How to deactivate Photoshop Elements

[nam69]

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

[Barbara_B_]

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

[destravlr]

Added to my other replies to Barbara B.:

I have tried the A & D help page several times and find that it leads to nothing. It will not lead to a chat source after asking for "more information."

I did stumble across a chat window, but every time I tried it, it apologized for "not being available now."

I followed Adobe Care to a Twitter page that did not lead to a source of a real chat technician, or any other source of changing the registered products in my account.

Is Adobe so paranoid that someone will use their products without paying that they make it almost impossible for a valid registered user to communicate with them?

Still trying.

[destravlr]

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.

[Barbara_B_]

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.

[destravlr]

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.

[Mohit Goyal · Accepted solution]

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

[dkdj5555]

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

[Peru Bob]

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.

[Peru Bob · Accepted solution]

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.

[andrew193441819bgp]

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]

"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.

[tommit57722040]

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.

[Barbara224160921ej5]

I am confused as whether to sign out my account of an 2022 Elements on an older windows 10 desktop.  as I have installed it on a new windows 11 desktop.  So would actually have it on 3 devices, latest being Windows 11 programs. Who is correct?

[Glenn 8675309]

I am correct. Put it on 40 devices if you want to.  You can only be logged into two copies of the program at any one time, and you can't be using both at the same time.  Overwhelming number of users might put it on a laptop, and a desktop- or they might put it on a computer, that computer dies, and they put it on a new computer.


Next: users will have some old computer die on them- it happens "I paid good money for this computer 10 years ago" but they didn't get a chance to log out of the program before the computer died.  That used up one of the activations, of two activations.  They allready installed it on the computer they bought at the local computer shop- a used computer to begin with, but they "Paid good money" for it, so it must be a good computer.   They install their version of PSE- often 10 years old-  log into it, and that just used up their second login / activation.   

Welp they went to the local computer store again to "get the wife her own rig" (Guys tend to call computers rigs- like it's a truck) download and install PSE 10, go to login in and get the "Activation limit reached" message.   You have used up your two activations / authoirzations-- the computer that died (the one you didn't log out of PSE) and the one you first reinstalled PSE 10 onto. 

Adobe came to their senses last June:  Activation resets on old versions will no longer be done.   

If I ever go to uninstall PSE, ever, for what ever reason- I allways log out of PSE first, then uninstall.  I have versions 10, 14,16,18,19, 20,21,22,23,24,and25 all installed, and have installed and unistalled each multiple times-- I've never had any "Activation limit reached " messages ever.

People do not often read, or fully understand the documentation about loggin out of the program- and that's a "end user" problem, not an Adobe problem. 

[Glenn 8675309]

that's because you probably have installed it on more than two devices- which you have not signed out of.  You can install it on 27 devices if you want- but only two devices can be active- and you cannot be using those two devices at the same time.

[potholes]

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