How to Deactivate an Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017 License on a Wiped Computer
Question details
The user needs to deactivate an Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017 license from a wiped or unavailable computer in order to activate it on a replacement device.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Professional 2017
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Migrating a perpetual Acrobat license to a new computer when the original machine was wiped or restored to factory settings without manually deactivating the software first.
- Observed behavior
- Activating the license on the new machine fails with a 'serial number is already in use by the maximum allowed computers' error, and the retry activation prompt hangs indefinitely.
Ensure you have the exact serial number for your Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017 license ready and know the Adobe ID credentials associated with your purchase.
Deactivate the License Online via Your Adobe Account
Use this method to remotely end active sessions if the original computer is broken, wiped, or otherwise unavailable.
Adobe allows users to manage their active application sessions online. By ending the session associated with your wiped machine, you can free up the license activation slot for your new device.
Navigate to account.adobe.com in your web browser and sign in using the Adobe ID credentials associated with your software purchase.
Go to your 'Profile' section and look for the 'Active Sessions' or 'Activated Devices' menu.
Locate the session associated with the wiped or unavailable computer and click 'End Session'. Alternatively, choose 'End All Sessions' to clear all current activations.
Re-open Acrobat Pro 2017 on your new computer, enter your valid serial number, and proceed with the activation process.
Contact Adobe Customer Care for Manual Deactivation
If online session expiration fails or the retry activation prompt continues to hang, Adobe Support must manually reset your license count.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Acrobat say my serial number is already in use?
This error occurs when you reach the maximum allowed activations for your Adobe Acrobat license. If a computer crashes, breaks, or is wiped before you manually sign out from the Acrobat 'Help' menu, Adobe's servers still register that computer as an active installation.
Can I deactivate Acrobat 2017 directly from the application?
Yes. If you still have access to your old computer, open Acrobat Pro 2017, click on the 'Help' menu at the top, and select 'Sign Out' or 'Deactivate'. This action successfully frees up the license so you can use it on a new device.
What should I do if the retry activation screen hangs indefinitely?
If selecting 'Retry activation' causes the software to freeze or hang, close the application completely using your Task Manager. The best workaround is to log in to your Adobe account online to end the active session or contact Adobe Customer Care to manually reset the activation count.
