Category
Last updated on
May 7, 2025
- Captivate User Guide
- What's New in Adobe Captivate
- Adobe Captivate System Requirements
- Download Adobe Captivate
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Adobe Captivate Updates
- Configure URL access for Adobe Captivate features
- Create and deploy Captivate packages in Admin Console
- Add a slide
- Design options in Adobe Captivate
- Add text blocks
- Add media blocks
- Interactive components
- Add branding blocks
- Widgets
- Create quizzes
- Add audio to a project
- Interactions
- Animations
- Accessibility
- Customize the timeline
- Customize TOC and Playbar
- Edit project properties
- Create a simulation project
- Preview a project
- Share a project for review
- Publish a project
Learn how to create and deploy Adobe Captivate packages on the Admin Console.
Manage Adobe Captivate using Admin Console
Adobe Captivate's licensing team will provision your organization’s account in the Admin Console, setting it up with the necessary licenses and admin users. Your organization's admins can customize, create, download, and distribute Adobe Captivate packages. Additionally, the Admin Console allows you to perform common tasks such as adding or removing users and updating existing packages.
Once the packages are created, you can use the Admin Console to assign users to your organization and distribute the packages accordingly. For more information about how to use Admin Console, see the Administration User Guide.
Get your organization's account provisioned in the Admin Console
In this task, your organization's account is created in the Admin Console, which consists of the applications and the number of licenses you have purchased for each application. As an administrator, you can create packages and grant application access to users in your organization. Learn how to set up your users' accounts with different ID types with or without Single Sign-on.
Types of licenses in Adobe Captivate
Adobe Captivate offers multiple licensing options to accommodate various organizational needs—from individual educators to large enterprises and secure environments. Licenses can be provisioned through Adobe.com, authorized retailers, and channel partners.
Depending on your deployment environment and IT policies, Adobe provides several licensing models such as Named User Licensing (NUL), Feature Restricted Licensing (FRL) Online, and FRL Offline. Each model offers distinct advantages in internet connectivity, user authentication, and deployment control, making it easier to align with your organization's infrastructure, whether cloud-based or fully offline.
Note:
Key features that require internet connectivity and cloud access:
- Share for review
- Adobe Assets
- Web objects
- YouTube videos
- Publish online / Publish to ALM
Below is a detailed comparison to help determine which licensing model best fits your Adobe Captivate deployment needs:
|
|
Named User Licensing (NUL) |
FRL - Online |
FRL - Offline |
|---|---|---|---|
|
License Type |
User-based |
Device-based (online activation) |
Device-based (offline activation) |
|
User Sign-in |
Required (Adobe ID) |
Not required |
Not required |
|
License tied to |
Individual user |
Device |
Device |
|
Internet requirement |
Required for activation and periodic checks |
Required only for initial activation and periodic validation |
Fully supported, no online connection needed |
|
Offline Usage |
Limited (up to 30 days, requires periodic internet check) |
Supported after activation, with periodic online validation |
Fully supported, no online connection needed |
|
License activation |
User signs in with Adobe ID |
Device connects to Adobe servers via HTTPS |
License embedded in installation package |
|
Deployment method |
Adobe Admin Console or self-service installers |
Admin Console + Licensing Toolkit |
Admin Console + Licensing Toolkit |
|
Cloud service access |
Full (e.g., Adobe Fonts, CC Libraries, Cloud Storage) |
Limited or none |
None |
|
Single Sign-on (SSO) |
Supported |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
|
Portability |
License follows the user across devices |
Device-specific |
Device-specific |
|
Common use-cases |
Enterprises, educational institutions with internet access |
Government, defense, or regulated sectors with limited access |
Secure labs, military, offline training environments |
|
Who is this for? |
- Schools & universities - Businesses with creative teams |
- Organizations needing controlled internet usage - Secure offices |
- Air-gapped environments - Highly classified settings |
|
Entitlement requirement |
Included by default in most Adobe enterprise plans |
Must be entitled in Admin Console |
Must be entitled in Admin Console |
Tasks in Admin Console
You require a NUL to create a pre-generated package.
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Sign in to the Adobe Admin Console using your Adobe ID or Enterprise ID.
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On the menu bar on top, choose the Packages tab.
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Select Pre-generated packages from the left menu and then select the Templates tab.
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In the list of Adobe Templates, search for Captivate and select the icon for a platform (either Windows or macOS).
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Select Customize to modify the package. You can also directly download the pre-generated package by selecting Download.
-
Select the required application versions, or add/remove applications as needed, then select Next.
Note:Adobe Media Encoder is included by default, but you have the option to remove it.
-
Select the management options to enable or disable the option to update the application for end users and then select Next.
Note:Enable Remote Update Manager: Remotely update Captivate on client machines. Learn more on how to use Adobe Remote Update Manager.
-
Verify the package name and included applications and select Create Package. Once the package has been built, it will be downloaded automatically.
Ensure that users are connected to the internet during installation, as an internet connection is required to activate the license. Once activation is complete, Adobe Captivate can be used offline. Licensing can be monitored and managed through the Adobe Admin Console. For detailed instructions, refer to the FRL Online Deployment Guide.
-
Sign in to the Adobe Admin Console.
-
Go to Packages and select Create package.
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Select Feature restricted licensing and then select Next.
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Select the Online activation method and then select Next.
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On the Entitlements screen, search for Captivate, select the online version, and then select Next.
-
Next, configure a platform. Select the operating system and the processor support.
- Language: Select the language you want to create the package.
- Use OS Locale: This enables you to create a package that deploys in the OS language of the client machine. In this case, the OS language is the default fallback language in which the package is deployed.
-
On the Choose Apps screen, you can customize the contents of your package. You can include add-ons like Media Encoder or additional voice packs along with the license file—or you can choose to include only the license file. To add an item to the package, click the plus icon next to the corresponding application.
Select Other versions to view older versions or beta apps linked to your entitlements, if a specific version is required.
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Skip the Choose Plugins screen, as Adobe Captivate does not support compatible plug-ins. Select Next to continue.
-
On the Options screen, configure the necessary settings, then select Next.
For FRL Online only- Device Identification Options: Choose whether to allow Adobe to collect device information for managing access (recommended) or opt out to exclude it.
- License activation options: Choose how clients will send information to Adobe’s licensing servers.
- Authorize Adobe License server by DNS name(default): Allow traffic to pass through your firewall to https://lcs-cops.adobe.io.
- Authorize Adobe License server by fixed IP address: Allow traffic to pass through your firewall to https://lcs-cops-proxy.adobe.com and the fixed IPs listed on the License activation options screen.
Note:Enable Remote Update Manager: Remotely update Captivate on client machines. Learn more on how to use Adobe Remote Update Manager.
-
On the Finalize screen, enter the package name, review the included applications and configurations, and then select Create Package to build it.
This option allows licenses to be embedded within the Captivate installation package for users on machines that are never connected to the Internet. It ensures full offline use.
Refer to the FRL Offline Deployment Guide for more information.
-
Sign in to the Adobe Admin Console.
-
Go to Packages and select Create package.
-
Select Feature restricted licensing and then select Next.
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Select the Offline activation method and then select Next.
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On the Entitlements screen, search for Captivate, select the offline version, and then select Next.
-
Next, configure a platform. Select the operating system and the processor support.
- Language: Select the language you want to create the package.
- Use OS Locale: This enables you to create a package that deploys in the OS language of the client machine. In this case, the OS language is the default fallback language in which the package is deployed.
-
On the Choose Apps screen, you can customize the contents of your package. You can include add-ons like Media Encoder or additional voice packs along with the license file—or you can choose to include only the license file. To add an item to the package, click the plus icon next to the corresponding application.
-
You can skip the Choose Plugins screen, as Adobe Captivate does not support compatible plug-ins. Select Next to continue.
-
On the Options screen, configure the necessary settings, then select Next.
Note:Enable Remote Update Manager: Remotely update Captivate on client machines. Learn more on how to use Adobe Remote Update Manager.
-
On the Finalize screen, enter the package name, review the included applications and configurations, and then select Create Package to build it.
Once the package has been successfully built, it will appear on the Packages screen. Follow these steps to download it:
-
Access the Packages screen in the Admin Console.
-
Select the download link for the package that you want to download.
-
Save the package ZIP file on your local system.
Note:
Packages are available for download for 3 days after creation.
After downloading the package, you can distribute it to users entitled to use Adobe Captivate by placing it on a shared network location or transferring it via a USB drive. If your organization uses an SCCM server, you can deploy the package through SCCM for broader distribution. For more information, see Deploy Adobe packages with SCCM.
As a Product Administrator, you are assigned administrative privileges to one or more products in your organization. You can assign users and groups to the products that you have been assigned. Optionally, you can then assign roles to these users. You can also create product profiles and assign Product Profile Administrators to the profiles that you create. For more details, see Manage products and profiles.
