Like most programs you pay for, Adobe Acrobatrequires that you enter a unique serial number before using it. So, before you can install or reinstall Adobe Acrobat, you'll need to find the serial number that came with the program.
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If you've lost your serial number, there's a very good chance you can retrieve it but only if Adobe Acrobat is still installed and the computer it's on is working.
You might be able to find your Adobe Acrobat serial number if you've uninstalled the program but only if the serial number information was left in the Windows Registry. We'll go over everything you need to know below.
The Adobe Acrobat serial number is actually more of a product key than a serial number but the terms are often used interchangeably.
The easiest way to find your Adobe Acrobat DC or Acrobat X serial number is with a product key finder program.
Product key finder programs automatically search your computer for the product keys and serial numbers that your software programs store in the registry, Adobe Acrobat included.
See our Free Product Key Finders list for a number of programs that do just this. Not only that, they'll find your Acrobat serial for free. Most of the programs in that list are small and really easy to use.
The programs we've linked to will find the serial number for any recent edition of Acrobat, including Adobe Acrobat DC (Pro or Standard), Adobe Acrobat X, Adobe Acrobat 9, etc.
For example, Belarc Advisor, one of our favorite key finder tools (and the program shown in the example below), will properly locate the serial number for any version of Adobe Acrobat you have. If you find that another does for sure, let me know so I can keep this page updated.
The serial numbers in this picture have been greyed out but you'll see yours listed on the right side in plain text.
Most product key finder programs are designed to find serial numbers and product keys for operating systems, like Windows 10 or Windows 8, but some of them find serial numbers for several other programs as well — programs like Adobe Acrobat.
While a keyfinder tool is certainly the easiest way to do this, no, it's not the only way.
If you're a little more technically inclined, there are a few additional ways to get your hands on a lost Acrobat serial number:
It'd be unwise of me to skip the obvious — maybe Adobe can help! Depending on how, when, and from whom you purchased Adobe Acrobat, you may be able to contact Adobe and get your Acrobat serial number from them.
Visit Adobe's Find Your Serial Number page for more help.
Fortunately, the exact registry key that stores your Adobe Acrobat serial number is well known, as is a database file that stores it.
If you're comfortable in the Windows Registry, your Adobe Acrobat serial is located in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Below is the exact location, depending on the version of the program and whether or not you're running a 64-bit or 32-bit version of Windows.
64-bit:
32-bit:
If you see multiple folders under Adobe Acrobat, replace 11.0 in the path above to whatever version of Acrobat you have.
Your other option is to grab the cache.db file from C:Program Files (x86)Common FilesAdobeAdobe PCDcache and open it with any free SQLite database viewing tool.
Please know that this serial number is encrypted, meaning that what you find in the registry key or the database file is not the literal serial number you can enter to install Adobe Acrobat. You'll first have to decrypt the serial number.
The Adobe Acrobat serial number decryption process is fairly complex and has been well documented in this Super User thread, so we won't reinvent the wheel and post it here.
Don't do that. There's no other way to put it.
While you may have come across Adobe Acrobat key generator programs or other kinds of Adobe Acrobat cracks, please know that these are not legal ways of obtaining a working serial number.
The only legal way of installing this program is by using a valid Adobe Acrobat serial number obtained through a legal purchase of the software.
If all else fails, you may be left with the final option of buying a new copy of the software. Amazon has great prices on most versions of Adobe Acrobat, plus options for previously used boxed copies as well.
Another option is to abandon Adobe Acrobat altogether and choose a free tool that does the same thing. Seriously. While not as robust, there are a number of other options out there.
Check out our list of the Best Free PDF Editors for some Acrobat alternatives that let you modify a PDF. Also see How to Print to PDF for multiple free ways to make a PDF file from any file or program.
Product keys, software licenses, serial numbers — they all seem to disappear completely when you need them most. Perhaps you need to reinstall a program, or worse, an entire operating system, but can’t locate the original case, manual, or that ancient email you deleted more than a year ago. It’s not a far-fetched scenario by any means, and finding the missing info will definitely take up a chunk of your time, primarily in the form of dealing with customer service for longer than you would like.
Fortunately, there are scores of product key finders that will scan your system and compile an extensive report of any keys they find. The best part? The bulk of them don’t cost a dime! Below are our picks for the best product key finders so you can jot down, print, or take a screenshot of all your precious keys in one place. Oh, and try not to lose them this time around.
Belarc Advisor is overkill when it comes to finding product keys, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The comprehensive utility is an industrious system information tool that will quickly pull together a summary of your system’s hardware and software, providing you with a detailed report that includes your various information about your machine’s RAM, processor, and motherboard, among other things.
It also includes a list of software licenses for Microsoft Office, Windows, antivirus programs, and heaps of other applications and software installed on your system. Despite being more than just a key finder, the program leaves a relatively small footprint on your computer, which is always a plus.
The Magical Jelly Bean’s Keyfinder is another great piece of shareware, but you will have to opt for the premium version ($30) if you want a more extensive list of product keys and serial numbers for programs like Adobe Photoshop and the rest of the Adobe CS suite (here’s how to find your Adobe keys for free). The premium version of Magical Jelly Bean supports more than 10,000 different applications.
The free version of Magical Jelly Bean can retrieve your Windows product key from your computer’s registry and copy it to your clipboard, save it as text, or print a hard copy. The software also supports more than 300 diverse programs and features an editable configuration file, meaning you can manually add support for other keys that aren’t as easily recognizable. The program also includes several advanced tools for the more tech-savvy user — such as the ability to retrieve product keys from unbootable Windows systems — but the basic key finder will suffice for most users with little to no hassle.
The Mac Product Key Finder functions in the same way as the Magical Jelly Bean’s KeyFinder for Windows, albeit on MacOS, whether you’re running the latest MacOS build or no. The freeware will scan your Mac for any software and allow you to save any associated product keys as a text, CSV, or PDF file, among a host of other formats, though it is somewhat limited compared to the premium version.
The Freeware version supports 69 programs, while the $30 Professional version now supports more than 860 different applications. It also adds support for deep scanning, command-line operation, and specifically timed backups on the local machine and across a network of Mac computers. If you’re unsure whether it’s worth it, you can try out the Professional version, but it will only reveal the first four characters of your serial keys, as in the image above.
Both versions, however, can locate product keys for your iPad, iPhone, or any other iOS device you’ve previously connected with iTunes.
A free creation from Martin Klinzmann, LicenseCrawler is a speedy way to crawl your Windows registry and retrieve all found product keys for the operating system and any compatible apps (including non-Microsoft programs). The interface is particularly useful: You can choose which computer on the network to scan, filter out programs, limit results to file-based licenses only, and much more. The program covers Windows 10, all the way down to Windows 7, and many related products as well. It’s also completely portable if you’re working with multiple computers.
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Free PC Audit does a robust audit of both hardware and software, collecting all key information in one spot. It’s free, incredibly lightweight software, with no installation necessary if you just want to keep it handy on a flash drive for troubleshooting or product key retrieval.
The auditing program also covers a broad range of Windows systems, from Windows NT to Windows 10. It’s an excellent tool for getting a broad range of product keys from various systems and software programs. However, the information may be a little too complete for some users who don’t want to sort through a lot of extra info just to find the right product key. It’s a more professional tool that’s useful when all sorts of product ID information may be required.
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