Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Windows

Adobe Photoshop CS6 is a legacy version of Adobe's professional image editor for Windows, from the last generation of the Creative Suite sold with a one-time, perpetual licence. Before you look for a Photoshop CS6 download, know that Adobe no longer sells CS6 licences or releases updates for it; the current product is Photoshop, available by subscription.

What Photoshop CS6 is

For many designers and photographers, CS6 was the version where Photoshop took on its modern look: a dark interface, a redesigned toolbar and panels that are still recognisable today. It brought content-aware tools for moving and patching parts of an image, a new crop tool, faster brushes and blur effects that used the graphics card, better video editing on the timeline, and improved 3D and type features. Adobe followed it with Creative Cloud, where Photoshop is updated continuously and paid for monthly or yearly instead of being bought once. CS6 was the end of the boxed era, which is why it is still discussed: people who bought it years ago can keep using the licence they own. Adobe's Creative Suite release notes page still documents the CS6 generation.

Support status

Adobe support for Photoshop CS6 ended on January 9, 2017. Since then the version has received no updates, and new cameras, file formats and Windows releases are not covered. The successor is the current Adobe Photoshop, sold by subscription, which is where all new development happens.

Who it is for today

• Owners of an existing CS6 licence who reinstall it on an older computer and are happy with its features.
• Users of legacy workflows with plugins or actions that were built for CS6 and never updated.
• Teachers and researchers documenting how Photoshop used to work.

Who should choose something else

If you are buying an image editor now, CS6 is not an option: it cannot be purchased, activation depends on a valid serial number, and it gets no fixes for new cameras, file formats or Windows versions. New users should look at the current Photoshop or a free editor instead.

Installing an owned copy

1. Keep your original serial number and installer, or check your Adobe account for the products you registered.
2. Install on a system where the old version still runs; newer Windows releases may show compatibility problems.
3. Enter the serial number during setup to activate.
4. Disable automatic prompts that try to update CS6 to newer products if you want to keep it as it is.

Security and licensing

Unofficial "free" or "portable" CS6 packages spread on file-sharing sites are unlicensed and a well-known source of malware, including password stealers. Do not use cracks or key generators. Opening untrusted files in an unpatched old editor also carries some risk.

Price

Photoshop CS6 is no longer sold. The current Adobe Photoshop is available as a paid subscription, with a free trial.

Pros and cons

• Pro: perpetual licence, no subscription for existing owners.
• Pro: mature feature set for most photo editing.
• Pro: modest hardware needs compared with current versions.
• Con: no updates or support from Adobe.
• Con: cannot be bought any more.
• Con: compatibility issues with new systems and camera formats.

Alternatives

The successor is Adobe Photoshop, available on our site. Free editors include GIMP and Photoscape, while Adobe Lightroom Classic suits photographers who mainly process RAW photos.