How to Cancel your Photoshop Subscription in 2023 (+ Avoid Fees)
Done with Adobe Photoshop? Find out how to cancel your plan (step-by-step), how to avoid paying fees, and what photo editing software to use instead.
By Ana Mireles
Had enough of your Adobe Photoshop subscription?
This guide will show you how to cancel your Photoshop subscription and how to avoid a cancellation fee.
We’ll also suggest some Photoshop alternatives so you can still carry out your graphic design and image editing without interruption.
Don’t worry – the process is simple, much like cancelling Lightroom or uninstalling Adobe Creative Cloud.
OK, so let’s learn how to cancel Photoshop and the Adobe plan.
What’s Next? – After cancelling Photoshop, if you want an alternative image editor with no subscription fee, we recommend Luminar: Get it here >>(Use code shotkit10neo to save $10.)
How to Cancel Photoshop Subscription (and Avoid Fees)
This is a guide to cancelling your Adobe Photoshop subscription. Whether it’s an Adobe trial or an Adobe plan, the important thing is that you got it via the Adobe website. If you bought Photoshop through a third-party website, you’d need to contact them to cancel.
- First, access your Adobe account page – for this, you’ll need the account password.
- Go to the Adobe Plan section and select Manage Plan.
- Now, select Cancel Your Plan.
- Select a reason for cancellation. (If you don’t want to provide one, click Other and leave the comments section empty.) Then, click Continue.
- You’ll get a notification explaining what you’ll be charged – this depends on whether you had an annual subscription and on the remaining monthly payments. They’ll also tell you the benefits you’ll lose when you cancel your Adobe subscription. If you’re OK with everything, click Continue.
- You’ll get some offers. If you’re not interested in any of them, click the No, Thanks button.
- You’ll now reach a recap page. If everything looks OK, click Confirm to cancel your Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.
- Now you’ll get a confirmation number for your cancellation. Click Done. You’ll be able to keep using Photoshop until the end of the month, or in case of a prepaid annual subscription, you’ll have until the end of the contract.
*In some countries, you can only cancel Adobe Photoshop if you contact customer support. You’ll find a list of these countries here.
How Much Does It Cost To Cancel Adobe Photoshop Subscription?
When you cancel your Adobe subscription, you may have to pay a cancellation fee, or you may get a refund or remain even – it depends on the type of plan and when you cancel. Here’s a breakdown of the choices:
- Cancel a monthly plan – You can cancel at any time without a fee.
- Cancel an annual plan paid monthly within 14 days of purchase – If you cancel within 14 days from purchase, you’ll get a full refund because you’re still covered by the free trial period.
- Cancel an annual plan paid monthly after the free trial period – You’ll be charged for 50% of the remaining time of the contract obligation.
- Cancel an annual plan prepaid – You don’t have to pay a fee to cancel, but you won’t get a refund for the remaining time either.
Source: Adobe
What Happens to Your Adobe Account After Canceling?
After you cancel an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you still have an Adobe account. This gives you the benefits of a free membership: access to the free mobile apps, Aero, the starter plan of Fresco, Premiere Rush, and Adobe XD, among others.
You’ll also keep 2GB of free storage space. Since you used to have 100GB or even 1TB, this means that you have to delete any files that exceed the 2GB limit. Adobe gives you one month to do this. Otherwise, you might lose access to those files.
If you don’t wish to keep a free Adobe Creative Cloud membership, you can delete your Adobe account.
What Can I Use Instead of Photoshop?
Now you’ve cancelled your Photoshop subscription, here’s a list of a few good alternatives you may want to try.
Admittedly, none of them is quite as powerful or feature-rich as Photoshop, but you may find they have all you need.
- Luminar – affordable editing software with some unique AI-powered tools.
- GIMP – open source free image manipulation software which even supports plugins. Here’s how GIMP compares to Photoshop.
- Photoshop Elements – this is a more basic version of Photoshop, and it’s sold as a one-time purchase. So, it might be a good alternative to Photoshop CC if you like PS but don’t want an Adobe subscription.
- Affinity Photo – a popular photo editor with a raw converter and developer.
- Pixlr – this is a browser photo editor, so you don’t have to download or install anything on your computer.
Adobe Photoshop Cancellation FAQs
What happens if I cancel my Photoshop subscription?
After you cancel your membership, you can’t use Photoshop or other paid apps from Adobe Creative Cloud. You’ll also lose other benefits that come with the paid account, like most cloud storage, and remain only with the ones of the free account.
Why does Photoshop have a cancellation fee?
Adobe charges a cancellation fee because the monthly fee of an annual subscription is far less expensive than a monthly subscription. If you could cancel for free, there’s a risk that people could take advantage of the discount without following through until the end of the contract.
What happens if you don’t pay your Adobe subscription?
Whenever a payment doesn’t go through, you’ll receive notice so you can update your payment information. Adobe will make payment attempts for 30 days. If you don’t pay, the service gets suspended.
How much does it cost to cancel Photoshop subscription?
For monthly plans, you can cancel at any time without paying anything. For annual plans paid monthly, it depends on when you cancel. If you cancel within 14 days, you can do it free of charge and get a full refund. After the 14th day, you’ll need to pay 50% of the remaining time of the contract in one go. For an annual plan prepaid, you can cancel without paying extra, but you won’t get a refund for the time that remains in your contract.
How to cancel my Photoshop Express subscription?
To cancel your Photoshop Express subscription, follow these steps:
- Sign in at Adobe
- Head to “Manage plan”
- Select “Cancel your plan”
- Choose why you’re canceling the subscription
- Click “Continue”
- Follow the on-screen instruction
Can you cancel Photoshop anytime?
Yes, you can cancel your Photoshop subscription anytime you want. All you have to do is head to your account page or contact their customer support.
How to unsubscribe from Photoshop?
To unsubscribe from Photoshop, you’ll need to follow the same steps as before:
- Sign in at Adobe
- Head to “Manage plan”
- Select “Cancel your plan”
- Choose why you’re canceling the subscription
- Click “Continue”
- Follow the on-screen instruction
Cancelling Your Adobe Subscription: Final Words
I hope this guide cleared up your doubts on how to cancel your Adobe Photoshop subscription.
Keep in mind that the service will still be active until the end of the month. However, if you want to confirm that the cancellation went through, go to the main menu and click on Plans – it should say that you don’t have any paid plans.
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