Installing Captivate on a New Machine is INCREDIBLY Frustrating

[dan-bc]

I own Adobe Captivate, it is on my old MacBook. I needed to get a new MacBook, so I figured getting Captivate over wouldn't be an issue. I downloaded Creative Cloud, I can see that I have Captivate through my Adobe portal... should be nice and easy.

Should be.... but it isn't. Here's my experience...

I signed into Adobe, and downloaded CC. No Captivate to be found. Okayyyyyy. Maybe it's somewhere else. Oh look, a free trial. I'll download that and activate Captivate. Got the free trial downloaded... then Adobe wants me to Activate the app. Nice and easy, it just wants me to sign in. PERFECT, I'm already signed in with my Adobe Credentials, so bing-bang-boom now I have... wait, what the what? What activation code??? A serial number??? 

Maybe I minssed something. Check back in Adobe's online portal. Yup, I own the softwre. There it is. No serial number though. Restart Captivate.... nope, still telling me I'm on a trial. So I'm signed into CC, can see I own the software on the website, and am signed into the APP I OWN, but I still need a serial number?

Hands down, probably the most frustrating and disjointed experience I've ever had installing an application. This is in the CLOUD Adobe, the Cloud is supposed to solve these issues, not make them worse.

This has to be fixed.

[dan-bc]

[SBWELL]

When I need to reinstall... which happens more often than I'd like (Yay corruption), I just install the trial version, and it seems to detect that I am logged in to CC, because when I open the program, it is already signed in to my account. 

But finding a downloadable installer isn't exactly easy unless you know that the trial version is actually the full version. Poor UX from the company who specialise in tools for UX is ironic.

[Lilybiri]

Corruption will only seldom need to reinstall.  Since I use Captivate (about 15 years) I had to reinstall only once. In most cases cleaning the preferences does the trick.

Why is it so strange that the trial version is a full version but with limited period? Do you prefer limited features?

[SBWELL]

You're correct, that in most cases cleaning preferences does the trick, but as a part of a standard troubleshoot process, a reinstall isn't an unusual thing to do, and is often a first port of call for an IT team who don't have the time to investigate every possible problem (and may not even have ever used the software) if one does not control their own computer. 

What I was commenting on, is that if you go to Adobe's website to find a standalone installer, the only thing you're offered is the trial version, and it isn't clear at a glance whether this is suitable as a standalone installer for someone who already has an account. Like a lot of things Captivate, it doesn't make things easy if you're not already in the Captivate club.

[AJIT_M]

Hi,

I have sent you a private message.

Please check and try the suggested steps and see if that makes any difference.

I have also shared the information to directly contact us if the issue still persists and we would be happy to assist you further.

Regards,

Ajit

[dan-bc]

Thanks Ajit. I followed up via DM, but since DMs only help the people on them, I'm hoping to find a solution here that may be public for others to find in the future. 

I was sent this link, as I'm on Catalina (Mac OS). https://helpx.adobe.com/in/captivate/kb/activation-issues-macos-catalina.html. This is assuming I was able to get the computer to recognize that the other machine recognizes that it's been deactivated. I have deleted the application in full. I was even unassigned and reassigned my Adobe subscription by my IT team. None of that has gotten me any further. I am still being asked to start a trial, or enter a serial number when I'm already signed into Adobe's platform, Captivate recognizes that I'm signed in, and Adobe knows I've purchased the software as seen in the image above.

Adobe needs to ask me to either deactivate another machine online (as it does with other CC apps, as with Photoshop, I could do that through your online portal) OR I should be able to find my serial number in my profile, which I cannot.

Please feel free to follow up in teh thread here as others may have this issue in the future. If any subscription specific or sensitive information needs to be shared, I'm happy to use DMs, but if we're going to find a solution, it should be done here.

[AJIT_M]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing the update.

Can you please launch Captivate 2019 again and once you have reached the 'Sign in required" screen, then select the option "Not your AdobeID" and Sign in again with your Adobe Id and Password and see if that works.

Let me know if it still prompts for the serial key.

Regards,

Ajit

[dan-bc]

Thank you Ajit!

I tried this, and I also moved my Captivate files over from my old machine to my new. I'm not sure which of those made the difference, but as of this morning, I'm no longer getting a message to enter a serial number. It looks like the product has activated.

For anyone that stumbles on this thread in the future, this answer for me was...

• Delete Captivate from my old machine
• Install a trial version of Captivate on my new machine
• Move my Captivate files over from my old machine to my new
• Even if signed in, say that the email isn't your Adobe ID, then re-sign in with your Adobe credentials.
• If needed, restart your new machine.

Appreciate the help in getting this sorted out. It would be a signifant improvement if Captivate was handled like the other Creative Cloud applications, and I could activate/deactivate computers from your online portal. To take it a step further, if Captivate was in the CC, that would be even better.

Hope this helps someone in the future.

[AJIT_M]

Hi,

Glad to hear that this has been resolved.

Thanks for sharing the steps you have tried for debugging and fixing the issue. I just want to add that we have done the activation reset from the backend yesterday and that seems to have fixed the issue.

Regards,
Ajit