help cannnot transfer Acrobat 2020 serials to new devices

[marcus_2238]

Hi, i've see this issue in other posts but I haven't really seen a solution posted, other than for hthe poster to be contacted to DM the serials to adobe rep. 

I bought about 47 licences of Acrobat 2020. We are a non-profit and have a fair amount of staff turnover and have also just had to replace people's laptops. We have previously been able to move devices but recently there's an increasing number of  serials that seem to be just stuck/broken.

This is acrobat 2020  it was just installed and not linked to a user account, as there are not all user have created an adobe account and when they have there are no registered devices linked to their accounts. is there a clear process for uninstalling/unlinking this serial form one device so it can be installed on another? Uninstalled and/or just formatting the computer doesn't appear to do it. 

thank  you for any assistance 

[creative explorer]

@marcus_2238 that is correct in contacting and DMing Adobe. Because this is an Adobe 'User' Forum, sometimes Adobe employees will come in here and help when they can. The problem of "stuck" serial numbers for your Acrobat 2020 perpetual licenses arises because deactivation must be explicitly performed on the original computer and is not automatic upon uninstallation or device formatting. When a perpetual license is activated, Adobe's servers record that activation against a specific hardware ID, even if it's not tied to a registered user account. If the original machine is lost, formatted, or inaccessible, the license remains technically active on the dead hardware, which causes the "Maximum Activations Reached" error when you try to install it on a new computer. I would say, since you bought 47 licences, you might have bought this through an Adobe sales rep? If so, maybe find that email for contact information—this is critical because Acrobat 2020 perpetual licenses official End of Support (EOS): November 30, 2025! Since the End of Support date is November 30, 2025, and your issue is about serial numbers and activation (which falls under technical support and license management), you are still entitled to direct support from Adobe.

The clock is ticking on official support, so you should contact them soon with your list of serials. Create a spreadsheet of all the "stuck" serial numbers (or the original set of 47 licenses, if easier) and indicate which ones are causing the "Maximum Activations" error. Good luck! 

[try67]

Be sure to only provide private or sensitive info (like serial numbers) via DM to people who have the Adobe Employee tag under their name, though!

[marcus_2238]

Thank  you I have a few DMs telling me to emails CareAdobe@outlook.com -   I didn't see any tags under these people' s names and I would expect adobe to have their own @domain.  

if this is a valid email please let me know

we are a non-profit so bought it through a tech donations portal - so don't have a direct email link with adobe. 

[Bernd Alheit]

Adobe doesn't use outlook.com.

[marcus_2238]

I didn't think so, seemed a bit suss I wanted to be sure. 

[marcus_2238]

So I tried to contact Adobe via Chat. They referred me here and said an adobe employee would help. After an endless back and forth of saying i'd already done this and no adobe employee had contacted me. they just ended the chat 

Does anyone know how I can bump / escalate this at all? 

Please and thank you 

[AnandSri]

Hello @marcus_2238

I hope you are doing well. 

We have arranged a callback with the team regarding your concern shared in the other thread. When I checked the details, it shows that you were contacted; however, the call was not answered, and the team left a follow-up email.

Can you please check the email ending with @adobe.com and respond?

Additionally, adding on what our community product experts have already shared, please refrain from sharing any personal information on the public thread or in direct/private messages, and ensure you validate the email address. As all the Adobe Employees will have an email ending with @adobe.com. Not with any other domain.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.