Adobe provides a range of software used in the A&E CAD labs, which students may also find useful at home. Adobe Reader, a free application for viewing PDFs, is available to everyone. However, students cannot use ACC’s license for Adobe Creative Cloud at home. Instead, they can purchase a discounted, semester-based subscription to Creative Cloud.

The Adobe Creative Cloud suite is available for purchase directly from Adobe’s website, where students can access special discounted pricing along with a free trial.

ACC also offers a discounted semester-based license:

  • If you are enrolled in a class that requires Adobe Creative Cloud, you can purchase a license for $10 per semester.
  • If you are NOT enrolled in a class that requires Adobe Creative Cloud, you can still purchase a license for $50 per semester.

Click here to view a list of courses that require Adobe Creative Cloud. For more details about ACC’s partnership with Adobe, click here.

Follow the instructions below to obtain a license and install Adobe Creative Cloud.

Instructions

If you need a PDF viewer at home, this section will guide you through downloading and installing Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, as well as assigning default file associations.

  1. Click the link get.adobe.com/reader to open Adobe’s Acrobat Reader site
  2. Click the Download Reader button in the center of your screen
  1. Uncheck all boxes (Chrome extension and McAfee options) before clicking the Download Acrobat Reader button in the bottom of the center section
  2. Run the installer directly from your browser or run the installer (‘readerdc_[…]_install’) from your Downloads folder
  3. Click the Yes button on the User Account Control window
  4. Click the Finish button to close the installer after completion




Setting Acrobat Reader as Your Default PDF Viewer

If for any reason you were unable to set Reader as your default PDF viewer and wish to do so, please follow the instructions provided below:

  1. Click on the Start button
  2. Click on the gear icon to open Settings
  3. Click on the Apps tag in the center pane
  4. In the left pane, click on Default apps
  5. Scroll down and click on the hyperlink Choose default apps by file type in the center pane
  6. Scroll down to .pdf (left column) and click on the associated app (adjacent column), then select Adobe Reader




  1. Click the Austin Community College WebStore link and sign in (Okta window will appear)
  2. Click on the Student heading, then the subheading Adobe Creative Cloud
  3. Click on the icon for Adobe Creative Cloud
  4. Click the Add to Cart button
  5. Click on the Check Out button on the dialog box that appears
  6. Complete the form by providing your name, ACC email address, and payment information
  7. Click the Continue button at the bottom
  8. Your order will process and the page will refresh with your invoice number



  1. Click the Install button on the confirmation invoice page to begin your download
    • If you do not see an Install button, click the Get Started button in the confirmation email sent to your ACC student email account
    • If you did not receive a confirmation email, access your orders by clicking on your name in the top right corner of the webstore and select Your Account/Orders, then click on View Details under the Adobe purchase and click the Install button
  2. Launch the installer “Creative_Cloud_Set-Up.exe” from your browser or by accessing it in your Downloads folder
  3. A User Account Control window will appear asking if you wish to allow Adobe to make changes to your hard drive – click the Yes button
  4. Enter your ACC student email address into the Creative Cloud Installer window and click the Continue button
  5. Select Company or School Account and sign in (Okta window will appear)
  6. Click on the Start Installing button on the Creative Cloud Installer window to begin your installation



  1. If the Creative Cloud Desktop window does not open automatically after installation, click the Start button and scroll down to Adobe Creative Cloud and click it to launch
  2. From the Creative Cloud Desktop, click the Install button under each desired application tag