Transferring Photoshop CS6 to a new computer

[Jameydot]

A few years ago I purchased a Photoshop CS6 license. The old computer on which the program sits is being replaced and I wish to transfer the license to the a new machine.

The program order number, license reference and product serial number are available, but I am unable to find how to make the transfer. All of my internet searches have brought me to the same conclusion and that is the need to operate with Creative Cloud.

I do not wish to work with Creative Cloud and there should not be a requirement to do so. The original licence was correctly purchased and is a bona fide copy. The old computer is 32bit and the new computer is 64bit.

Please can anyone tell me how to sort out my problem?

Thank you in anticipation,

Jameydot

[Test Screen Name]

If you have the installer (original download or disks) and valid serial number, and your new computer runs an old system that is compatible with the old app, you can run it. If you don't meet any one of those requirements you need to get up to date because what you paid for is not going to work on your new computer. New systems, new apps... whether you want to upgrade or not.

[Jameydot]

It looks like bad news for me, so an alternative option is necessary.

Thank you for the prompt reply (but not for the news).

Best wishes,

John

[JJMack]

You do not transfer any version of  Photoshop to a new computer you need to install Photoshop on the new computer. If you are not going to be using an old computer you have Photoshop on you should deactivate the computer activation to free up the activation its user  so you can use it on an other computer.  You can only activate Photoshop on two machine with your perpetual licence or your CC subscription.   If  you have your CS6 Instalation DVD or have download the CS6 installer you should be able to install  CS6 on you new machine and activate it using your CS6 serial.  If your CS6 serial is for an upgrade from CS5 you will also need your CS5 serials to Activate CS6 on you new computer.  The new computer need to be running on the platform your perpetuals licence is for either a Mac or PC platform.  Perpetual licences are platform dependant.   

Photoshop need to be installed many system configuration setting need to be made to you OS for Photoshop to be runnable and usable on you machine. 

If the licence you purchaser for CS6 required you to download Photoshop you should be able to download CS6 from Adobe site using your Order history for CS6 that will be in your Adobe account on Adobe.com when you sign in with your Adobe userid and password. You do not download CS6 using the creative cloud desktop application. 

I have seen downloads on the web for  "Photoshop_13_LS6.7z"   Photoshop CS6 installer 7Zip packaged.  However these downloads did not seem to be from an Adobe site.  I would not trust them  to be free from malware.   Adobe took their Public CS6 Downloads off their sites there are now only public download for Adobe Creative Cloud Software.  I would not trust any cracked version of Photoshop.   Perpetual CS6 is also 8 years old. And runs best on old version of Windows and Mac OS.   CS6 does not have support  for features in newer OS versions.   I believe some CS6 plug-in are 32bit applications  which will not work on the newer versions of Mac OS.  

Its time to subscribe to Creative cloud I'm willing to bet Adobe will keep one of the latest two versions of Photoshop usable.

[Derek Cross]

You could consider subscribing to the Photography Plan which includes Photoshop 2020 and updates as they become available plus Lightroom and costs around $10 a month. There's lots of new features in recent versions. By the way, you download the application from the Cloud to your new computer and use it in the normal way, i.e. it's not Cloud based.

[Jameydot]

Thanks to everyone who took the trouble to reply.

Having looked at my options, it was obvious that the Creatve Cloud was the conclusion. The fact that the program is located on my hard drive had completely passed me by. Now that I know it is possible to work offline and file my data locally and not in the cloud, I have opted for the Photography Plan.

Thank you again. You have made an old man very happy,

Regards,

John

[SteveMann]

$10 a month may be pocket lint to you, but to a retired  person depending on Social Security and a small savings account, $10 a month means missing a meal.

This is why I will never rent software.

[defaultzg4kg8mff3jw]

And $10 a month only gets you a portion of the program you can't save it in other formats such as JPEG, PNG,… You have to pay more if you want to save it in other formats besides PSD

[Test Screen Name]

"And $10 a month only gets you a portion of the program" This does not seem correct. $10 month gives you Lightroom and Photoshop. There is no more to pay to save JPEG or PNG.

If someone thinks Lightroom is a substitute for Photoshop, though, they will certainly be disappointed.

[Fotomaker01RA]

That is incorrect.

You can save in any of the file formats you listed - using either the photography plan, full plan or some customized potpourri of selected products. Unless I'm seriously misunderstanding your comment.

[jane-e]

---

@defaultzg4kg8mff3jw wrote:

And $10 a month only gets you a portion of the program you can't save it in other formats such as JPEG, PNG,… You have to pay more if you want to save it in other formats besides PSD

---

Hi

You'll be happy to know that you can save in all formats. There was an issue created by Apple that Adobe had to come up with a solution for.

• As of 22.4.1, you can find png, jpg, pdf, etc., in Save a Copy (not Save As).
• As of 22.4.2 you can also revert to the previous behavior in Preferences > File Handling > File Saving Options:
  – Enable Legacy Save As
  – Do not append Copy to Filename

See this help page for details and cautions:
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/saving-images.html  

~ Jane

[defaultzg4kg8mff3jw]

I tomb having the same problem so I wound up subscribing to the Lightroom package for $10 a month. But it is so limiting. You can only save in two formats. In order to save more you have to pay for another program. Before you know what you're paying 50 or $60 a month. To get an equivalent of C6. Very frustrating. I'm in the middle of a giant graphic design project running c6 from my 2012 Mac. And my computer keeps crashing because I just can't run the program anymore but I need that program so badly. And I can't afford to pay $50 a month for it. I do all volunteer work and it's very frustrating. I wish there was a way of transferring everything. Back in the day with Photoshop 1 you could transfer it all over the place   Adobe will nickel and dime you to death

[D Fosse]

That is completely wrong and you misunderstand. Please re-read jane-e's post directly above yours.

So to repeat and be absolutely clear: The $10 photography plan gives you the full, unlimited version of Photoshop, no different from any other subscription plan.

[Just Shoot Me]

What EXACT operating system is the new computer running or going to run?

If this is a New Mac with OS X 10.15.x, Catalina, then I don't think CS6 will install as Catalina will not run any 32bit programs.

[Derek Cross]

The OP has stated he's going to subscribe to CC in the Photography Plan.

[Jameydot]

Hello Just Shoot Me. Five minutes ago I posted my conclusion based on the
replies received, so you are just a little too late help.
Thanks anyway.
Regards,
John

[Derek Cross]

Have fun -- it might be worth taking a few lessons to bring you up to speed with the newer features in Photoshop. Adobe provide some free online video tutorials via the Creative Cloud app and you can get a 30-day free trial at LinkedIn Learning. And of course, return to this friendly use-to-user forum with specific questions.

[Fotomaker01RA]

Derek is right. There are some newer features that you can really get the best out of by seeing some of the pro tips for usage that are out there. In addition to Adobe's tutorial options, there are online sites such as PHLEARN, Photoshop Training Channel, f64 Academy and others that post excellent free tutorials for various aspects/tools in Ps. There are others who are excellent too - if you're an intermediate+ level user and can follow fast-talkers or don't mind pausing videos a lot. But, if the goal is to learn cool new features & how best to use them (for free) I'd say check the 1st few sources I've noted. Good luck.

[petera12192384]

Sorry to reply to OP.

I have skimmed through the comments, will read better when i have the time. I am thinking of putting a SSD in my computer, but this computer is 7 years old. I do not make enough money to subscribe to CS Cloud...  My question.. If i deactivate it on this computer before reinstalling it(digital edition, wanted disc.) Will it count as one of my downloads? I believe you only 1 or 2 downloads before your license is no longer usable.

I plan on saving up for a better computer in the future, just for CS6 editing, but can't afford that now. And will never be able to justify Cloud cost for when I only do digital editing for my own entertainment, not that i could afford it..  (I think it's kinda crappy that you pay over $600 and don't even own your license, have a limited amount of downloads if I read that corretly years ago.)

In short: If i deactivate and activate it to a new hard drive/computer, does that count as one of my limited downloads? Thanks for any help!

[Derek Cross]

If you have problems running  Photoshop CS6 on your new computer and you can't afford $10 a month for the Photography Plan, you might consider Photoshop Elements, which is a kind of Photoshop Light and is available for a one-off payment of around $80, 

[petera12192384]

Thank you, i appreciate the advice.

Do you know if it is limited amount of times that you can transfter Photoshop as long as you deactivate one one computer before installing it on a new one? (like another program i use.. as long as you deactivate it from a computer, you can install it to a new one as long as you have your liceense.)  I thought that you could only install it about 2 times, then again i haven't am not up to date.

[Ged_Traynor]

@petera12192384 you're allowed 2 activations for CS6 as far as I remember.

Another option would be to use https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree to create an image of your current drive and then transfer the image to the new SSD when installed, I use it all the time and it saves having to reinstall apps and the OS, it also comes with a cloning feature and it's free!

Edit: if you go over the activation count you can have that reset but you'll need to contact Adobe support for that

[Derek Cross]

With Photoshop CC you can install it on multiple computers but only have it able to run on two, and you can't use both at the same time.

[petera12192384]

Oh, so just to clarify that i understand this all correctly.. As long as i deactivate it from one computer, there's no limit to how many times I can install/activate it to a new one and not be told I can only do it so many times in the future? That would definitely change my mind of paying a lot for the program and then them pushing CC.

[jane-e]

When you install on a third computer, Adobe will tell you to deactivate first and you can to it from that computer. When you then return to an earlier installation, Adobe will tell you again that you have two activations and will make you deactivate. It will not remove the installations.

Jane