I can't assign my valid Adobe CS5 Production Premium license to my account

[sebasoul]

Hello,

I own a valid perpetual license for Adobe CS5 Production Premium. It was purchased legally years ago and has been used on my previous hardware without any issues. Recently, due to a hardware failure (SSD crash), I cannot activate the software on my current machine.

I also noticed I am not allowed to assign the serial number to my Adobe account — the system rejects it. This was never required in the past, but now Adobe uses this as justification to claim I do not own any license, which is false. I have a valid serial number and proof of ownership.

I contacted Adobe Customer Care multiple times and received only template replies stating CS5 is discontinued and no longer supported. However, the core issue remains unanswered: why is a legally purchased perpetual license completely blocked from activation, especially when hardware failure is out of the user’s control?

This situation has dragged on for over two weeks, with repeated ping-pong between different support agents, none able to escalate the case to decision-makers. It feels like deliberate stalling.

I have already escalated this issue to UOKiK, the Polish consumer protection authority, and a major Polish tech media outlet published an article about this: https://antyweb.pl/adobe-licencja-na-photoshopa

I strongly believe no company policy can override consumer rights regarding perpetual licenses. Regardless of whether Adobe supports CS5, I should be able to activate the software I own. If support is discontinued, then the activation system should be unlocked or reset options provided.

To put it simply — it’s like buying a refrigerator or a car; I have the right to use it as long as it functions, regardless of manufacturer support.

Denying this right, while still verifying serial numbers and blocking reactivation, puts Adobe in a legally and ethically questionable position.

Please provide a clear and final answer — technical or legal — why I am blocked from using my legally owned software.

Thank you,
Sebastian

[John T Smith]

You need to ask program questions in the forum for the program you are using
To ask in the forum for your program please start at https://community.adobe.com/
Moving from Using the Community (which is about the forums) to the Account forum

[sebasoul]

ok, where is the forum for licensing all CS5 programs at once?

[Jeffrey_A_Wright · Accepted solution]

Thanks for posting your questions about licensing and using Creative Suite 5 Production Premium in 2025, Sebsoul. In addition to Kglad's question, what message do you receive when trying to register your serial number? Can you please post the exact text?

For important information on activating Creative Suite 5 in 2025, please see https://adobe.ly/47dRdUk. Please also bookmark and review https://adobe.ly/4lUd3AM for information on what to do if you receive a message that you have exceeded the amount of allowable activations for Creative Suite 5 Production Premium, Sebasoul. ^JW

[sebasoul]

Thank you for your reply.

When I try to activate my valid serial number for CS5 Production Premium, the message I receive is:

"This serial number has already been activated on 2 computers."

That’s simply not true. I’ve only ever used this license on one machine, which recently suffered an SSD failure. After replacing the drive and reinstalling the system, I was unable to deactivate the old installation (obviously, since the drive is dead), and now I’m blocked from reactivation due to Adobe’s two-device limit — even though I’m still using just one device.

To make matters worse, nobody at Adobe is able to tell me where this serial number is supposedly still "in use", or by whom. I’ve asked this simple question repeatedly for more than two weeks, and each time I’ve been ignored or deflected, with support just telling me to buy a new subscription instead. This is unacceptable.

What’s even more frustrating is that I am not allowed to register the serial number to my Adobe ID. The system simply says it cannot be added — likely because it was activated in the past, but not linked to my account (which was normal back then). This means my Adobe account shows no licenses at all, and I have no self-service option to manage or even prove ownership of my CS5 license.

This situation creates a double bind:

1. I can’t activate my product.

2. I can’t register my product.

And Adobe support refuses to help, even when I provide all the original data.

I must stress again: company policy cannot override consumer rights or contract law. If Adobe no longer supports CS5, fine. But then you must either disable the activation mechanism entirely, or provide a way to reset activations — especially when the hardware failure is not the user's fault.

Right now, Adobe is enforcing a limitation (activation lock) without offering any support, which effectively blocks me from using a legally purchased perpetual license.

This case is already being monitored by UOKiK (the Polish consumer protection authority) and has been submitted to relevant media outlets.

I urge Adobe to stop hiding behind canned responses and respect the rights of paying customers. You're not just making a bad impression — you're making it worse with every non-answer.

[kglad]

your only option is to use a computer with a current activation to deactivate, but's likely to fail 

[Jeffrey_A_Wright · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the update, Sebasoul. If you have exceeded the amount of allowable activations and have already attempted to deactivate the software, then you will need to find a new solution to open and edit your PDFs, Sebasoul. No one can increase the activation count, and you can find complete instructions on how to attempt a successful deactivation at https://adobe.ly/4mrGFW6.

Activation is separate from having access to the account where the software is registered, Sebasoul. If you were logged in under the account that was used to register the software, and it was a retail license, then you could complete the steps listed in https://adobe.ly/45zq0u6 to download a fresh copy of the installation files from the account.

You can use the information in https://adobe.ly/45AXl7W to request a password reset for the other account that has the registered software. You will need to sort out what email addresses could have been used, and you will still need access to the email account to regain access.

I would not recommend spending much more time with Acrobat X, Sebasoul, including trying to regain access to the registered Adobe account if you have already exceeded the amount of allowable activations. Your time would be better spent using a modern solution that is still secure in 2025. Beyond licensing and activating Acrobat X, you are putting your computer at risk by using such an old program with known exploits to open, edit, and print your PDF files. MacOS and Windows 11 have built-in PDF capabilities, so you should check if they meet your current needs.

If you would also like a link to information about the current release of Acrobat, Sebasoul, then please update this public discussion. ^JW

[sebasoul]

Thank you for your attempt to help, JW.

However, after nearly four weeks of back-and-forth trying to resolve this issue with Adobe support and no real progress, I have decided to move on.

Unfortunately, Adobe’s current licensing policy and lack of support for legacy customers has led me to this decision. What has been especially frustrating throughout this process is the persistent deflection of responsibility—being repeatedly told to seek help on community forums for issues such as why my serial number is no longer linked to my Adobe ID, even though the forum is clearly not managed by Adobe itself. This ignorance and passing of the buck is deeply unfair to customers like me who invested (perhaps years ago) their hard-earned money in what was supposed to be a perpetual license.

Given that the cost of purchasing a permanent license for alternatives like DaVinci Resolve Studio and Fusion is comparable to or even better than ongoing Adobe subscription fees for only Premiere, this switch makes more sense for my workflow and budget.

Such treatment erodes trust and shows a lack of respect for loyal users who have supported Adobe for years. I hope Adobe reconsiders its approach to legacy customers in the future.

Best regards,
Sebastian

[kglad]

@sebasoul 

sorry to hear that, but your experience is typical.

[kglad]

it's not supported by adobe.

what do you see when trying to activate?

[sebasoul]

The message I receive is: "This serial number has already been activated on 2 computers."

Which is not true – I have only used it on one machine. That machine's SSD crashed, so I had to reinstall everything on the same hardware with a new drive.

Now Adobe says I’ve "used all my activations," but I only ever activated it once. The old installation is inaccessible due to hardware failure – I can't deactivate something I can't boot into.

This highlights the unfair design of the activation system. A hardware failure is beyond the user's control, yet I'm being punished for it by being locked out of software I legally own.

[Peru Bob]

Did you have a different drive in the computer before the SSD that failed was installed?

[sebasoul]

Yes, there were previous drives before the SSD that failed, but activation always worked fine despite that. Other hardware (motherboard, CPU, etc.) hasn't changed, and this is the first time I've encountered an issue like this.

It's frustrating that a legal license is now effectively useless just because of a failed drive, and Adobe refuses to provide a reset or even identify where the activation slots are in use.

[Peru Bob]

Yes, there were previous drives before the SSD that failed,

By @sebasoul

That could be why no activations are left.

[Nancy OShea]

New hardware (CPU, motherboard, hard drive, etc...) give off new identification signals the same as a new computer would.  Although it's housed in the same outer shell, the components inside it are not the same. So that's how you reached your activation limit.

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

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

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

Creative Cloud Photography
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html

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

Hope that helps. 

[sebasoul]

They lock you down with activation limits but then totally ignore legacy license holders. It’s a blatant slap in the face to loyal customers. No wonder people are pissed off and jumping ship. Adobe’s own policies are shooting themselves in the foot.

[Nancy OShea]

No wonder people are pissed off and jumping ship. 

By @sebasoul

=========

• 22 million Creative Cloud users disagree.
• The subscription model has been highly successful for over a decade.

Try Creative Cloud free for 7 days. 

Purchase or cancel & owe nothing. Your choice.

https://www.adobe.com/downloads.html

[sebasoul]

And this right here is the perfect example of why so many long-time Adobe customers are leaving.
My issue is about a perpetual license I already paid for, and your answer is basically an ad for a subscription I neither want nor need.

It’s not about “22 million CC users” — it’s about the thousands you’ve alienated by locking down activations and then refusing to support the licenses you sold.
Keep pushing people into subscriptions instead of honoring your past commitments, and you’ll keep losing the loyal base that built Adobe’s reputation in the first place.

[sebasoul]

I actually subscribed to Creative Cloud for 3 years — and for my usage frequency, it was nothing but a waste of money. After just one year of paying for a single-app Premiere Pro CC subscription, I could have already purchased a full, permanent license for DaVinci Resolve Studio — a complete editing suite that also includes Fusion, which is more than enough as an After Effects alternative — paid once, usable for years.

Adobe’s subscription model may work for some, but for me it’s simply poor value compared to modern one-time-purchase solutions. And when the company also refuses to support perpetual licenses it sold in the past, it just makes the decision to switch even easier.

[kglad]

no one here speaks on adobe's behalf.  experts can just supply the information we've gained after years of experience using adobe products (and, for community experts, with expertise, in adobe's opinion, in one or more areas of adobe's apps and/or business).

[sebasoul]

This situation perfectly illustrates Adobe’s “passing the buck” approach. They change their licensing policies, leaving legacy customers unsupported, and then direct users to a forum that isn’t even managed by Adobe. It’s a clear way to avoid responsibility while leaving long-term customers stranded. Adobe changed the rules and now dumps responsibility on a community forum they don’t even manage—classic buck-passing at the expense of loyal users.

It’s like a car manufacturer discontinuing all manual transmission models and then bragging: “Automatic sales are fantastic—100% of customers buy them!” Only here, Adobe cut off alternative options, then boasts about millions of Creative Cloud accounts, but who knows how many are actually active or usable—especially when access to previously purchased licenses can be blocked.

Sorry, but I’ve had enough of Adobe. I’ve lost tens of thousands of PLN on a supposed lifetime license, and I feel completely robbed. For that reason, I will not buy anything from Adobe ever again.

Given the above, there’s no point in pursuing this further. The situation is clear, and continuing the discussion would only repeat what’s already obvious: Adobe has chosen to neglect legacy customers while protecting themselves from accountability.

I have all the documentation in writing showing how Adobe treats its customers while avoiding responsibility for its actions, and I will not hesitate to use this evidence against Adobe if necessary.

[Nancy OShea]

I have all the documentation... I will not hesitate to use this evidence against Adobe if necessary.

By @sebasoul

==========

Baseless threats + $3 gets you a one-way ride on the NY subway, or €2.50 to ride on the Paris Metro. Just saying...

• Nobody changed the license.
• Nobody took anything away from you.
• You exceeded your activation limit.

Remote deactivation of Creative Suite is impossible. You must deactivate it manually from your installed devices.
- https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/activate-deactivate-products.html
- https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/activation-deactivation-help.html

If the old devices are dead or no longer accessible, you're stuck. That's not Adobe's fault. Adobe didn't DO anything. You did this to yourself. Be mature about it and accept that what you mistakenly thought was "forever software" has finally come to an end. 

[sebasoul]

As an EU consumer who purchased Adobe CS5, I retain full ownership of my license. Under EU law, including Directive 2019/770, I am entitled to access and use the software I legally acquired.

Adobe requires users to manually manage activations, as remote deactivation is not provided. The activation limit is tracked on Adobe’s servers, not locally on the user’s device. From a business perspective, I understand that Adobe may wish to phase out older licenses, making it more difficult to use legacy software. However, EU law does not operate retroactively, and it would be reasonable to respect the activation count for software purchased for a substantial sum, even if ongoing support for that product is no longer provided. Restricting access without such recognition creates unnecessary challenges for legacy customers.

I have repeatedly asked Adobe why my license number is not assigned to my Adobe ID account, even though I have been using the same account for years. At the same time, I am unable to add the missing license number because the system claims it is "already in use" (by whom, if I purchased a boxed version and do not share the key with anyone?). I have pursued this question for four weeks via multiple emails, providing evidence of each attempt, but have received no clear answer—only the automatic push to "buy a new monthly license." This is akin to trying to explain colors to someone who is blind. Similarly, Adobe frequently replies with short, dismissive statements like "we do not support this," even though no one is asking for software updates—only access to a license they legally purchased.

Just to clarify, I have no plans to take a “one-way ride on the NY subway”—as Adobe sells its products in the EU, it is subject to EU consumer law, so there is no need to go to the USA to assert my rights. 😏

From my side, this statement concludes the topic. I do not intend to continue the discussion further, as forum users are not able to provide the support I need—much like the usual mutual back-patting here, forum advice seems more about marketing than actually helping legacy users.

I’ve had enough of the  “Adobe community cult”—time for a change. Wishing everyone a good day.

[kglad]

i'm not a lawyer, but i don't think anyone can pass laws that apply retroactively.  but i agree.   let's lock this and end it.