Adobe: Partial Returns

Introduction

This article explains how to partially return Adobe Licenses on the Platform. With partial returns, Partners can reduce the Quantity of eligible Adobe Subscriptions without canceling the entire line item and placing a replacement Order. The Platform identifies the Quantity available for reduction based on Adobe cancellation policies, supports multiple partial returns where eligible, and keeps the remaining Subscription Quantity active after completion. This simplifies License downsizing, avoids unnecessary replacement Orders, and helps prevent revenue gaps associated with full return-and-reorder scenarios.

In this article:

• What is a partial return?
• Prerequisites
• How to partially return Adobe licenses
• Important information
• Summary
• Related content

What is a partial return?

A partial return allows you to return a portion of an eligible Adobe line item Quantity on a NEW or RENEWAL Order, within 14 days of the Order date. Previously, reducing the License count required returning the entire line item and placing a new Order for the adjusted Quantity, which created a 1–14 day revenue gap between the full-term billed return and the day-billed replacement.

With partial returns, you can return only the Licenses you no longer need in a single request — no replacement Order is required. The remaining Subscription Quantity stays active immediately after the partial return is completed.

Key benefits:

• Return only the Licenses you no longer need, without canceling the full line item.
• Avoid revenue gaps caused by full return-and-reorder workflows.
• Submit multiple partial returns per line item, as long as the returned Quantity does not exceed the available returnable amount.
• Licenses are deprovisioned immediately upon completion.

Prerequisites

Before you can perform a partial return on an Adobe Subscription, the following conditions must be met:

• The Subscription must be an Adobe Product with an active cancellation policy.
• The Order must be a NEW or RENEWAL Order type.
• The partial return must be initiated within 14 days of the Order date.
• There must be no other Order currently in progress for the same Subscription.
• There must be no Order scheduled on a custom date. Wait for it to complete first, or cancel it. There is no need to cancel Orders scheduled after renewal or Commitment Period.

How to partially return Adobe licenses

To partially return Adobe Licenses, follow the steps below. The process is initiated from the Subscription edit page using the cancellation policy notice.

Step 1. Open the Subscription

Navigate to the Subscription page for the Adobe Product you want to partially return.

Step 2. Locate the cancellation policy notice

On the Subscription page, look for the cancellation policy notice. This section appears after a few seconds once the Platform retrieves the available cancellation policies from Adobe.

The cancellation policy notice displays the Quantity available for reduction and the deadline by which the partial return must be completed.

Step 3. Select Edit or Cancel in the cancellation policy

To initiate the partial return, select the Edit or Cancel button displayed next to the cancellation policy notice.

• Select Edit if you want to reduce the License Quantity (partial return).
• Select Cancel if you want to cancel the entire Order (full cancellation).

Step 4. Adjust the Quantity

After selecting Edit in the cancellation policy notice, reduce the License Quantity to the desired number. The Platform validates your requested reduction against the available returnable Quantity provided by Adobe.

You can reduce the Quantity by any amount up to the maximum returnable Quantity shown in the cancellation policy.

Step 5. Confirm the Order

Review the updated Quantity and confirm the partial return Order. The confirmation popup displays the Vendor Order ID (if applicable) to help verify you are returning the correct Order.

Accept Terms & Conditions:

Step 6. Verify the result

Once configured as described above, the update Order is placed,  and visible in Orders page.

Once the partial return Order is processed, the Subscription Quantity is updated to reflect the remaining active Licenses. The returned Licenses are deprovisioned immediately.

You can verify the updated Quantity on the Subscription Management page.

Important information

• Partial returns are not supported for Switch Plan Orders, Stock Credit Packs, Acrobat License packs, MOQ Offers, and consumables (for example, Acrobat Sign).
• When applying the Vendor cancellation policy, limit your change Order to items available under the cancellation policy. For example, if the Vendor has enabled the ability to reduce License Quantity, do not change the Billing Frequency in the same Order.
• Changes on the last day of the cancellation window should be validated with the Vendor, as processing time between the Platform and the Vendor must be accounted for.
• It is not possible to schedule a cancellation Order.
• There is no dedicated cancellation Order notification template. Users receive regular change Order notifications if enabled on the Platform.

Summary

Adobe partial returns allow Partners to reduce the License Quantity on eligible Adobe Subscriptions without canceling the entire line item. The feature is accessible through the cancellation policy notice on the Subscription edit page and must be initiated within 14 days of the Order date. Multiple partial returns per line item are supported, and the remaining Subscription Quantity stays active immediately after each return. Always use the Edit or Cancel buttons within the cancellation policy notice — not the regular edit option — to ensure the Vendor cancellation policy is applied.

Related content

• Cancellation Policies
• How to change the quantity of subscription licenses