Master Collection CS6 Max License Issue

[rbrennan55]

I am one of the few remaining CS6 users.  Adobe has finally had enough of us CS6 users

Don't re-install, deactivate (with the attempts to reinstall) Master Collection CS6.  I was having an issue with exporting to H.264 after years of being able to do so without issue.  After searching the Forums, it was suggested to re-install.  I pulled out the CD's (remember those?), ran the installation, entered the serial number and off it went.  When launching one of the programs, I was presented with a dialog box that stated that I have exceeded the maximum computers for my license.  I selected the close button and was able to use the application.  I then did a Master Collection Update thinking that it might pick up that the machine it was installed (Mac address) would be recognised - nope.  After the update, I was now presented with a 27-day application stop due to the multiple computer installations.

Again, search these Forums.  The suggestion was to call.

I called.  Apparently, my license was installed on 4 or 5 computers.  This is untrue.  It is on 2.  But, 4 or 5 means that they don't know how many as it was not a specific number.  I was then told that the servers were gone and there was no way to make changes to allow me to have my rightfully valid license on my computer.  I was also informed not to deactivate my other license on my secondary computer as it would not allow me to reinstall on my intended computer.

But I was in luck!  They could sell me the latest and greatest package.

Moral of the story - Adobe is using the call home feature to force people to upgrade to the SAAS products.  The life-time license is no longer valid.

It is too bad that customers are treated like this.

[kglad]

you can still deactivate cs6, but you have to use a computer that has an activation and that meets adobe's security standards.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Rbrennan, I am sorry if you have exceeded the amount of activations that were included with your purchase for Creative Suite 6. Please see https://adobe.ly/4csdf6j for information on how to manage or maintain any activations you have for Creative Suite or other non-subscription based Adobe software. ^JW

[rbrennan55]

I was told not to because they say I have 4 or 5 activations already - which I don't, I have 2.  1 on the computer that I tried to re-install on and my secondary computer.  I was told that if I did that, I would not be able to active on any computer becasue there is no way to update the activations because the servers are long gone.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

I am sorry, Rbrennan, but that is not correct. The servers are online. Please review the information in https://adobe.ly/42FbnE3 as I tried to answer this and other common questions.

If you have used all of the available activations for Creative Suite 6, then you will need to find a new solution for your creative needs in 2025. The only way to recover an activation is to deactivate a previous activation, which you already attempted. If you haven't then please see https://adobe.ly/42FbnE3 and https://adobe.ly/4igGzhz. ^JW

[kglad]

with typical (but not all) cs6 license, you can have up to two concurrent activations.  by deactivating, you can restore your allowed activations without an adobe limit.  ie, you could easily have 4 or 5 activations.

[ProDesignTools]

@rbrennan55 –

Did you happen to manually deactivate the software before reinstalling it?

Most folks don't realize but one does not automatically do the other with Creative Suite.

The only way to ensure activations are preserved is to (1) deactivate, (2) uninstall, (3) re-install, (4) reactivate.

Though this is not always possible if a disk has crashed or access to a machine is otherwise lost before deactivating.

Note it's also a good idea to do these 4 steps before making any changes to your system hardware/configuration, because the software may think it's on a different computer afterwards.

[rbrennan55]

The customer service person expressed that the deactivation servers were 'long gone' and that deactivating the software will not 'reset' the activation count.  Therefore the above would not work.

[rbrennan55]

Hello,

I have had issues with software install that I leaned on these Forums to work through.  I did come across multiple suggestions to contact Adobe Customer Support.  

Adobe Customer Support is absolutely aweful and unethical.  It is completely irresponsible for a company to stand behind these poor standards.

That is all.

[Peru Bob]

How did you contact customer service?

Did you try the solutions offered by Jeffrey_A_Wright ?

[steph_8672]

I did.  It did not work.

[kglad]

old posts can contain, no longer relevant, information.  eg, adobe support will not help with legacy apps.

what exact problem are you having?

in the future, to find the best place to post your message, use the list here, https://community.adobe.com/

p.s. i don't think the adobe website, and forums in particular, are easy to navigate, so don't spend a lot of time searching that forum list. do your best and we'll move the post (like this one has already been moved) if it helps you get responses.

<"moved from using the community">

[ProDesignTools]

As Jeffrey mentioned above, the CS6 activation servers are not gone... They are still in place, which is why you are running into the issue you are.

Also as mentioned, there is no longer any way to 'reset' the activation count – that is true. Nobody can help with that, not even customer service.

However, manually deactivating the software (Help menu > Deactivate) on your own computer as described – if you are able – will maintain & manage one of the existing activations you have.

[Nancy OShea]

I question why anyone would attempt to use 13-year-old software on a modern computer and NOT expect problems.

• CS6 has been unsupported for more 10+ years.
• It's way beyond its 3-5 year shelf-life.  
• The longer you continue to use unsupported software, the closer you come to sudden failures.  It's just a matter of time until the wheels come off. 

I would argue that this is not an Adobe problem as much as unrealistic customer expectations.

Modern Creative Cloud apps work on these systems:

• Windows 11 (64-bit) versions 24H2, 23H2; Windows 10 versions 22H2, 21H2;
• MacOS 15 (Sequoia), 14.7 (Sonoma), 13.6.7 (Ventura).

- https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/system-requirements.html

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

Creative Cloud Photography Plan (Annual & Monthly plans available)
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html

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

[rbrennan55]

Well @Nancy OShea , I did not expect problems because I was re-installing the Suite on the machine that it had previously been running on for years without issue.  I re-installed based on Adobe Forums like this that suggested that I re-install.  In hindsight, I should have just exported to MOV then to H.265 which was my original workaround for the issue. 

I use the Adobe Master Suite CS6 for volunteer work with my church and the local hockey teams.  I never needed anything more than CS6.  But thank you for your input on how stupid you think I am.

[kglad]

@rbrennan55 

what problem are you having?

[Nancy OShea]

I use the Adobe Master Suite CS6 for volunteer work with my church and the local hockey teams. 

By @rbrennan55

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