alone a specific computer..

 

How can I get the license assigned to my old laptop deactivated so I can reuse it?

 

    Correct answer petit_3350

    1. Goto your old laptop

    2. Open Acrobat app

    3. Click "Help" tab

    4. Click "Sign Out (xxx@xx.com)" below "Manage my account"
    5. Goto you new desktop
    6. Sign-in Acrobat
    I just used the above and successfully use acrobat in new laptop.
    You may try.

    3 replies

    James3196654991lf
    James3196654991lf
    Participant
    February 10, 2026

    Any ideas on a solution where you do not have access to the old laptop? 

     

    My harddrive died and I replaced the drive, but now I cannot activate my Acrobat Pro 2017 with the “already used by the maximum computers” even though my online Adobe profile does not show any activations.

    AnandSri
    Community Manager
    AnandSriCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    February 11, 2026

    Hello ​@James3196654991lf 

     

    I hope you are doing well, and thank you for reaching out. We’re sorry for the trouble you had.

     

    Please note that the Acrobat Pro 2017 is now an end-of-life, and out-of-support product. The support ended on June 06, 2022. See this article for more details: https://helpx.adobe.com/in/acrobat/kb/end-of-support-acrobat-2017-reader-2017.html

     

    If you don’t have access to the old laptop (dead drive/reinstall), Acrobat Pro 2017 can still show “serial number is already in use by the maximum allowed computers” because the activation count is tracked on Adobe’s activation system, and your online profile may not show those activated devices for this older perpetual product.

     

    Suggestions:

    Please note, these may or may not work.

    • Go to your Adobe account and end all sessions (sign out everywhere). This can clear stuck sign-in states.
    • If you still have any other computer where Acrobat 2017 runs, Help > Sign Out/Deactivate to free an activation.

    You may also reach out to the technical support team and check if they can assist you: https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html

     

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

    P
    petit_3350Correct answer
    Participant
    September 15, 2025

    1. Goto your old laptop

    2. Open Acrobat app

    3. Click "Help" tab

    4. Click "Sign Out (xxx@xx.com)" below "Manage my account"
    5. Goto you new desktop
    6. Sign-in Acrobat
    I just used the above and successfully use acrobat in new laptop.
    You may try.

    AnandSri
    Community Manager
    AnandSriCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    September 17, 2025

    Hello @petit_3350

     

    I hope you are doing well. Thank you for sharing the steps for deactivating the license; it will help other users.

     

    For future references, you may refer to this article for more information on Activating and Deactivating Adobe apps.

     

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

    Amal.
    Community Manager
    Amal.Community Manager
    Community Manager
    June 3, 2024

    Hi there

     

    Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching out.

     

    Please go through the help page https://adobe.ly/45ayhD9 and see if that works.

     

    ~Amal

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