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“What’s the Difference Between Adobe Student Editions vs. Regular?”
What Are the Limitations of the Adobe Student & Teacher Versions?
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I have another question actually. Are there separate versions of the software for 32 bit and 64 bit systems?
Recently, I built a new computer that is 64 bit and installed my Photoshop CS4. Well, I keep getting an error message telling me the serial number is not valid (and yes, I’ve talked to Adobe. 4 times now actually…). So, thinking possibly it’s a Windows “bit” version problem, I reinstalled Photoshop on the old computer and everything works fine. When I put in the serial number, it shows me a little checkmark telling me it’s a valid code.
Well, I found out about deactivating the product through some forums, and that’s what I did to the software on the 32 bit Windows. Went back to the 64 bit and put the serial number in again and it’s still not valid even with it deactivated on the old computer.
I’m completely stumped at this point, lol, and Adobe is of no help at all. And, the only issue I could see it being is the 32 bit VS 64 bit versions. I’m pretty sure it should run fine on Windows 7…
Hey there Derek, the past three releases of Photoshop on Windows (CS4, CS5, and CS6) have both 32-bit and 64-bit versions where you can install one or the other, or you can have both side-by-side if you want. For each release, the two versions are separate but actually use the same serial number between them. See:
64-bit OS benefits, limitations | Photoshop CS4, CS5, CS6
If you’re having deactivation issues, then this second article may help:
How to Move Adobe Software from One System to Another
If it’s telling you your serial code is invalid and you aren’t using both of your licenses on two machines, then you need to ask Adobe Customer Service to reset all your license activations for the product and start again.
If you need more seats or systems, one nice option is to get an Adobe Volume License instead… These are available worldwide (for education or commercial customers) at no extra cost, and have some other nice advantages…
Will they be able to reset all the activations if the product was never registered to an Adobe account? If so, I will have to call them again and see if they can help.
It’s frustrating that I’ve talked to them 4 times already about this issue and not once have they mentioned anything to me about the deactivation process or being able to reset my activations, lol. I actually found the deactivation article above about a week ago through google and tried deactivating the product on the old machine like I mentioned in another post.
Thanks for the help though! Maybe the reset will help.. if not, hopefully I can get ahold of the S/T Edition sometime before end of August, lol.
Yes, you should just be able to give them your serial number and they’ll reset it, and then you can reactivate the software from scratch where you want it. You don’t actually have to uninstall or reinstall, just reenter the license key for the installations you want.
If one of your systems has the software installed but is not activated, it will revert into 30-day free trial mode instead.
BTW, it’s rare that you’d actually have to call them – just a quick live online chat will usually suffice. Thanks for stopping by and good luck!
How about if you want to upgrade later from a Photoshop CS6 to Photoshop CS7 Extended? Will that be a regular $199 upgrade or will I have to purchase the CS7 Extended as a new user?
Hi Jennifer, you’ll actually get CS7 for the US$199 price! That’s the beauty of this setup, as detailed in the last point on the list of differences given in the article.
@ ProDesignTools
ok so i got the cs6 production premium, i am even scared to open it… first, i hope i made the right choice with the program… 2nd, where can i get instructions or tutorials to start learning about it? =)
Hey, nice going Claudia, glad to hear it! We don’t think you’ll regret it, and there’s nothing to fear…
Installing is easy, just pop in the DVD and follow the on-screen instructions – you can install any or all of the programs in the CS6 suite…
Then here are some great resources to easily get started learning all the tools:
Download Free Adobe CS6 eBooks — 1,022 Pages of New Tutorials
and
New Adobe CS6 Tutorials – 30 Hours of Free Online Video Training
Hope this helps!
> i hope i made the right choice with the program
PS – If for some reason CS6 Production Premium doesn’t contain all or exactly the applications you want, no worries – Adobe also offers a no-hassle return policy where you can easily exchange for another suite within 30 days, if you want…
Just thought you might also like to know that, to help put your mind at ease.
@ ProDesignTools
thank you so much, i really appreciate it =)
Hi,
Do Adobe send the licence key with the CS6 Student and Teacher version, or do I have request to the installation key after I receive the product?
Thanks
Rabi
Greetings Rabi, thanks for your question. All buyers of the CS6 education editions need to complete a short validation process to ensure purchase eligibility…
But it’s not a problem because you can download, install, and run the free 30-day trial of your product to get started immediately, even before you have your permanent serial number.
Hope this helps!
I am going to school in the spring of next year, and I prefer to use PC – but the school teaches on Macs, therefore I am planning to get a Mac for the course. If I purchase the student copy for Mac, is there any way to later use for PC, or must I re-purchase Photoshop for PC?
Welcome Stephanie, there are only two options where you can buy CS6 licenses that will run on both Windows and Mac OS…
Both of these options are available for regular as well as education customers.
The first is through Adobe volume licensing.
The second is via the Adobe Creative Cloud.
Hopefully one of those choices will work for you, so you can run the software on both operating system platforms.
@ ProDesignTools
I’m still confused and sorry for the length of the delay to read the response. I checked the upgrade pricing for CS6 and it is the same price I paid for the FULL version. So I’m still in a state of confusion…
I’ve found out that another classmate bought 2 copies of the Master Collection CS5, one was a regular FULL version using her education status like I did, and the second one was the Student & Teacher version… When she got the order one box said “Education” while the only one said “Student & Teacher”. Why the difference in what they were called? Also the prices were different…. The student/teacher edition was $799 while the one she bought with the word ‘education” on it was $1060? Both cheaper than the FULL non-education versions…
What then was the difference with those and why did they have two separate titles.
Do you see why I’m confused? Plus the one with the words Education on it was allowed for commercial use, while the Student/Teacher copy was not allowed for commercial use.
Hey Jane, as mentioned in our earlier response, it was too confusing before with the availability of both CS5 “Education” editions and the “Student & Teacher” editions… At the time nobody, not even us, understood the full difference between the two, except for price.
Some said transferability was a difference, some said institutional ownership was a difference, some thought number of computers was a difference, some believed commercial use was a difference – but ultimately it wasn’t readily apparent and there was a lot of uncertainty.
So without much documented difference outside of the name, starting with CS6 Adobe simplified things and now only offers the less-expensive Student & Teacher Editions.
And note that all Adobe academic products worldwide since CS5 can be used for commercial purposes – including both your friend’s copies and your copy. Anything else is a misconception.
So bottom line, forget what happened in the past and just know that now you have two choices – Upgrade to CS6 commercial at a discount or buy a new CS6 Student & Teacher Edition – whichever is cheaper!
(Actually there is a third choice and that is to upgrade to an Adobe volume license, but that is really only if you need to run on both Windows and Mac, or do other things.)
That actually makes much more sense now…. Thank You…
Sure Jane, glad to help. Enjoy CS6, however you purchase it!
@ Jane
Just to make sure I’ve now got it figured out. For the most part, the only difference between the regular version and student/teacher version besides the price is the “student/teacher” TEXT added to the box. :)
Well, we didn’t say that actually. From a software features and functionality standpoint, they work the same – however the differences between the commercial/professional version and the student/teacher version are the subject of this article, and spelled out in detail above… They are important for managing your product, but not terribly restrictive. Just re-read the article if you missed any of them the first time.
Hi there. I bought the CS5.5 last year when I had a PC, but I recently switched to a Mac and bought the CS6 in the Mac platform. I wanted to give my PC version of CS5.5 to my friend until I saw this article. But I was wondering…. I’ve only installed the CS5.5 on one computer, if I give my friend the serial number that I activated, then could it work on his computer?
Hello Andrea, you can’t actually split up an Adobe license like that to run for two people or users, see:
How Many Computers Can You Install or Run Adobe Software On?
However if you purchased a Full version of CS6 (not an Upgrade version), then if you completely uninstall your CS5.5 on all your computers, you may be able to legally transfer that license to your friend.
Hope that answers your questions, if not then just post back.
@ ProDesignTools
Sorry I guess I wasn’t very clear. I know about the restrictions and those don’t apply to me as I don’t transfer previous versions and I only install on my own personal computer… I just meant that the only difference in the actual features of the software itself was the name that appears on the box..
Again, sorry for the confusion…
I just wanted to add that I wasn’t confused with the difference between the educational version and the student version. When I ordered CS5 I was told by a chat representative that the student version didn’t allow for commercial use or to have it on more than one personal computer. I had XP on the main computer and Windows 7 on the laptop and the two programs required for school needed Windows 7. Which was why I got the educational version in the first place….
Yikes. sorry for being wordy, just want to make sure I understand myself. :)
Great Jane, glad we got it sorted out. Whatever else was said in the past, just be assured that for any CS6 academic version, it’s non-transferable but you can use it for commercial purposes and you can install it on up to two of your systems… It also will work the same as a regular version in terms of functionality, and has no expiration date or time limitation. Finally, it’s fully upgradeable to a future commercial version (like CS6.5 or CS7) at Adobe’s discounted price.
Thanks again for your questions and for stopping by!
Hello, out of curiosity what if you download the student edition and your computer happens to crash to the point where you have to run a full system restore? Is there a way to re-activate the license without having to purchase it all over again?
Yes Rafael – once purchased, the license key is yours – so all you do is reenter your Adobe CS6 serial number after reinstalling or restoring the software… If it’s the same computer then you’ll have no difficulties at all. If it’s a different computer, see:
How to Move Adobe Programs Between Machines or System Upgrades
Thanks for the reply! Thing is if you run a full system restore a program wouldn’t recognize it as the same computer. So if that’s the case I should us the link you posted.
Actually if all the hardware is the same, then Adobe software typically will recognize it to be the same computer…
If however it doesn’t, and if you are unable to deactivate the prior installation that crashed, then you may lose one of your two available activations – in which case you’d need to take other measures to get one back.
But bottom line, no worries – there’s never any risk of losing your Adobe software license just because your system crashed. It’s yours.
Thank you so much ProDesign, you have been very helpful – my student/teacher edition of CS6 is now being verified!
That’s great Rafael, glad to hear it and to help out… Thank you for your kind words and feel free to stop back anytime!
I have the trial version of CS6, and expect to license the software when the trial expires. I’m a student, using my own Mac, while others in the class are using the school lab. I’ve noticed the lab computers have a zillion fonts and I seem to have only a few dozen.
Is this because i’m using the trial? Or because I have a student version? Is there a place to download more of the fonts that the lab computers have?
No problem Deb – you can easily pick up that large free collection of fonts in the CS6 “Extra Content” downloads…
Hope that helps!
i tried to do this and was not allowed access. is this available only after the software is licensed? I’m still using the free trial.
Actually it’s available to anyone at any time for free – even those who don’t own the software… You just have to carefully follow the download instructions given a bit further up that page.
My wife is a student and she will be buying CS6 Master Collection basically for my use. Can I use it for my freelance work? :-) Will I get into trouble?
Sorry Jack – as outlined above, Adobe’s deeply-discounted education editions are for the ownership and use of the qualified student or teacher.
However, there are ways that you could possibly become eligible to purchase and use one yourself, if you’re set on that.
Hi there
If my grandson buys the academic version of Dreamweaver, can it be installed on my PC for his use?
Regards
Pete
That’s a great question Pete, thanks for asking… Please see this series of 4 questions and 4 answers, and that should help – thanks!
I’m a student who purchased CS5 Student & Teacher edition in 2010. I have only ever used Photoshop, but now need to use “InDesign” – but it is telling me my serial number is not valid. Is there a time limitation if everything is not activated or used? Is this even a program I should have access to. Your insightful help is eternally grateful.
It’s not clear Jodi, which CS5 product did you purchase exactly – a single program or a suite? If a suite, does the one you bought include InDesign?
If you bought a suite collection, then activating one of the tools within the suite (like Photoshop when you did) should activate them all, because they all share a single serial number.
And as described above, there are no time limitations or deadlines on the purchased Adobe student licenses.
So if that’s not working for you, then you would need to contact Adobe Customer Service directly to sort out any issues with your product license – they’re really the only ones who can help there.
I ordered Adobe Photoshop CS5 Student and Teacher Extended Version. When I purchased this I believed it to have other programs besides Photoshop. Am I wrong?
Jodi, what you purchased is Photoshop on its own – the title was Photoshop CS5 and that’s what it is. The Extended edition refers to extra features within Photoshop.
If you would like the other programs, then your best bet now is to buy a new CS6 Student Edition Suite. Creative Suite 6 Design Standard Student and Teacher Edition costs $349 and includes four major applications: an improved Photoshop CS6, Illustrator CS6, InDesign CS6, and Acrobat X Pro.
You used to be able to upgrade from an individual application to a suite, but that is no longer offered.
Or you could buy InDesign CS6 standalone, but a student edition of that by itself is not available – so that commercial program would be more expensive than the student suite just mentioned.
Hope this clears up any confusion.
Nice!
Hi, my mum has just bought CS6 Design Standard as she is a teacher and qualifies for the student/teacher edition. However, we are both unsure whether all three features will work at once (Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign) as the yellow slip inside the packaging states “Purchases of Design Standard are limited to one title per platform every 12 months.”
Does this mean she is only able to use Photoshop one year and InDesign the next??
No, fortunately not, Georgie – it just means she couldn’t buy a second copy of Design Standard (if she had wanted) for another year… But there’s no problem – all applications in the suite will work fine for her, now and always.
Hi, I am a student and on the college bookstore website it lists two options for purchasing Adobe Design & Web Premium CS6. It shows I can buy the Student Teacher Edition or the Student Teacher Licensing. What is the difference and which should I buy? Thank you!
Hi Carolyn, for a single person or home you would want the regular Student and Teacher Edition.
For more than one user or seat, you would get the Student and Teacher Licensing.
There is one other case where the the licensing option can be useful – and that is if you want to run CS6 on both Windows and Mac OS. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much for the input. Yes, I do want it to run on my desktop and I hope to switch to a Mac in the near future, so I should probably buy the licensing product. If it has more usability, why is it cheaper than the Student and Teacher Edition? It seems it would be more costly.
Sure, glad to help. Normally for education, the volume-licensed version costs about the same or perhaps a little more in small numbers… If you don’t go via Adobe direct then you’d have to check and confirm with your college about pricing in your case.