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How had the Aten been worshipped before Akhenaten’s reign?

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Sculpted head of Akhenaten, ancient Egyptian pharaoh, with elongated facial features and a tall, ornate headdress, displayed at the Alexandria National Museum. — Akhenaten Akhenaten, sculpture in the Alexandria National Museum, Egypt.

The term "Aten" was already in use in Egypt long before the reign of Akhenaten. Rather than creating a new deity, Akhenaten singled out this specific aspect of the sun god from among others.1

Historical evidence indicates that references to the Aten as a god became increasingly frequent during the reigns of earlier pharaohs. Specifically, the Aten was referred to as a god under Thutmose IV, and these references became more common during the reign of Amenhotep III.1

Akhenaten’s innovation was not the invention of the deity, but the elevation of this solar aspect to a position of singular importance, eventually freeing it from its traditional mythological context to present it as the sole beneficent provider for the world.1