Common licensing errors
If you encounter one of these common errors with Creative Cloud 2019 or later apps, read on for details and solutions.
On macOS, if you see an Adobe Licensing dialog box trying to access Keychain, see this document.
If you get an error that Adobe license certificates installed in the Keychain or Certificate Store are shown as not trusted, see this document.
Installing and using Adobe Creative Cloud apps on Guest accounts is not recommended or supported. For more information, see Guest accounts are not supported | Creative Cloud 2019 or later
Some subscriptions have specific language restrictions associated with them. For more information, see this document.
If the previous installation of Lightroom Classic was licensed and deployed by the IT admins using an enterprise serial number, the end users should not update to the latest version of Lightroom Classic. Click here for more information on reverting to a prior version to re-enable access.
Connectivity issues
If your machine is unable to connect to Adobe's activation servers, follow the below steps, in the order presented, to troubleshoot the issue.
- Make sure that you can access websites over secure connections. For example, https://www.adobe.com.
- Make sure that your computer’s time and date are correct.
- Operating system hosts files map host names to IP addresses. An incorrectly configured hosts file can affect your computer's ability to connect to Adobe's servers. To check and verify your hosts file, see this document.
For information on various levels of support for proxy environments in Creative Cloud applications and services, see Proxy support in Creative Cloud products.
On macOS, sometimes Adobe apps prompt for proxy credentials even if it is already provided in Creative Cloud desktop app. For more information, see this page.
Activation issues
Activation connects an app or service to a valid user license. For most apps, the process is straightforward and happens automatically when you sign in. However, errors can sometimes occur if you’re unable to connect to the activation server, your license isn’t active, or you’re trying to install an app on more than two computers.
Here are solutions to some common activation problems.
Confirm that your credit or debit card number, expiration date, billing address, and phone number are entered correctly, without spaces or dashes. Update your credit card and billing information.
If you are using a corporate card, ensure that you are using the name and billing address of the cardholder, not your own. Verify the correct name and billing address with the cardholder or your accounting department.
A missing or invalid birth date can affect your eligibility to use Creative Cloud. For more information, see Error: You are not eligible to use Creative Cloud.
If you observe that the Adobe license certificates installed in the Keychain or Certificate Store are shown as not trusted, see this page.
If you encounter an error with a specific error code, see Licensing errors | Creative Cloud 2019.