FAQ: Adobe Software Licensing

Creative Cloud is Adobe's suite of creative software, which includes the latest versions of products like Acrobat Pro Document Cloud (DC), Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Premiere. The Creative Cloud suite replaces Adobe's older Creative Suite product line. Unlike the earlier Creative Suite software, Creative Cloud rights are assigned to an individual user, who can then use Creative Cloud on any computer.

No, Creative Cloud is not free. The annual fee on a per-user basis for this access is the responsibility of the employee's department. 

No, Acrobat Pro is not free. The annual fee on a per-user basis for this access is the responsibility of the employee's department.

There are other free options available in place of Acrobat Pro. Please see our Working with PDF comparison page for options.

New licenses for Adobe products can be purchased individually through our existing Value Incentive Program (VIP) by contacting our Adobe reseller. More information can be found on our Adobe Licensing Overview page.

New licenses for Adobe products can be purchased individually through our existing Value Incentive Program (VIP) by contacting our Adobe reseller. More information can be found on our Adobe Licensing Overview page.

While it is possible to start a 7-day trial license, which will grant immediate access, we advise against that. To start a trial, Adobe will require that you provide a credit card number, and they will begin charging you automatically after 7 days. To avoid charges, you must cancel before the trial period is over. If Adobe does charge you, you’ll need to request a refund from Adobe directly. We have found that Adobe rarely issues refunds in this situation.

Please see our Sign In to Adobe Products article for detailed instructions.

Yes. Your Creative Cloud Named-User license allows installation onto any number of computers. These can be University-owned, personally-owned, or a combination. You may open Creative Cloud applications on any one computer at a time.

No. The name is somewhat misleading. With Creative Cloud, you still download and install software that runs on your local desktop computer, and you store your documents on your local computer’s hard drive. It's the licensing that’s cloud-based.

They can be. By default, your documents are stored on your local hard drive. You also have 100 GB of cloud storage that you can use to collaborate on documents with other users, or work on Creative Cloud documents via other computers or Adobe mobile apps.

No. If you had paid for your own private Creative Cloud subscription, you cannot get a refund for any amount already paid.