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Mary37852175hgky
New Participant
June 5, 2024
Answered

PSE12 stuck in log-in loop.

  • June 5, 2024
  • 4 replies
  • 2392 views

Hello, asking for community help as live chat agents have been no help. My copy of PSE12 is stuck in a log in loop. I am aware this is a very old version of PSE, but I am too poor to afford to upgrade, or I would. I am very low income and use PSE12 for graphic editing. I absolutely need this program. 

 

I correctly assumed the log in loop was due to having too many activated devices, so was able to get my old, failing BIOS, physically damaged laptop to work long enough to open the program and sign out / permanently deactive PSE12, thus freeing up a "slot" for my newer device, which is just a cheap functioning laptop. 

 

However, when attempting to install and sign in on this device, I am still encountering the log in loop. I follow the link, I sign in, and I still cannot access my product.  Granted, I cannot access the other pc that its on at all, so it will permanently be stuck on one old laptop that is completely inoperable and extremely damaged, but I should still have one "slot" left, should I not? I even uninstalled PSE12 on my old laptop after deactivating to make sure.

 

Why is this happening? What can I do to rectify the issue? Support agents genuinely were useless and told me to "buy a new product", which I literally cannot afford to do, my monthly household income entirely goes to bills and I am left with nothing to spend. 

 

If anyone has any ideas on how to fix it, please let me know. Thank you so much. 

    Correct answer Mary37852175hgky

    Hi again Jeff,

     

    So, I went ahead and tried the activation while disconnected from wifi, but now I'm encountering a new strange issue. Disconnecting from wifi allowed me to actually open the program (yay!) and interact with it, however, Adobe Application Manager (I think) is now prompting me to "Update your Browser",  adobe software, and OS. All of these are completely up to date, which is preventing me from signing in to PSE12 on this laptop again, trapping me in another weird loop. 

     

    Also, this program does not allow me to connect completely offline unfortuntely, it keeps just telling me that I'm offline and have to be online to connect; there are no perma-offline options, so I'm stuck with this update prompt.

     

    Do you have any advice on how to get around this? I think it will boot me in 7 days if it isn't successfully activated or I would just keep it like this. Attached a screencap of the update prompt.


    Sorry for the double message; 

     

    Disregard last post! I was finally able to get it to activate by completely disconnecting my wifi and disabling it on my laptop, which prompted me to use the offline response code login service. This worked and got me out of the update loop, and now PSE12 is activated on my current laptop.

     

    Thank you so much for the help! This is resolved now!

    4 replies

    Greg_S.
    Greg_S.
    Community Expert
    July 25, 2025

    @tor andreasr thank you for letting us know that the offline activation worked for you.  But can you tell us what version of Elements you installed and when you performed the offline activation?  Also, before you performed the activation, did you receive any message that you had reached the maximum activations for your license?   This continues to be a problem that is reported on an almost daily basis for users trying to install legacy versions of Elements.

     

    Added:  Sorry. I see that you were installing Elements 12.  But can you please answer my other questions.  Also, what OS do you have.

    T
    tor andreasr
    New Participant
    July 31, 2025

    @Greg_S. Yes, it was elements 12, the version I downloaded from adobe was 12.0 I believe.

     

    I performed the offline activation on July 25th, I did not get any messages about maximum activations. It just said that it could not connect and to check my internet connection, which led me to this post. I am running windows 10. 

    Hope this helps!

    T
    tor andreasr
    New Participant
    July 25, 2025

    Sorry to bump an old thread.

     

    In case anyone else is unable to log in, I had to disable my wifi and open elements offline.

    Then turn on wifi and update it to 12.1.

    After that, I was able to log in as normal and activate my product.

    Jeffrey_A_Wright
    Community Manager
    Jeffrey_A_WrightCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    June 5, 2024

    Thanks for tagging me @Greg_S. . 

     

    @Mary37852175hgky , I reviewed the account you used to post to this public discussion forum and can confirm that you do have activations remaining once you successfully activate and license Photoshop Elements 12.

     

    Can you please provide a bit more information, @Mary37852175hgky?


    What operating system are you installing Photoshop Elements 12 on?
    Why are you reinstalling the software?
    Did you move to a new computer?
    Did you transfer files or applications from the old laptop to the current computer?

    What type of network is the computer connected to?

    Does an organization manage the network, or is it a home network?

     

     

      M
      Mary37852175hgkyAuthor
      New Participant
      June 6, 2024

      Hi Jeff, thank you for the response. To answer your questions: 

       

      - I am using Windows 11 Pro.

      - I am installing it again because I don't have it installed on this laptop, I had to move laptops because my old laptop is virtually inoperable and has video scheduler errors and I can't use that one. I use PSE12 for graphical editing. 

      - Yes. I am using a Lenovo ThinkPad, my old laptops that had PSE12 were both HP; one I cannot deactivate, the other I successfully deactivated. 

      - No, this is a fresh start, no transfered files aside from some PNGs uploaded to google drive. 

      - I'm not sure exactly what you mean by asking what type of network so I'll list everything I can think of that helps in that regard: its a WPA2-Personal security network, Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260. Please let me know if thats not the info you're seeking. 

      - Its a home network. 

       

      I have also made sure that PSE12 is allowed through my firewall settings / is not blocked by that and I've tried running in compatibility mode and as an admin. 

        M
        Mary37852175hgkyAuthor
        New Participant
        June 6, 2024

        Thanks, @Mary37852175hgky. I appreciate the detailed response; it is helpful!

         

        The only remaining step that I recommend is downloading and running the CC Cleaner tool from https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/kb/elements-installation-error-CC-cleaner-tool.html. If cached activation or licensing data was somehow moved to the computer, it could prevent the activation process from completing. The CC Cleaner Tool removes this information if it does exist on the new computer. 

         

        If you still encounter problems then try disabiling Internet access and trying to complete the offline activation process described in https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/using/activate-offline.html. I don't know if your license for Photoshop Elements 12 supports offline activation, but I have seen this step be successfully applied for someone else who encountered similar problems, @Mary37852175hgky . Microsoft lists instructions on how to disconnect from a wireless network at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-wi-fi-connection-issues-in-windows-9424a1f7-6a3b-65a6-4d78-7f07eee84d2c.

         

        Please update this public forum discussion with your results, @Mary37852175hgky . It will be helpful for future individuals who encounter problems activating Photoshop Elements 12. I apologize for any delayed response; I will review this discussion when I return to the office on Monday. 


        Hi again Jeff,

         

        So, I went ahead and tried the activation while disconnected from wifi, but now I'm encountering a new strange issue. Disconnecting from wifi allowed me to actually open the program (yay!) and interact with it, however, Adobe Application Manager (I think) is now prompting me to "Update your Browser",  adobe software, and OS. All of these are completely up to date, which is preventing me from signing in to PSE12 on this laptop again, trapping me in another weird loop. 

         

        Also, this program does not allow me to connect completely offline unfortuntely, it keeps just telling me that I'm offline and have to be online to connect; there are no perma-offline options, so I'm stuck with this update prompt.

         

        Do you have any advice on how to get around this? I think it will boot me in 7 days if it isn't successfully activated or I would just keep it like this. Attached a screencap of the update prompt.

        Greg_S.
        Greg_S.
        Community Expert
        June 5, 2024

        I am going to ping @Jeffrey_A_Wright an Adobe employee who may be able to help you.

         

        In the meantime, are you logging in from an Administrator account?

         

        Try running the program in Compatibility Mode.  See my instructions here.  For Elements 12, the correct path for the PhotoshopElementsEditor.exe file is C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 12.

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