Frequently Asked Questions
- Basics
- Technical questions
- Purchasing options
- Learning Photoshop Elements
What is Adobe Photoshop Elements 2025, and who is it for?
Photoshop Elements 2025 is photo editing software for anyone who wants to edit and create with their photos. It’s sold as a 3-year term license with no recurring subscription fees required. It offers:
- Easy editing with the magic of AI and automation
- Step-by-step guidance for editing and creating
- Fun ways to make and share creations, effects, prints, and gifts
- An Organizer to easily categorize and find your photos
- Web and mobile companion apps (beta)
What are the web and mobile beta companion apps?
The Elements 2025 products include web and mobile companion apps that are available to licensed users of Photoshop Elements 2025 and Premiere Elements 2025. The apps are currently beta and available in English, French, German, and Japanese. They include 2GB of free cloud storage. Auto-syncing lets you enjoy your photos and videos across Elements Organizer and the web and mobile apps.
- Web beta app
- Access, view, and share photos and videos.
- Add moving overlays to photos, change photo backgrounds automatically, adjust the look of your photos, and more.
- Create photo and video slideshows and photo collages, and share to social with QR codes.
- Mobile beta app
- Access, view, and share photos and videos.
- Add fun pattern overlays; use sliders to adjust light, color, and effects; crop, straighten, and remove backgrounds with one-click Quick Actions, and more.
- Do one-click photo fixes, bring in pics from a wide range of files and folders on your phone, and view creations from Elements Web.
- Web and mobile beta apps
- Auto-sync your photos and videos across the Elements Organizer and the web and mobile apps to enjoy them anywhere.
- Upload photos and videos to the cloud to be used on desktop, web, and mobile.
- Upload photos and videos from the desktop to be viewed on the web and mobile apps.
- Share photos and videos from the app to your desired social networks, via a link or email.
What’s the difference between Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements?
- Photoshop Elements is designed for people who take photos and want automated and easy ways to make them look great, turn them into personalized creations, and print and share them with family and friends.
- Premiere Elements is designed for people who take videos and want quick and easy ways to trim them, make them look great, turn them into fun creations and polished movies, and share them with family and friends.
- Both apps share a common Organizer for easy access to all photos and videos.
- They’re sold separately or people can buy them together as a bundle.
How does Photoshop Elements differ from the subscription versions of Photoshop, Photoshop Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom?
- Photoshop Elements is designed for consumers who are just getting started with photo editing and want an easy way to organize, edit, create, and share their photos. AI and automated options deliver great results to enjoy as is or use as a starting point for creative exploration. Photoshop Elements is sold as a 3-year term license — no recurring subscription fees required.
- Photoshop is the professional standard for creating compelling images, designs, and 3D artwork. A subscription is required.
- Lightroom Classic addresses the workflow needs of professional and advanced amateur photographers on the desktop, enabling them to import, process, organize, and showcase large volumes of digital photographs. A subscription is required.
- Lightroom is the cloud-based service that lets people easily edit, organize, store, and share their photos anywhere — on mobile devices, the web, or desktops. A subscription is required.
What’s the difference between Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Express?
Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Express can both make photos look amazing. Each product is tailored to different types of photo editing in different situations. Deciding on which photo editing software to use is all about the device you have, how extensive you want your edits to be, and what type of photographer you are.
- Photoshop Elements is designed for consumers who want an easy way to organize, edit, create, and share their photos. AI and automated options deliver great results to enjoy as is or use as a starting point for creative exploration. It can handle large, complex files that contain multiple layers and a lot of information. It has many more tools and features than Photoshop Express, so you can perform comprehensive transformations and improvements. Photoshop Express can enhance a photo, but Photoshop Elements can improve as well as completely transform it. Photoshop Elements is sold as a 3-year term license — no recurring subscription fees required.
- Photoshop Express is a mobile app for iOS and Android and is available in various app stores. It works with your mobile device’s camera roll. The app is built for smartphone photography, and its editing tools are made for fast changes on your phone. It’s ideal for applying quick edits like filters and overlays and effects like text and light leaks. Users can change opacity and tonal coloring, as well as edit exposure, shadows, brightness, saturation, and more.
I use free photo editing software. Why should I consider Photoshop Elements 2025?
Most free photo editors offer a limited set of editing tools. Photoshop Elements is the leading consumer photo editing software because it provides every level of user everything they need to organize, edit, create, and share, including:
- AI and automated options that make it a breeze to fix, fine-tune, or turn any photo into your creative canvas
- The Organizer to clean up the clutter and find photos and videos in a snap using Smart Tags, facial recognition, and more
- Quick Edit to make one-click fixes
- Fifty-nine Guided Edits to grow your skills — just follow the steps to make basic tweaks, artistic creations, and everything in between
- Advanced Edit for complete photo transformations
- Enjoy your favorite photos as gallery-quality wall art, beautiful prints, or create unique mementos for friends and family (US only)
- The ability to create eye-catching Photo Reels, slideshows, and collages as well as inspirational Quote Graphics to share on social media
- Exclusive templates
- Access to web and mobile companion apps (beta)
Should I buy Photoshop Elements 2025 or the Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 2025 bundle?
If you like to take and share photos and videos, get the bundle to:
- Use the common Organizer for easy access to all your photos and videos.
- Edit and share photos and videos together in creative ways.
- Get a great value. Learn more
Where can I learn more about new features?
See What’s New or the full list of Features.
Is Photoshop Elements available as a trial?
Yes, you can download a free, full-featured 7-day trial. Once the trial period ends, you can purchase right from the trial software so you don’t have to download it again.
Where can I find the serial number to install Photoshop Elements?
We no longer use serial numbers. Follow the instructions below to redeem and download the product:
- Boxed product — Please follow the redemption instructions in the box to get access to the product download.
- Electronic Software Download (ESD) — During your online purchase you’ll receive a redemption code. Follow the redemption process to get access to the product download.
- Amazon customers — If you purchased from Amazon, get instructions for retrieving your redemption code and follow the instructions above.
Can I get the product on a DVD?
We no longer offer DVDs.
Can I install Photoshop Elements on more than one computer?
You can install your product on up to two computers that aren’t being used simultaneously. If you want to move your product to a new computer, simply choose Help > Sign Out in the product on the computer that has the active license. That will deactivate it. Then you can install the product on your new computer.
NOTE: You must be online while deactivating the product.
What are the minimum system requirements to run Photoshop Elements 2025?
See system requirements for more information.
Does Photoshop Elements 2025 support macOS and Windows 32-bit operating systems?
No. Microsoft and Apple stopped supporting 32-bit systems before Photoshop Elements 2025 was released, so the product can only be installed on 64-bit systems.
Will Photoshop Elements work on Apple M1, M2, and M3 computers?
You can install Photoshop Elements 2025 on computers powered by the Apple M1, M2, or M3 chips.
Do I need to be online to use Photoshop Elements?
You’ll need to be online to do the following:
- Install the software (so your license can be validated and activated).
- Download specific feature content (but once you download, you’re free to use the software offline.)
- Use features like social sharing.
- Deactivate the software to use it on another computer.
Why do I need to sign in to use Photoshop Elements?
Signing in with an Adobe ID (your email address) activates your software, connecting it to Adobe’s servers via the internet and giving you a secure and personalized experience. Activation validates your software license, associates it with your computer, and helps protect your computer from malicious code by verifying that you have genuine Adobe software.
Can I edit raw images in Photoshop Elements?
Photoshop Elements can open raw files from supported cameras. The supported camera list depends on the version of Adobe Camera Raw installed on your system. Get more details.
- Photoshop Elements does not save your changes to the original raw file. In other words, your edits are nondestructive.
- After processing the raw image file using the features of the Camera Raw dialog box, you can choose to open the file in Photoshop Elements.
- For Photoshop Elements 2025, the Adobe Camera Raw plugin is no longer part of the installer, but it can be downloaded and installed from within the product. Go to the Help menu to do a one-time download.
If I run into issues, what type of support can I expect?
If you’re missing a redemption code, you’ll need to contact the store or site where you purchased the product. If you need help with installation, activation, or any other software issues, you can contact Adobe Customer Care.
What should I do if I need help using Photoshop Elements?
- Reach out to the Photoshop Elements community to get answers from product team members and other expert users.
- Explore the top features of Photoshop Elements.
- Choose the appropriate topics from the Photoshop Elements user guide.
- Report a bug or request a feature.
- If you still can’t resolve the issue after exploring the resources above, you can contact Adobe Customer Care.
Do I need a subscription to purchase Photoshop Elements?
No, it’s a one-time purchase with a 3-year term license. A subscription is not required.
How does the 3-year term license work?
The license is for a full 3-year term, with no monthly or annual recurring subscription fees required. The license is non-renewing — it expires 3 years after redemption at which time the Editor will no longer be accessible, but the Organizer will continue to be accessible indefinitely.
What will happen to the Elements Organizer after the 3-year term license expires?
When your 3-year term license expires, the Photoshop Elements Editor will no longer be accessible. However, you will still have ongoing access to your media catalog and basic functionality in the Elements Organizer. To continue using the editing and creation features you’ll need to purchase the latest version of Photoshop Elements.
How do I redeem the software?
Follow the redemption process to redeem the license and get access to the product download.
Can I upgrade to a new version during my 3-year term?
Yes, you can upgrade to a newer version at any time. Purchasing a new version will start a new 3-year term.
I have an older version of Photoshop Elements. How can I access my serial number if I need it?
If you need to install your older version on a new computer, you can access your serial number via the account page. Just sign in with your Adobe ID.
I own an older version of Photoshop Elements. Can I get upgrade pricing?
Yes, we offer upgrade pricing for existing customers on Adobe.com in the United States.
Where can I find out about volume licensing for Photoshop Elements 2025?
For licensing questions, visit Adobe Volume Licensing or contact your local Adobe sales representative.
Does Photoshop Elements have a beta program?
Yes, Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements have an active beta program. By participating, you can give us your feedback on early versions of the product, request features, and engage with a like-minded community of photo and video editing enthusiasts. Apply to join the program
How can I get started using Photoshop Elements 2025?
The home screen offers direct links to tutorials and fun things to try with your photos. You can also check out Photoshop Elements Learn & Support for all you need to get started — video and step-by-step-tutorials, Help content, and links to resources offering comprehensive product support from Adobe and our knowledgeable community.
You can also check out our Tips & Tricks pages to learn how to:
Where can I find the manual?
You can find the manual on the Photoshop Elements Help page. To learn more about the latest features in Photoshop Elements, see What’s New.