Adobe Muse stuck on trial version even with CC All Apps

[Kobra Kai]

     Previously I had Adobe Muse but downgraded my plan when it began crashing in Dec. 2023. Recently I installed a trial version of Adobe Muse to see if it worked with some of the fixes posted in the Community. Those fixes allowed it to work so I upgraded to all apps.
     The Muse trial period is now over, but when it tries to license Muse it comes back with "We couldn't find a Adobe Muse CC subscription associated with this Adobe ID. You can purchase a new subscription....I have All Apps (verified with Adobe by phone). I have run the limited access tool, Cloud cleaner tool, uninstalled/reinstalled Muse and have performed all possible fixes listed by Adobe with certificates, etc.
I uderstand Muse is end of life and that Adobe offers no help. I am hoping someone here has a possible solution. If you have none, please do not remind me it's not supported anymore as that is worse than the lack of help thus far. Thank you.

[T-berry]

Yes, it was immediately indicated that it was a test version.

[anber]

Honestly, this doesn’t make any sense—at least not in your case. If you’ve been paying for the full Creative Cloud subscription (as I have), primarily to use Adobe Muse, then Adobe’s explanation that they’ve "stopped further development and updates for Muse" cannot possibly justify downgrading the program from a full version to a 7-day trial. This is simply unacceptable if we’re to take Adobe as a serious and customer-focused company.

Imagine an alternative scenario: you lease a business car (because you need it for work and income), and suddenly the car dealer/leasing provider tells you, “Stop! We’re taking the car away because the manufacturer stopped producing it. But please continue paying the installments, since you can still use the garage (‘Adobe Cloud 100GB’), the winter tires (‘Photoshop’), the air pump (‘Lightroom’), and other accessories. Oh, and you can use the car (‘Muse’) for another 7 days.”

Seriously, what are we even talking about here?! This is monopolistic capitalist behavior at its finest, stealing your/my/others' tools of trade (which in many cases kept us afloat) while looking you in the eye, like a shady cloakroom attendant in a dodgy bar, and saying: “I don’t have your coat! So what are you going to do about it?”

As for you, @T-berry (schönen Gruß aus HH), and your efforts to resurrect Muse, here’s my advice: roll back to an earlier version of Windows (e.g., from 11 to 10) and an older version of Adobe Creative Cloud (6.0.0.571 or earlier). Here’s the link for that CC Version 6.0.0.571: For both Win 10 64-bit (below 1903 or later) 

Most importantly—do not allow CC to update. The safest bet is to use Muse offline, restricted to intranet use only.

Good luck, because I know firsthand what kind of battle you’re fighting and the situation you’re in. While my Muse 2017 version still works after jumping through countless hoops, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m navigating a minefield.

Fingers crossed not just for you.

 Wishing all of you the very best!

[T-berry]

Thank you very much for your sympathy, anber. The analogies are very apt. Okay, we live in a capitalist world, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you deny others their livelihood because you want to be richer than rich yourself.

In this respect, I wonder why Adobe is making the software increasingly inaccessible. This is driving away long-standing customers (I've been an Adobe customer for almost 30 years), but that doesn't seem to matter. It is significant that in the subscription management under “End service” I only see the terse addition “Everything has an end. We understand that.” What? Has Adobe been taken over by aliens to break up the company?

I will now try the older CC version in offline mode and then report whether it worked.

Thanks for the tip in any case and best wishes to Hamburg!

[T-berry]

I have now installed the older CC version (below 1903) on an older computer with Win10, which I have completely cleared, and was also able to install the Muse version offline, which was provided to me by support.

This was again only displayed as a 7-day trial version, but could be started. The latest files can now also be called up and edited, which is a huge step forward so that I can at least make updates before the trial version expires and perhaps can no longer be reactivated. I have not yet tried licensing for security reasons. I will wait until the 7 days are up.

Many, many thanks again, anber!

To be continued...

[anber]

You're very welcome! I'm glad to hear you managed to get things running, even if it's just a trial for now.

Here's a way to find a long-term solution:

1. Install the older version of Adobe CC.
2. In the Adobe CC settings, disable the option for automatic updates.
   2b. Sign in to your Adobe account using your Adobe ID (only if you have a full subscription).
   3. Install Muse while your PC is offline (disconnected from the internet).
   3a. If Muse complains about being offline during installation, reconnect the PC to the internet briefly, but only as long as necessary—trial and error might be needed here.

Feel free to keep us updated—I'm rooting for you!

[T-berry]

Once again, my heartfelt thanks!
I will try out the approach as soon as the test version has expired and then report whether it works.
Until then, all the best to you too and may the workarounds continue to work.

[anber]

@T-berry : If I understood the sequence of steps you described correctly, it seems you might have made a mistake—possibly due to my lack of clarity. What I meant was the following sequence of steps

1. Uninstallation (ideally of everything—personally, I recommend using a removable Boot-HD for this. I'll skip detailing the uninstallation steps as they should be self-explanatory).

2. Installation of the OS (Windows 10).

3. Download and installation of the older version of the Adobe Creative Cloud Application I mentioned.

4. Download Adobe Muse (I recommend the last version from 2017).

5. At this point—or earlier if necessary—log into your Adobe account.

6. Disconnect your PC from the internet.

7. This is critical! Only at this point should you install Adobe Muse.

8. Enjoy stress-free work with the program they are trying to take away from us at all costs.

Frankly, I don’t understand the amount of effort, resources, and force being used just to make life difficult for Muse users. It’s puzzling. As the saying goes: if you don’t know what it’s about, it’s probably about money.

Perhaps it’s related to the licensing fees Adobe had to/must pay to Google for the Google Maps widget? Although they removed the widget in the 2018 version, earlier versions still have it... Or maybe it’s something else? Perhaps the existence of Muse created fierce competition from semi-professionals producing semi-professional products, i.e., websites? This could have taken a significant portion of clients away from large web agencies, particularly those for whom price was a deciding factor.

Muse users, perhaps unknowingly, applied dumping prices to the market, indirectly causing a “seismic shift” in an industry that is critical to Adobe’s revenue. Who knows...

[T-berry]

Unfortunately, the 2017 version of Muse does not meet my needs. All my customers' pages are created in version 2018.1.1. As far as I know, it is not possible to open these files in the 2017 version.

But it's still worth trying the procedure again with the 2018 version.

The assumptions regarding Google license costs and the interests of large web agencies make sense at first glance. But then similar machinations would also have to be underway against WP or other web editors. The construction kits of the larger hosting providers in particular are likely to be a thorn in the side of the agencies.

[MoDaVI]

I had muse running 2-3 days ago on Windows 11. There has to be a fix that doesn't involve rolling back to Windows 10. The repair CC then immediately opening Muse method was working, now today I'm getting "Adobe Application Manager is missing or damaged".

[T-berry]

I got the same message on the older Win 10 system as long as I was online. I then did a clean uninstall of all Adobe programs including CC, had to uninstall Muse and Acrobat separately and then installed the older version of CC. Then I logged into CC and immediately disabled the internet connection. After this, I started the installation of the version I had received via the 24 hour download link from support and no more error messages appeared.

However, the message for the 7-day trial version appeared immediately, and I fear that licensing will no longer take place on this computer either.

[anber]

I’m not claiming that rolling back to Windows 10 to use Muse is the only option. I’ve provided a solution that works. Your described issue ("Adobe Application Manager is missing or damaged") suggests that my solution might be the only one working longer than the 2-3 days you mentioned.

I’m afraid Windows 11 may have left some sort of backdoor for "not-so-friendly-to-us Adobe developers," allowing them to remotely disable Adobe Muse’s functionality permanently, often by triggering the "7-day trial" mode. 

Hang in there!