Photoshop Elements 15 suddenly asking for licence key

Report · Jan 17, 2023

I have a disc copy of PSE 15 which is installed on my Win10 machine and has been working quite happily until today. Now when I open the program, it demands the licence key/serial number. I have input this from the printed key on the CD sleeve, (making sure to enter the PSE one not the Premiere Elements 15 one also on the sleeve). There is a longish delay, then I am prompted to retry after deactuivating on one of my other devices (it is onloy on one other device, and both were working correctly simultaneously before today) or to try a different serial number.

There is also a contact support link on the failure page, when this is clicked, it says the licence is either expired (it is a disc version so should not expire) or invalid (well it was valid last week when I used the program without issue).

My colleague with her own licensed disc version in use on two machines is also experiencing the same thing today.

Please note, I am not re-installing the program, or transferring it from another device, simply opening it to do some work. Can anyone advise how to proceed, or what may be causing this sudden failure of licensing?

Report · Jan 18, 2023

My initial read is that you and your colleague are not connected to Adobe servers. This tech note may help:

Activating Elements (adobe.com)

If you can't resolve the issue, suggest that you contact Adobe directly via chat or phone:

Reach us by phone (adobe.com)

Report · Jan 18, 2023

I'm not here to give legal advice, and I don't know whether this is the problem or not, but the current Elements license only allows you to use one copy at a time. If Elements is installed on a computer with multiple users, the license can only be activated on a second computer used by the primary user of the first computer. And the two computers cannot be used simultaneously.

Over the past year or two, there seem to have been changes in the way Elements licenses are activated. Some users of older versions have found that they need to download and install the free Creative Cloud desktop application in order to activate their license. There is no need to subscribe to any software.

Also, since it appears that you have received a too many activations message, I suggest that you do as hatstead suggests and contact Adobe support. Even though you think the error message doesn't apply, you can ask support to reset the activations on your license. That may be all that is necessary.

Please let us know what happens.

Report · Jan 24, 2023

Thank you, I will contact support and get activations reset, and update here on outcome. (I've already checked link to activation servers, signed out of everything I can, so I guessing when the software ws transferred before my time from old device to new, it was not correctly signed out of old device before uninstalling.

Report · Jan 24, 2023

"I guessing when the software ws transferred before my time from old device to new, it was not correctly signed out of old device before uninstalling."

That may explain it. We look forward to your progress.