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Participating Frequently
February 13, 2012
Answered

How to deactivate Photoshop Elements

  • February 13, 2012
  • 9 replies
  • 103242 views

I dont know how to do this. I need to install my disc on a new computer and it told me my serial number is good for 2 computers and i need to deactivate one

please send replys to my email address

[Email address removed]

Message was edited by: Brett N

    Correct answer Peru Bob

    UPDATE:
    Adobe Customer Service (Support) no longer has the ability to reset activations.

    The only way to deactivate is if you can open the program in the computer which it is desired to be deactivated.

    9 replies

    New Participant
    November 10, 2024

    better hope your laptop is not stolen or crashed.. looks like you would be invited to purchase it again

    New Participant
    June 15, 2024

    Adobe's perpeptual licenses cannot be deactivated from customer's end as well as Adobe support. DO NOT DEACTIVATE your application in order to install it on a new system, you will not be able to install the product and you will end up on loosing the product on the system where it was working fine. 
    Adobe have made changes for the activation server and the only reason we see here is: they want us to move to subscription model. WHICH WE WONT

     

    Glenn 8675309
    Brainiac
    November 10, 2024

    "DO NOT DEACTIVATE your application in order to install it on a new system, you will not be able to install the product and you will end up on loosing the product on the system where it was working fine."   None of that is correct, and simply is not the case.


    New Participant
    January 19, 2025

    But it very much is correct.

    I made the mistake of signing out of PSE18 and not a chance to get it working again. Tells me that activation limit has been reached, and customer support can't do s*hit about it.

    Peru Bob
    Peru BobCorrect answer
    Adobe Expert
    June 6, 2024

    UPDATE:
    Adobe Customer Service (Support) no longer has the ability to reset activations.

    The only way to deactivate is if you can open the program in the computer which it is desired to be deactivated.

    Mohit Goyal
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    September 27, 2021

    Hi all,

     

    You can deactivate Photoshop Elements from the old computer or for moving the software from one computer to another by following the below steps:

     

    1. Open Photoshop Elements
    2. Launch Editor
    3. Go to Help Menu 
    4. Click on Sign out Or Deactivate

     

    Note: The machine should be connected to the internet at the time when you are performing these steps. For more information related to Activation and Deactivation take a look at the following article: https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/activate-deactivate-products.html

     

    Hope it helps.

     

    Thanks,

    Mohit

    New Participant
    December 22, 2023

    What if you can't access the old computer to deactivate it?

     

    Peru Bob
    Adobe Expert
    January 8, 2024
    quote

    What if you can't access the old computer to deactivate it?

     


    By @dkdj5555

     

    Please go to Adobe Customer Service and only ask to have your activations reset (Make sure to sign in to your Adobe account first and allow popups and cookies on your browser. You may not be able to see the chat window if using a VPN.):
    https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html?rghtup=autoOpen will automatically open the chat window.
    Type "Agent" in the chat box to bypass the chatbot and be connected to a person.


    Participating Frequently
    May 1, 2015

    I don't know where Correct Answer came from, but it does not help getting PE deactivated. If somehow you go to

    the PE Help on the PE13 menu bar, you will not see "Deactivate" you will see a Sign Out choice. That tells you, on

    a PC to go to Control Panel and Unistall the program. You will be given one choice about saving or deleting preferences,

    but no other choice. There is a series of screen shots on one of the Adobe "help" pages that shows more options for

    permanently removing the program from your current installation. I've gone through that 4 times now and nothing shows

    on my Adobe account under My Products. There are 2 registrations on Mar 6, 2015. I only registered the program on one

    machine, my PC, so why are there 2 registrations showing?

    Even the Geek Squad has only online info that does not lead to an Adobe human chat site. Sob.

    Participating Frequently
    May 1, 2015

    You can go to the Activation & deactivation help all you want, wait at each page as long as you want, and there will be no response from Adobe. You will not find a chat icon that works, a contact us box that works, or any other help for Photoshop Elements. If you dial an Adobe phone number, eventually you will be told that Adobe provides no phone support for PE.

    I have installed and tried to deactivate PE13 on my PC at least 4 times now. Any Adobe "help" page you find will not have the correct information, at least for PE13 deactivation.

    I think it's time to go to a hack site to get a code that will work on my Mini.

    Must find some solution before I start destroying hardware in frustration.

    Inspiring
    May 1, 2015

    I have no trouble getting the active chat window, although it's a long slog to get there. Only activation support can fix this for you, so you will just have to persevere. Are you continuing even when it looks like you're getting looped back to a page you just left a couple of clicks ago? That's not really the same page--it just looks identical, for one of those mysterious adobe reasons, but if you fill in the info again and go on it does take you to someplace else.

    Also, if you are using a program like Ghostery or another program that blocks trackers and such, you need to disable it  when you get the page that shows the chat option, or the actual chat window is blocked from appearing.

    Participating Frequently
    April 25, 2015

    It would be helpful to add that the Editor to which you refer is Adobe Photoshop/Elements Editor. It took me about 10 minutes of searching to figure that out.

    The answer may be very helpful, because Adobe instructions do not specify how to use the Editor to deactivate. In fact, I followed a set of Adobe instructions (source?, don't remember right now) and only uninstalled the program - PE13. That didn't help with getting the number of installations reduced in my Adobe account.

    Participating Frequently
    April 28, 2015

    Follow on:  In PE13 Editor, I went to Help, then to Sign Off. There was no "Deactivate" anywhere, but Signing Off was supposed to deactivate that registered copy.

    It did not, at least as far as removing 1 of the 2 PE13 installations that show up when I go to my Adobe account.

    Still trying to get  hold of an Adobe human to help.

    Inspiring
    April 29, 2015

    For help with activation, you don't want regular customer support, but rather activation support. You  need to contact them from this page:

    Activation & deactivation help

    New Participant
    February 14, 2012

    When you'll go to Editor's Help -> Deactivate..., you'll see a window like

    Click on "Deactivate Permanently". It will deactivate your serial number on that machine and you can use that serial number on some other machine.

    nam69Author
    Participating Frequently
    February 14, 2012

    Thanks to all for the help. I did contact the company and they were able to

    give me an activation on my new computer since my other computer died with

    the program installed. I also have the program installed on my laptop but I

    dont have an option to deactive it using the help button. That option is

    showing on my desktop, but not on my laptop. So I would have to call the

    company again to get help if my laptop goes down or I buy a new one?

    Inspiring
    February 14, 2012

    You are looking in editor and not organizer? Do you keep getting a screen asking you to enter your serial number, by any chance?

    99jon
    Brainiac
    February 13, 2012

     

    You open the Editor on your old PC and on the menu bar click Help à Deactivate

    If that doesn’t work you need to contact support at the link below. Click I need help with deactivation and it’s often possible to initiate live chat.

    http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/contact.html

    New Participant
    December 5, 2016

    I am migrating from an old iMac to a new one.

    Actually I have installed on the old iMac Photoshop Element 14 and Premiere Element 14.

    Should I deactivate the apps in the old computer? And if so, how to do it?

    Thanks!

    MichelBParis
    Adobe Expert
    December 5, 2016

    gilbertoj97886933 wrote:

    I am migrating from an old iMac to a new one.

    Actually I have installed on the old iMac Photoshop Element 14 and Premiere Element 14.

    Should I deactivate the apps in the old computer? And if so, how to do it?

    Thanks!

    Yes, you should.

    Use the menu Help >> Sign out (your user name)

    That's the same as the 'deactivate' option of the same menu in older versions.