Install, Activate, and Verify ColdFusion 2025

Get ColdFusion running in under an hour

Last updated: November 28, 20258 min read

ColdFusion 2025 brought changes to how licensing works—subscription-based now, with a new activation flow. The good news: once you know the steps, installation is straightforward on both Linux and Windows. Here's what you need to do.

Linux Installation

Download the installer and make it executable:

Install ColdFusion on Linux

# Make installer executable
chmod +x ColdFusion_2025_WWEJ_linux64.bin

# Run installation
./ColdFusion_2025_WWEJ_linux64.bin -i console

Windows Installation

Download the Windows installer and run it with administrator privileges. After installation completes, configure Windows Defender exclusions for your ColdFusion temp and log directories to prevent performance issues.

Activation

ColdFusion 2025 supports both online and offline activation. Use cfpm to activate with your license token:

Activate ColdFusion License

# Online activation (Linux)
./cfpm.sh activate --license <your-license-token>

# Online activation (Windows)
cfpm.bat activate --license <your-license-token>

# Verify activation
cfpm list

Note: Air-gapped activation requires pre-generated files and must be completed within a specific time window. Contact Adobe support for detailed offline activation instructions.

Verification

After activation, verify your installation and installed packages:

Verify Installation

# List installed packages
cfpm list

# Check ColdFusion version
cfpm version

Installation Checklist

Installer checksum has been verified
Activation token has been recorded in your secrets manager
cfpm list command shows all intended packages
Windows Defender exclusions have been configured (Windows only)
Review security baseline after installation
Configure update strategy before production deployment

Gotchas

Air-gapped activation: Air-gapped activation requires pre-generated files and must be completed within a specific time window
Package updates after hotfixes: Packages may need updates after applying a core hotfix - always recheck with cfpm
Secure token storage: Always store activation tokens securely in a secrets manager, never in plain text files

References

Installation getting complicated?

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