How does activation affect Adobe Open Options volume licensing customers?
Product activation applies mostly to the individual retail versions of Adobe software products and is generally not part of the Adobe Open Options programs.

How do activation and registration differ?
Activation is completely separate from product registration, which is optional. Registration is for customers who want to receive information about product updates and other special offers from Adobe.

How will the activation information be used?
The unique serial number assigned to each copy of Adobe software is combined with a "machine identifier" for the user's computer. When the product is activated on a computer, this machine identifier and the product serial number are provided to Adobe to help ensure that each genuine copy of its software is not activated more than the permitted number of times. Adobe's activation system does not collect, transmit, or use any personal information.

What happens after I activate Adobe software?
The Adobe activation process supports installation on a primary and secondary computer as well as most system upgrades. In most cases, customers can change computing environments without contacting Adobe Customer Care or reactivating any installed Adobe software.

What happens if the product is discontinued?
Adobe is fully committed to honoring the terms of its product license agreements. In the event that a product is discontinued, Adobe will enable automatic approval of all activation requests for that product or provide a means to remove activation outright.

Will I be able to use the software in perpetuity?
Adobe's product license agreements typically grant the user of an Adobe product the right to use it in perpetuity. Adobe plans to honor these agreements. In the unlikely event of the company's shutting down, we will enable automatic approval of all activation requests or provide other technical means allowing users to continue using our products.

What happens if Adobe releases a newer version of a software program that requires activation? Will I be able to activate the older version?
Yes. Even after the older version of the product stops shipping, you can activate your copy of the older product.

What happens if I get a new computer and want to install Adobe software on the new computer?
The activation process will allow you to transfer activation of your Adobe software from your original computer to your new computer. After you install the software on your new computer, you will be asked to reactivate the software. At this time, you must uninstall the software from your older computer to comply with the license agreement. The uninstaller prompts you to decide whether you want to transfer the activation, so that activation is available for another installation on another computer using the same serial number. Transferring activation is as easy, anonymous, and quick as the initial activation. In most circumstances, this activation will be successful. In the rare case that reactivation is unsuccessful, call Adobe Customer Care for help. Some older versions of Adobe software do not enable activation transfer. If you are using software that does not enable transfer, please contact Adobe Customer Care.

I don't have access to the computer on which I originally activated Adobe software. Can I still transfer my activation to a new computer?
We strongly advise transferring activation from the original computer before decommissioning it or uninstalling the product from it. If access to the original computer is not available, you may not be able to activate on the new computer. Please call Adobe Customer Care for assistance.

Will transferring my activation affect the licensing status of my software?
No. Transferring activation does not affect your license to use the software or your product registration of the software.

I've already transferred my activation of Adobe software to a new computer. Can I go back to using the software on the computer from which I transferred it?
Yes. In order to do this, you will need to transfer the activation from the new computer back to the original computer. When you activate the software on the original computer, it will run without any problems.

Should I uninstall Adobe software after transferring the activation?
It is not necessary to uninstall Adobe software after transferring activation. Transferring activation renders the copy of Adobe software installed on the computer unusable, unless it is activated again. If you anticipate using Adobe software on this computer in the future, you can do so by activating it again.

May I use the software on more than one computer at a time?
The activation process supports installation on two machines. The Adobe product license agreement allows the primary user to install the product on a primary computer and also on a home or laptop computer for his or her use, provided that the two copies are not used simultaneously. While the activation process supports installing and activating Adobe software on two machines, the usage of the product on the second computer is restricted to the user who licensed the software. Allowing others to use a second copy of the software violates the product license agreement.

Do I have to reactivate if I reformat my hard drive?
As long as you don't perform a "low-level" reformat of your hard drive, you will not be required to reactivate your Adobe software. Please note that utilities (provided by the operating system vendor) typically used for reformatting the hard drive do not perform a "low-level" reformat.