How to download and install Acrobat or any application in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite


STOP! If you're unsure whether you have a license, visit the OIT Adobe Software page to obtain one first and you will be directed back to this page.

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Table of Contents

Getting started

Look under the Start Menu (Windows) or the /Applications folder (macOS) to see if the Adobe Creative Cloud app or Acrobat Professional DC app is already installed. If so, open it and follow the "Sign in instructions" below.

Sign-in instructions:

  1. Open the app you want to use (Acrobat, Creative Cloud, Photoshop, etc).
  2. Select the Sign In link in the top right corner.
    • NOTE: If you don’t see the Sign In link, contact your local IT support because it’s possible you have a trial or incorrect version of the software installed. They will need to help you install the current version.
  3. Enter your UCI email address in the format UCInetID@uci.edu and then select Continue. NOTE: Do not click the other buttons to sign in with a ‘social login’ such as Google or Apple. Also, do not enter your my.name@uci.edu as it will not work.
  4. When prompted, select Company or School Account.
  5. You will then be taken to the UCI Single Sign-On page. Enter your UCInetID and password to continue.

That’s it! Your license has been activated and you should now be able to use the application.

Installation instructions (for everyone else)

If you do NOT have the software installed and your computer is NOT managed by OIT, follow these steps.

  1. Visit https://creativecloud.adobe.com and enter your UCI email address in the format UCInetID@uci.edu and then select Continue. NOTE: Do not click the other buttons to sign in with a ‘social login’ such as Google or Apple. Also, do not enter your my.name@uci.edu as it will not work.

  2. When prompted, select “Company or School Account“.

  3. You will then be taken to the UCI Log in page. Enter your UCInetID and password to continue.

  4. On the right under the “Quick Links” heading, select Install Creative Cloud app.
    Adobe Quicklinks - Install Creative Cloud app

  5. The Creative Cloud setup file will download. Double-click to run it and follow the prompts to install the Adobe Creative Cloud app.
  6. After the install is complete, return to the "Sign in instructions" above.

Shared Device License (SDL) deployments - CSCs ONLY

SDLs are only meant to be installed by IT professionals (aka CSCs) on specific workstations in environments where a machine is used by multiple users, such as student labs, kiosk computers, public computers available at the UCI Libraries, shared workstations in offices, etc. To use the software, all one needs is an Adobe identity, which can be either your school account (aka a Federated ID which is your UCInetID and password) or a personal, non-UCI account (aka an Adobe ID which can be any email address with its own separate password).

Anyone can use the 'social login' option and sign in with a Google, Facebook, or Apple ID account. The system will check if they have an Adobe account and whether or not they're licensed, and if they're not, it will create a free account for them instantly and they can start using the software right away.

CSCs who have been authorized to create package deployments in the the Adobe Admin console should follow these instructions on how to create the requisite package. Please note that if you ordered an Acrobat SDL license from our web app, make sure that you do not install any product other than Acrobat Pro in the the package manager when building your package. If you need any apps other than Acrobat Pro, head back to the web app and order the Creative Cloud SDL for $180.

After you create the package, please email oit@uci.edu and provide us with the name of the package you created so we can add it to the allow list. We no longer need an IP or IP range. The software will not work until this step is completed.