Photoshop Elements 2025 is making me log out of other computers to use

[DerpiZen]

I previously used Photoshop Elements to put on a few computers that didn't need the high-powered editing that Creative Cloud has, mostly just text editing and whatnot, and I just bought a 2025 license and it's making me deactivate other PCs when in the past, all I needed for Elements was a license key. Did something change? I can't seem to use Elements 2025 without being forced to deactivate my own personal Creative Cloud.

[Greg_S.]

You are only entitled to activate Elements on two computers (and you may only use one at a time).   The same has been true of all versions of Elements for at least the past 15 years.

The only difference introduced by Elements 2025 is that the license has a term limit of 3 years.  The license is also tied to your Adobe account and is not governed by a license serial number.  Unfortunately, if you have to deactivate a computer to use the license on another machine, you will deactivate all other CC programs on that computer.  I'm not sure what happens if you simply sign out of one computer from the Help Menu. 

[DerpiZen]

Yes but I've always had multiple licenses for each computer I've needed it for, under one Adobe account. In past versions of Elements, I've been able to have multiple licenses on the same Adobe account on different computers as I have licenses. The problem I have now with 2025 is that it's linked to my Adobe account and there is no license key, which means I have to choose between using 2 PCs... 

It seems the only workaround for me now is making multiple Adobe accounts so I can purchase multiple 3-year Elements licenses... it's kind of annoying compared to the easy way it worked for me with just license keys. Irritating.

In short, if I have 5 PCs that need Elements, now I need 5 different Adobe accounts. On the older version, I could have just bought 5 license keys.

[Greg_S.]

You have an unusual use case for Elements.  (But unless you are using all 5 machines at the same time, you would only need 3 accounts.)

[pradeepkmr]

Hi @DerpiZen 

could you please confirm that you have purchased cc app and Elements 2025 app with same id or two different id ?

[DerpiZen]

I did have CC and Elements on the same ID. I have since gotten a refund for Elements 2025 because it did not work as expected like 2024 did. 

[DerpiZen]

Otherwise, I have 7 other previously purchased pre-2024 Elements licenses on my one Adobe account installed on 7 different PCs. It seems that with this new 2025 version, I cannot have multiple 2025 licenses on my one account the way that I'm using them.

[Greg_S.]

@pradeepkmr, if Elements 2025 and CC are installed with the same account, will signing out of Elements also deactivate all Adobe programs on that machine, including all other versions of Elements (which would then require insertion of serial numbers for each prior version of the program)? 

And where does my account profile show that Elements 2025 has been installed under that account?

[DerpiZen]

For me, Elements showed in https://account.adobe.com/ but did not show in CC despite requiring to log in there, it made no sense at all.

[Peru Bob]

Elements is not part of CC.

[Greg_S.]

@Peru Bob, the new licensing scheme relies on ownership of an account, not a serial number.  Hence, my question to @pradeepkmr., and presumably the difficulties faced by the OP.

[Peru Bob]

@Greg_S. 

Does that mean that the CC app is now required for Elements?

[Jeff Arola]

I have both Photoshop Elements 2024 and various other older versions plus Photoshop CC on the same account.

Signing out of either any of the Photoshop Elements versions or a CC application will sign out both the several Photoshop Elements versions and all the CC applications.

Since i have more computers than are allowed by the two that Adobe permits at one time, i sign in/out of at least one computer everyday.

What i do, is do the signing in/out using one of the Creative Cloud Applications, so that way no serial numbers for Photoshop Elements need to be entered.

If one signs in/out with the Creative Cloud Desktop Appliocation or one of the other CC applications, then yes Photoshop Elements is also signed out and when signing back in with a CC aplication then Photoshop Elements is also signed back in.

I don't have Photoshop Elements 2025 yet, so i don't know if the above works with it or not.

[Jeff Arola]

One other thing i've noticed is the Photoshop Elements 2025 7 day trial seems linked to a persons Adobe account ID, so installing PSE2 2025 on another computer does not give you another 7 day trial, but instead says your trial has expired.

[Greg_S.]

@Peru Bob, I don't see any evidence that the CC desktop app is required to install Elements 2025.   

Thanks @Jeff Arola for your input.  I have been reluctant to test the licensing procedures because of the possibility that in sigining out of Elements 2025, I might also be signed out of all my other installed Elements versions and be required to enter a serial number.  I can't find any evidence in my Adobe account that I actually have a licensed version of Elements 2025.  It doesn't appear under my Products page and there is no mention of it in my Plans tab.