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“How to Move Adobe CC or CS6 Between Computers, or PC to Mac”
How to Move Creative Cloud or CS6 from One Computer to Another
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Update:
We have positively confirmed from company staff that Adobe is still allowing crossgrades between different operating systems for any customers who either own or upgrade to CS6.
Hi, My school installed the photoshop software for us into my computer, but my computer have been very very slow and I bought a new one recently.
can i “transfer” the photoshop software to my new computer?
i do not have any disk or product key with me as the school installed everything for us…
Yes, you may be able to do that Choco…
See Setting Up Your New System in the article above for techniques to retrieve your serial number from your old computer, and then you can probably redownload the program installer using our Adobe software direct download links.
That should allow you to install the applications onto your new computer, provided you have a valid purchased license for it.
Hope that helps!
HI.
I have CS6 single-user Win 64 license.
Can I install CS6 Premiere Pro, After Effects etc on one PC and Adobe Media Encoder on another? I’d like to take the encoding load off of the PC I use for editing. I am hoping I can use a watch folder on shared storage to submit jobs to AME.
Thanks.
Hey Edwin, you should be able to install & activate the software on two machines, but just not run it at the same time (simultaneously)… See:
How Many Systems Can You Install or Run Adobe Software On?
At my job, we want to free up a CS6 license from one of our desktop computers to put on a laptop. The problem is that we have multiple licenses for CS6 on our adobe account. When I click deactivate and then login, will it show me which license I’m deactivating? Or how else can I figure out which licenses we have that are freed up?
Thanks
No, the software will simply deactivate the license that is installed on the machine you run it on…
However, you can determine which serial number that is by using the techniques described above to find/display the license key for that system.
@ProDesignTools
I tried the Product Key Finder app and it didn’t show me the cs6 license (did not deactivate it yet)
Thanks
Not sure why Amy, as the Freeware version of Mac Product Key Finder says it supports CS6 on the list of Mac apps that it will recover lost serial numbers for.
I had adobe suite installed on my PC through a licensed copy from work. My computer had issues with lack of space and two drives – so I needed to format it which, I have done. Before doing this I copied the files onto a usb, however to reinstall there are lots of folders and no file showing as setup, 13 folders in total, had tried just copying them all across but this didn’t launch the applications.
Any advice would be appreciated, unfortunately on logging into my account I hadn’t registered the version.
Hi Mona, just copying the existing installed directories between two machines or disks won’t work for moving Adobe software… Generally, you would have to reinstall from scratch onto the new system or disk with your original program installer. If you don’t have your product installer handy, then you can redownload it using our Adobe software direct links. We have both the recent CC releases as well as the old CS versions available there.
If you also need to recover your serial number for reinstallation, then you can try using the methods described in the article above.
In the past, I’ve used an automated tool to transfer CS and other programs from my old PC to a new PC.
Now that Windows 10 came out, used it again and again successfully.
You still need to deactivate the license on old machine, of course, but it saves a lot of trouble and transfers settings as well, very useful.
They actually have a very nice tutorial, even has a video:
http://www.zinstall.com/how-to/how-to-transfer-programs-and-files-to-new-computer
Thanks Tim, that’s an interesting tool. You wonder why Microsoft never came up with anything like that.
Note however it is definitely not free ($119 + tax), so no doubt there are folks who will continue to opt for the old-fashioned failsafe way of transferring programs between computers.
Furthermore, Adobe experts do not recommend trying to use a migration or transfer utility to move your Adobe tools between two machines, but rather advise performing a clean installation on the new system.
You just have more assurance that everything gets done correctly that way. So all-in-all, we would suggest skipping that tool.
I have a friend and he has a cs6, I asked him if I could get a copy from his file. When I downloaded the software, it needs a serial number and I don’t know the serial number. He doesn’t also know the serial number. Where can I get a serial number and how? How can I validate it in just 7 days?
Sorry Rara, it just doesn’t work that way.
Adobe products are single-user licensed, so you can not copy or split them between two people. See:
How Many Computers Can You Install or Run Adobe Programs On?
And you should avoid using any file that has unknown origins, as it is highly dangerous:
Warning on Adobe Software Piracy and File-Sharing
Hope that helps.
Hi i have a problem. i needed to change my motherboard on my laptop, and after this change when i open adobe product it says that trial is expired. how can i fix this?
i have registered cs6 photoshop and illustrator and want them to work again :) thanks in advance and have a nice day
Hey Radoslav, it sounds like what happened is because of the significant hardware change that you made on your system, the Adobe software thought it was entirely new machine and past your two computer activation limit.
In which case, you’ll need to contact Adobe directly and ask that they reset the activation count for your serial number on their end. Be sure to have your Adobe ID, serial number, and any purchase-related information ready. Then after that you should be able to reinstall as necessary.
For more information, see:
Solving Adobe Software Deactivation or Sign-out Problems
With the newer CC products, this is no longer an issue because trying to activate on a third system will in most cases give you the option to automatically deactivate the older or inaccessible machine(s) with no further action needed on your part.
Hello, Thank you for the nice information. I would like to know, if I move a PC that already has CC license to another country (from Belgium to Bahrain) and add the PC to new domain in Bahrain will it disqualify my license?
Thank you in advance.
Hello NCS, that should be all right – if you have a validly-purchased CC subscription, then you should be able to use it successfully no matter where in the world that you live or travel – even in countries where Creative Cloud is not yet offered or sold by Adobe…
For more details, see these posts:
Can I Use Creative Cloud While Traveling or Living Abroad?
Adobe CC Availability Across Different Countries of the World
@ProDesignTools
Thank you very much for the update.
Hi,
Are InDesign PDF job option settings agnostic between operating system platforms? I’d like to migrate multiple joboptions files from InDesign CS6 on a Mac and load them into InDesign CC (v9) on a Windows cloud server. Will this work or do I have to manually create new files on the server version?
@Trukrebew, yes, joboption files are completely cross-platform. Go right ahead and copy them from one machine to another.
Terrific. Thank you @BobLevine. I’m assuming this is because they are actually just an XML file?
Well, being in XML doesn’t hurt – but generally speaking, Adobe data files are cross-platform (meaning the same file will work on both Windows and Mac operating systems).
I use Adobe CS5.5 and I want to transfer my settings (favorites, keyboard shortcuts etc.) on to the new computer I just bought. How do i do that?
Thanks for the help!
Mike
Hey Mike, which programs(s) are you talking about? Before CS6, there usually wasn’t an automated way to transfer or migrate settings within the tools themselves – with a few exceptions, it typically involved copying specific program files from one installation to another. You could google the procedure for the application(s) you want, and see if you can find something.
@ProDesignTools
It’s Adobe Audition CS5.5
I didn’t find anything when googling.
Try this:
How to Export Keyboard Shortcuts in Audition CS5.5
thanks so much. this was really helpful
I want to deactivate and remove myself from my licenses entirely. I have CS4 Master Suite and will be doing the CC in the future. I wish to sell my existing program suite and move into creative cloud. grabbing only the ones that I truly use. By selecting “Permenantly Deactivate” will that free up the programs for someone else?
Yes, it should Alan – provided you do that on all machines where the software is activated.
Then you could initiate a product license transfer to a friend or colleague by following the instructions here:
How to Transfer an Adobe Software License Between Two People
Thank you so much! Awesome tutorial!
In my research on this question, I’ve also found a product called Zinstall.
Have you had experience with it?
Seems very slick, but they do charge $119 for that, so trying to find out if anyone has used it.
Hi Miles, it definitely seems overkill for the price, especially considering you can just follow the guide above to get it done for free.
In fact, Adobe experts do not recommend trying to use a migration/transfer utility to move your Adobe tools between two systems, but rather advise performing a clean installation on the new computer. It’s the most reliable.
PS – Adobe CC (via the Creative Cloud) now will sync and transfer your application settings to the new installation, so you don’t have to worry about that either. It happens automatically.
For CS6, you can transfer over your Photoshop presets from your old version to your new version by following these instructions:
How to Import, Export, or Migrate Your Settings Between Releases
Hi, I need some advice please.
I have CC on two Macs, and CS5 on a Windows laptop. It is genuine, licensed, registered. I want to swap the laptop for another Mac, and I want to move CS5 onto the new Mac.
I have contacted Adobe, and been told that I can’t cross-platform the CS5, have to crossgrade up to CS6 on the new Mac.
First question – is that correct? And if so, is it still possible?
Second question – I can find download links for CS6 for Mac, but I can’t find an upgrade from CS5 to CS6 link. I don’t want to pay the full amount for a whole package CS6, when I ought to be able to pay for an upgrade.
Thirdly – if I download CS6 for Mac, how do I get a serial number for it?
Please can you advise?
Thanks for your help
Ruth
Greetings Ruth, Adobe is correct: you cannot crossgrade from any version older than CS6 – and anything newer than CS6 (i.e., CC) doesn’t need to be crossgraded, because a single CC license can be easily installed on both operating system platforms at once.
On your question regarding how to download CS6: it’s the same exact version – whether for trials, full, or even for upgrades.
However, as of the start of October 2015, Adobe finally removed the online sale of CS6 from their website… The reason is because the software is 3½ years old and increasingly unsupported; they stopped releasing updates for it some time ago as the newer CC quickly grew and took over.
So if Adobe claimed that you could still do a crossgrade to CS6 at this point, then you would need to recontact them directly about that.
But with Creative Cloud, you don’t have to be concerned with any of that – you can install on either Windows or Mac OS, because the CC license is crossplatform and interchangeable.
Hope that helps!
I want to load Adobe elements 14 onto my laptop, Java asks if i will allow program to make changes. Will it affect any other photo programs, e.g. canon downloads or adobe reader?
Hello Pauline, actually Photoshop Elements doesn’t use Java – as far as we know, it has nothing to do with it…
See the complete system requirements for Adobe Elements – the only external software requirement is Apple Quicktime.
@ProDesignTools
Thank you, sorry for the late reply. As I said I already have CC on as many machines as is allowed from one subscription. So I’m stuck. What I’m looking for is an UPGRADE from CS5 to CS6, for Mac. Looks like this is not possible, unless you have any suggestions.
Hey Ruth, Adobe has said it’s the end-of-the-line for CS6. If you’re just going to be using CC occasionally on the third system, then you should be able to deactivate and reactivate your single license manually, as described in the article above.
But if you’re going to be using all 3 machines actively and regularly, then we’d suggest just buying a second license for CC under a second Adobe ID (just create another one). That would give you four (4) total machines activated with the latest releases of the software.
You also wouldn’t have to worry about any inter-version file format conversion or interoperability hassles.
Hi there,
I have the CS3 Master Collection from the school I work at, which purchased the volume licensing agreement. I’ve been using it on my laptop for years, but just bought a new laptop and wanted to load it on there. It says that I have reached the amount of activations so I tried to deactivate it on my old laptop. However, there is no deactivate option. It says “return e-license”, but it’s grayed out and will not allow me to select it. Is there any way to fix this so I can continue installing it on my new laptop? Thank you!
Hi Braidi – it sounds like there’s nothing further you can do, so in that case you’d have to contact the person who manages the Adobe volume licenses there… It’s old software so we’re not 100% certain, but “return e-license” must be related to the group purchase that your organization made.
@ProDesignTools
Hi again, thank you.
I didn’t actually realise I could install CC on the third machine (the Windows one) as well as the two Macs.
I have read your article about de-activating – it says ‘When the tools finish installing, just log in and the CC software will automatically be (re)activated on the new hardware for you, even if you didn’t happen to deactivate first on the old machine. You’ll see a screen that says Maximum Activations Exceeded but just click “Continue” and let the reactivation happen. This makes it straightforward to switch your CC apps to a different system when needed, like when a computer crashes or is otherwise not available, when traveling or away from home, etc.’
This article is I think, not very new. Is what it says still correct? Do I understand it to mean that if I want to use the Windows machine, occasionally, let’s call it No.3, it will de-activate CC on my two Macs automatically? Nos.1&2. And what happens when I finish using No.3 and go back to CC on No.1 or 2? Does it automatically re-activate?
Please would it be possible for you to write down the steps in a bit more detail? And also, how exactly would I de-activate CC myself on No.1, before using No.3, and when I had finished using No.3
Thanks very much.
Actually the article is accurate and reflects current information. It also details above how to deactivate and activate the CC software by signing in and out from the Help menu of a CC application.
And yes, if you try to activate on a third machine (without having deactivated), then it will ask you if you wish to deactivate the other two systems… In which case, to reactivate either of those computers again afterwards, you would need to re-sign-in again.
Hope that clears things up.
@ProDesignTools
Thank you. I will give it a go. Your service is very helpful, thanks.
Sure Ruth, glad to help and stop back anytime if you have further questions!