Can't redeem key because it has already been activated.

[Lisa Dewaele]

Hello everyone!

A friend of my grandma  bought Adobe Photoshop Elements months ago via a seller. She received the license key and was able to install Elements (which could not be don't be done without that key). She didn't open the program for a few months because her computer classes only started in september.

Now we are months later, she opened Elements and was greeted by the 'free trial expired' screen. She tried redeeming the key again, but then she got the message that that code was already in use by other account. I checked every account she could possibly have, but could not find the one connected to the license she bought. 

We also didn't receive the serial key of this product. When we contacted the seller, they told her only Adobe themselves could help her.

So here I am, asking, is there a way to get that license back? We don't know which account is using it... She hasn't linked Elements to her Adobe account and we don't have a serial key. I tried looking for the serial key in de registry, etc. 

Can somebody help her? She really needs that license back for her computer classes.

Thank you in advance!

[Greg_S. · Accepted solution]

When you say you received a license key, do you mean a redemption code?  A redemption code has to be redeemed in order to obtain a serial number to activate the program's license.  If you have a redemption key and not a serial number go to this page for instructions.  Have you already tried that and is that where you are getting the already activated message?  If so, was the serial number not recorded for safety?

It is possible to install the program (for a 30 day trial) without the serial number. 

If  you are still having problems, I suggest you open a support chat session on the Adobe.com main page>Support menu. (Click the blue Contact Us button.)

I hope this helps you and your grandma, and that she has not been a victim of a scammer.

[Lisa Dewaele]

Hi!

Indeed, with licence key I meant redemption code. And I'm afraid she forgot to write the serial number down.

I've already tried the steps on that page, it's indeed where we are getting the "already activated" message.

I'm probably going to contact the support chat. Because at this point it seems like the only real opion we have.

We are sure we weren't scammed because it's the most trusted site to buy products from in our country. The reason I'm contacting support is because my grandma's friend doesn't understand english. So I'm trying to figure it out for her.

Thank you for your reply!

[Lisa Dewaele]

I contacted Adobe via the support chat and they were very helpful! They managed to retrieve the serial number. For people in a similar position, I suggest you use the support chat (like Greg_S. suggested).

[Greg_S.]

Thanks for reporting back.  Glad your grandma can now take her computer classes.  👍