Download 1,000,000+ High-Quality Assets from the Adobe Stock Free Collection

How Many Systems Can You Use Adobe Products (CC, CS6) On?

You are currently browsing this article's comments (below). If you would like to read the full story, then you can see the complete post here:
How Many Computers Can You Install or Run Adobe Software On?

GET FREE ADOBE BOOKS

Sign up for our popular newsletter and we’ll send you 30 great ebooks to learn all major Adobe tools at no cost!

Thank you for subscribing! We hope you enjoy the newsletter and your free Adobe books... Click here to see the books now, and start downloading and reading!

Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again.

Share This

Download 1,000,000+ Royalty-Free Images from the Adobe Stock Free Collection

770 thoughts on “How Many Systems Can You Use Adobe Products (CC, CS6) On?”

  1. Hi,

    I want to use Photoshop and Lightroom CC on my desktop and my laptop.

    My wife also uses the laptop and uses her name to sign into it.

    Does that present a problem for me?

    Thx

    Reply
  2. As I understand it, the individual photoshop + lightroom 5 cc program allows someone to install the programs on two of their computers. IE laptop and desktop.
    Is that not correct?

    My question is if my wife signs into one of those computers is that a problem?

    I also understand that the same program may not be running on both machines at the same time.
    But what if that is not the case?

    And what if I am using Lightroom on my laptop and PS CC on my desktop at the same time?
    Which I might see myself doing in my workflow.

    Thanks,
    Greg Efner

    Reply
    • Hello again Greg, sorry for any misunderstanding – for your wife just signing into either computer, that’s no problem.

      Here’s what Adobe says about it:

      Adobe’s single user license allows installation of a single product license on two machines (such as one work machine and one home machine) provided the same individual uses the software, and not concurrently on both machines.

      However, reading carefully you see that would not preclude running one product (like Lightroom) on one machine, and a second product (like Photoshop) on another machine, at the same time.

  3. Hello

    I do have PS CS6 installed on my desktop and on my MacPro.
    Now I am getting Mac Air.

    Question: Can uninstall the PS from my MacPro and install on my New MacAir?

    thanks

    Reply
  4. Yet another question about private copy installation of Adobe CC for Teams. If it’s clear in the EULA (§2.1.3 Portable or Home Computer Use) that a home computer use is OK for purchased licenses (§2.1), it’s not that clear for membership-based licenses (§2.2) where nothing similar to §2.1.3 is stated.

    I know it’s technically feasible to install two copies for a CC account and I also found comments on adobe’s forum … but I want to have a clear understanding of where in the EULA this is authorized.

    Anyone an idea? Many thanks.

    Reply
    • Hey Roland, in that case §2.1.2.3 Subscription Edition should apply [For the Software available on a subscription-basis (“Subscription Edition”)].

      But it looks like you are quoting the older EULA terms, which were confusing… For CC now it’s different, as it uses the newer Adobe General Terms of Use, which was last updated June 18, 2014 and replaces the October 16, 2012 version in its entirety.

      This current EULA states:

      “You may activate the Software on up to 2 devices (or virtual machines) at a time, if these activations are associated with the same Adobe ID for the same individual, unless stated at http://www.adobe.com/go/activation. However, you may not use the Software on these devices simultaneously.”

      We are trying to get guidance on the last part, because we had heard from Adobe that a single user could now use the CC / Creative Cloud software on two computers at once. We will update further here if/when we receive clarification.

  5. I have the adobe CREATIVE SUITE 3 -DESIGN PREMIUM, some programs (dreamweaver i don’t use). My question is, can i use the serial number to activate it on 2 computers?

    Many thanks
    maria

    Reply
  6. I’m trying to buy Photoshop Elements 11 & Premiere Elements 11 disks online, but I don’t know if they were previously installed on another computer. Both CDs (one for Mac, the other for PC) are supposed to be brand new. How do I know that they are not installed on another device?

    Reply
  7. I have adobe pro 9 on my desktop that I purchased in 2011. My old computer has gone out on me. How can I redownload the program onto my new laptop without having to pay again. The acrobat pro 9 version from 2011 suits my needs, so I don’t want to have to purchase a new one if there is a way for me to redownload it. I do not have a disk for it, i Just purchased it straight from the website.

    Reply
    • Greetings Mili, the company will keep the original links for your downloaded purchase accessible in your online Adobe account for at least three years… so you should check that first.

      If you don’t find it there, then you are always welcome to try using our Adobe Software Direct Download Links

      It’s pretty old, but here is what we have for Adobe Acrobat 9 in particular.

      In the future, we always recommend making your own offline backup of your program by burning the installer files to your own disc media, or copying to a separate flash drive.

  8. HI!!!!

    I just purchased Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 and have a couple questions I can’t seem to find the answer to… I’d like to know what you’re aware of as far as:

    I’m not sure how long I want to keep my 2010 laptop, and my husband & I would both like to use LR on both of our computers (I should have checked into this prior to purchase, but just bought the Canon Rebel T5i camera & was a little excited buying the photo editing program as a family investment, to go along with it)…

    So, can we load the software unto both of our laptops (more than one computer, basically) AND be able to transfer my work OR at least this software to a new laptop when I acquire it in the near future – and will it be easy to do???

    I’m not a tech person so Any and All Help for this newbie is welcomed and GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

    Thank You So Much!!
    ~nicci

    Reply
    • Yes Nicci, per the details in the article above, you should be able to run Lightroom on two different systems (more than one computer).

      If you (optionally) want to keep the catalogs shared or synchronized between the two computers, then you would need to use one of the techniques described in this video:

      On your second question – yes, it would be very easy to move the Adobe software to any other machine.

      If you wanted to migrate the Lightroom catalog too, then you could do that as well:

      How Do I Move My Lightroom Catalog to Another Computer?

      Hope that answers all of your questions, if not then just post back!

  9. Thank you for this article.

    So I want to purchase photoshop cc via the special monthly plan. I have a desktop pc and a surface pro 3. To confirm, it will be possible to run photoshop cc 2014 on both these systems without purchasing additional licenses?

    Also, must I always be online in order to use these apps?

    Reply
    • Hey there Sean, as outlined in the article above, you will be able to run the CC 2014 tools on two Windows computers, two Mac systems, or one of each.

      To answer your second question, you definitely do not have to always be online in order to use the Creative Cloud applications… Please see Myth #2 here.

  10. Hi, Please could you clarify the team licence rules for downloading to a work computer and a laptop to work seamlessly from home. Is this allowed, I can only see reference to allow it for single users?

    Reply
  11. What is the difference between the Photoshop Lightroom 5 and the student-teacher edition? I am getting ready to purchase one and not sure which would be best.

    Reply
  12. If I get a creative cloud membership, can I work in the same application say InDesign on my pc and at the same time have work open in InDesign on my mac?

    Basically if it’s installed on two different computers with two different platforms, will it allow me to work in the same program at the same time? (Mac & PC)

    Reply
    • Hi Jena, thanks for your question – it’s a good one. With the CS (Creative Suite) tools you never could do that. But with CC, there’s some question as to whether you’re allowed to run the same application on two different computers (or operating systems) at the same time…

      According to Adobe staff talking about CC, “A single user can now use the software on two computers at the same time.”

      And a previous version of the Creative Cloud FAQ indicated, “you can use Creative Cloud desktop applications on two computers at once, regardless of operating system” – but it no longer says that…

      The Creative Cloud FAQ now says, “activation is limited to two machines per individual associated with the membership. See the terms of use for more information.”

      And Adobe’s Activation instructions state, “A single license for Adobe software lets you install the applications on two computers—for example, at home and at the office. However, you can use the software on only one computer at any given time.”

      Finally, the current Adobe Terms of Use say, “You may activate the Software on up to 2 devices (or virtual machines) at a time, if these activations are associated with the same Adobe ID for the same individual … However, you may not use the Software on these devices simultaneously.”

      We’d tend to believe the latter is more accurate since it’s the legal licensing agreement of record, and we will be updating the article above to reflect this.

      The good news is you can definitely install and run Adobe CC 2014 on both a Windows/PC and a Mac (two platforms) – but just may not be allowed to use them at the same time.

  13. Hi there,

    I’m looking to buying an older version like InDesign CS5.5 so it is not with the cloud. My question is, if I buy this software, how many computers can I install it on? I’m looking to be able to use it on a laptop and a main desktop computer.

    Something like this: « link removed »

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Welcome Brandi, the previous CS (Creative Suite) tools are discussed in the article above, and generally you should be able to install them on up to two systems (either Windows or Mac but not both), provided the software isn’t used simulta­neously on both machines at once.

      However, we definitely do not recommend trying to find or buy old Adobe software like that – it is too dangerous:

      Why Never to Buy Adobe Software on eBay, Craigslist or Amazon Mkt

      If you still want to buy a non-CC version of InDesign (or any other Adobe application like Photoshop, Illustrator, suite, etc), then actually Adobe still offers CS6 for sale direct… It’s the original release from 2012 so it’s not the latest and greatest creative software available, but it is a perpetual license and does not require the Creative Cloud (if that’s what you prefer):

      Purchase Creative Suite 6 Products Direct from the Adobe Store

      If you want to download a free trial to try it out first then we do also have the direct links for CS6 as well.

      Hope that helps!

  14. hi, thanks for the explanation.
    may i ask, so it can be activated up to two computers but owned by 1 user.

    i purchased the adobe CS6 creative suite.
    how does adobe know that two computers are using same software/product key at the same time? i mean adobe CS can be offline not like adobe CC.

    is activation on the second computer using the same key or a different key ?

    i have a PC and laptop.
    does it have to be same operating system/OS ?

    thanks so much

    Reply
  15. Hi, I am thinking of using Photoshop CC. I already have Elements 11 and Lightroom 5 installed, so would I have to remove them before downloading CC?

    Reply
    • No, not at all Keith – virtually all Adobe software installs independently, so you can have different products -and even different versions of the same product – all running on the same single computer…

      In other words, there’s no problem at all with running and using Photoshop CC, Photoshop Elements, and Lightroom all on the same machine at once.

  16. Hi, I just recently bought Adobe Premiere Elements 11 and it came with both Mac OS and Windows DVD installation. So my question is, do I have two installations on both different systems (4 essentially) or two of only Windows or two of only Mac OS installation?

    Reply
    • Hey Joshua, good question. Photoshop Elements (like Adobe CC or Lightroom) is multiplatform software, meaning you can activate up to two of your computers – and those systems can be either two Windows machines, two Mac OS, or one of each.

  17. but how are they gonna check if the programs run at the same time? Do they always connect to the net to check or what? If yes how can I use the program offline?

    Reply
  18. Hi,

    I am getting an error message that my Adobe log-in failed and activation limit reached when I try to use my software…… I thought I was only using it on two computers.

    What do I do?

    Reply
  19. Want to install cs6 on third laptop just purchased. Have on existing laptop and desktop. Can I purchase another license?? Or how would I go about doing??

    Reply
  20. I bought a MacBook Pro recently that has CS6 installed as well as Elements 11 and various other programs. I don’t have the original disks for the software. I backed up everything from the laptop onto a Seagate hard drive in case anything should happen and I need to reinstall the software in the future.

    My question though is this: can I install the software on another computer (I am looking into possibly purchasing an iMac) and still keep the software on the MacBook Pro? Both devices (should I get the iMac) are strictly for my own personal use. Thank you!

    Reply
    • You might be able to Jodee – but it sounds like the history, usage, and ownership of the software (and perhaps even the legitimacy) might be in question…

      If not, then you’d need to contact the original owner of the system you purchased and ask them to legally transfer the programs into your name.

      At that point, then, yes – you should be able to install the products onto a second computer using our guide here.

      Final note – you can’t reinstall the applications from the contents an existing hard disk where they are already installed… You actually need the original Adobe installer files or DVDs.

  21. Hello, I want to run Adobe CS6 on two different profiles on the same machine. Is that possible? This is at home so that my wife and I can use the software but on our separate profiles.

    Reply
    • Hi Adam, good question – as far as we know, Adobe software should work on multiple profiles on the same machine – and that would count as one installed computer out of two.

  22. I see that it looks like CS6 is allowed to run on 2 computers by the same user. I have CS6 installed on my Imac.

    But I am going on holiday and would like to have access to it on my Laptop. But my Laptop is Windows. I wasn’t sure with the 2 computer part. Whether it needs to be 2 Apple or 2 Windows PC/Laptops? Or it can be one of each?

    Reply
    • With CS6 (the older Creative Suite programs), the two installations have to be on the same operating system – you cannot mix and match.

      However, with CC (all of the Creative Cloud releases since 2013) you can choose 2 Windows, 2 Mac OS, or one of each.

Leave a Comment or Question


Receive over 30 Adobe Books plus Our Newsletter, Free!
DOWNLOAD FREE ADOBE BOOKS

Download Free Adobe Books Sign up for our popular newsletter and we’ll send you 30 great ebooks to learn all major Adobe tools free!

Thanks for subscribing! We hope you enjoy the newsletter and your free Adobe books... Click here to see the books now, and start downloading and reading!

Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again.

And don't miss: The New CC 2024 Direct Download Links
Boost your content creation with 1,000,000 free images from Adobe Stock

Don't miss: Download 1 million FREE Adobe Stock assets!

Start downloading instantly from the Adobe Stock Free Collection:

DOWNLOAD NOW

This message will close in:

GET FREE ADOBE BOOKS

Download Dozens of Free Adobe Books Sign up for our popular newsletter and we’ll send you 30 great ebooks to learn all major Adobe tools at no cost!

Thank you for subscribing! We hope you enjoy the newsletter and your free Adobe books... Click here to see the books now, and start downloading and reading!

Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again.

Thanks for sharing!
Subscribe to ProDesignTools for Adobe updates:
15.8kFans
7.2kFollowers
2.5kRSS
DOWNLOAD FREE ADOBE BOOKS

Download Free Adobe Books Sign up for our popular newsletter and we’ll send you 30 great ebooks to learn all major Adobe tools free!

Thanks for subscribing! We hope you enjoy the newsletter and your free Adobe books... Click here to see the books now, and start downloading and reading!

Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again.