I didn’t know about this – and don’t ever plan to switch to Windows – but I thought it might be worth passing on the info that you can indeed switch from Windows to Mac (or Mac to Windows if that’s your desire) and take your Adobe software right along with you without paying for another software license.
Supposedly there is a misonception (and one that I had as well) that once you bought a license for either Mac or Windows, you had to buy another brand new license for the new platform you switched to.
Not so, and really it seems to make the most sense on Adobe’s part. If you paid for the software and switched, most likely if you contact Adobe about this you’re not trying to swindle them – if that was your intention, there’s plenty of options out there for those who don’t feel they have to pay for the software they use.
Via John Nack, Principle Product Manager for Adobe Photoshop:
Q. Can I switch my product from Windows to Mac or vice-versa?
A. Yes. Just call Adobe Customer Service (800-833-6687 in the US; 020 7365 0733 in the UK; more country-by-country numbers here) for assistance. The process, as I understand it, involves signing an agreement stating that you’ve destroyed the product on one platform, and in return Adobe will send you the product for the other platform. According to the service folks, there may be a cost involved; verification of product is required; and restrictions apply.
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Tags: Adobe, Adobe Photoshop, art, CS3, Mac, Mac OS X, Photoshop, software, Windows
Unfortunately, the Adobe license conversion process has many gaps and problems. I’ve been trying for nearly a month to convert my CS4 Web Premium Windows license to a Mac. I’m re-starting on my 3rd attempt. Anyone reading this post should be advised – this is not an easy or convenient process. Knowing what I know now – I would have just paid for a full license instead.
Thanks for posting this information. I have never had to personally use this, so I was only reporting the availability. Sorry to hear the process isn’t smooth, you’d think Adobe would want to make this a simple process for customers.