Adobe Reverses Adobe Animate Shutdown Plans, Removes All Deadlines

Adobe has walked back its earlier decision to shut down Adobe Animate. After facing strong criticism from creators and professionals, the company has now confirmed that Animate is not being discontinued and will remain available without any end date.

Earlier, Adobe had stated that new users would not be able to download Adobe Animate after March 1, 2026. Existing users were given time until March 1, 2027, to finish and export their projects. Enterprise customers were told they would receive support until March 1, 2029. These announcements caused confusion and frustration across the animation community.

A newly updated Adobe support page now confirms that all those deadlines have been removed. Adobe says Animate will continue to exist and users will keep access to their projects and content. The company has also clarified that previous end-of-life emails no longer apply.

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Adobe Animate is one of the oldest animation tools in the industry. It was first launched in 1996 as FutureSplash Animator by FutureWave Software. Later that same year, it was acquired by Macromedia. Over the years, it was renamed Macromedia Flash, then Adobe Flash Professional in 2005, and finally rebranded as Adobe Animate in 2015.

While Adobe Animate is staying, it is now placed in Maintenance Mode. This means Adobe will continue to provide security updates and bug fixes. However, users should not expect any new features or major improvements going forward.

Adobe has clearly stated that Animate is not being removed for current or new customers. There is no longer any deadline for availability, and access to existing content will remain unchanged. Maintenance Mode applies to individual users, small businesses, and enterprise customers.

Adobe also confirmed that there are no plans to discontinue Maintenance Mode and that it will continue indefinitely. Adobe Animate is still available as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud Pro subscription.