Can't redeem key because it has already been activated.

Question

Hello everyone!

A friend of my grandma bought Adobe Photoshop Elements months ago via a seller. She received the license key and was able to install Elements (which could not be don't be done without that key). She didn't open the program for a few months because her computer classes only started in september.

Now we are months later, she opened Elements and was greeted by the 'free trial expired' screen. She tried redeeming the key again, but then she got the message that that code was already in use by other account. I checked every account she could possibly have, but could not find the one connected to the license she bought.

We also didn't receive the serial key of this product. When we contacted the seller, they told her only Adobe themselves could help her.

So here I am, asking, is there a way to get that license back? We don't know which account is using it... She hasn't linked Elements to her Adobe account and we don't have a serial key. I tried looking for the serial key in de registry, etc.

Can somebody help her? She really needs that license back for her computer classes.

Thank you in advance!

Greg_S. · Accepted Answer

When you say you received a license key, do you mean a redemption code?  A redemption code has to be redeemed in order to obtain a serial number to activate the program's license.  If you have a redemption key and not a serial number go to this page for instructions.  Have you already tried that and is that where you are getting the already activated message?  If so, was the serial number not recorded for safety? It is possible to install the program (for a 30 day trial) without the serial number.  If  you are still having problems, I suggest you open a support chat session on the Adobe.com main page>Support menu. (Click the blue Contact Us button.) I hope this helps you and your grandma, and that she has not been a victim of a scammer.

Lisa Dewaele · Answer

I contacted Adobe via the support chat and they were very helpful! They managed to retrieve the serial number. For people in a similar position, I suggest you use the support chat (like Greg_S. suggested).

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