How to deal with the message "We can't verify your subscription status" or "Adobe Acrobat license has either expired or not been activated"

Owned by Trevor Bain, created
Last updated: Nov 08, 2022
1 min read

If you try to access the Pro features of Adobe Acrobat you may get one of the following error messages:

We can’t verify your subscription status
We can’t reach the Adobe servers. This may be because you’re not connected to the internet. Check your connection and try again below. If you’re still having issues, please see our connectivity troubleshooting guide.

 

Your request could not be completed. Adobe Acrobat license
has either expired or not been activated. Try launching Adobe
Acrobat.

You need to sign in within the Adobe Acrobat application in order to access the Pro features of Adobe Acrobat. On UW-managed Windows computers, Acrobat will run in “Reader” mode unless you sign in.

 Instructions

  1. Go to the Adobe website (https://www.adobe.com/ca/).

  2. Click on the Account icon in the upper right (next to the search icon)

  3. Sign out and sign back in again:

    1. Enter your userid@uwaterloo.ca as the email address. Click Continue

    2. Select Company or School Account

    3. You may be brought to the University of Waterloo sign-in page, enter your password, click

    4. Sign in, and authenticate with DUO 2 Factor Authentication

  4. Launch Adobe Acrobat

Full time permanent faculty and staff have access to Adobe Acrobat Pro. Contract, temporary, casual, and co-op employees are not covered by the campus agreement. Talk to your supervisor/manager about how to access Adobe Acrobat Pro if needed.