How to change or reset a license for Autodesk software
- You changed the license type but didn’t change the license setting in the software. For example, you may have changed from a perpetual license to a subscription license. Or you may have changed from a single-user (stand-alone) to a multi-user (network) license.
- Your subscription has expired. You may need to get a new subscription rather than autorenewing the old one.
- You used the software in trial mode and then got a subscription using a different email address.
- You signed in to the Autodesk desktop app with an email address different from the one you used to get a subscription.
The process for changing or resetting your license differs according to software release:
- Autodesk 2020 or newer releasess
- Autodesk 2019, 2018, or 2017 releases
Note: For versions earlier than 2017, reinstall the software to change the license type. When you reinstall, select the license type, using the pre-2017 types: stand-alone or network.
For Autodesk 2020 or newer releases
If your software starts
Follow this workflow to reset your license type through the License Manager. If your trial license has expired, click Already Have A License at the bottom of the Expired Trial dialog box.
- Start your Autodesk software.
- At the upper-right, click the triangle next to the username.
- Select Manage Licenses.
- In the License Manager dialog box, select Manage License Type. The Let’s Get Started screen appears.
- Choose your license type.
If your software doesn’t start
Use the Autodesk Licensing Installer Helper tool (AdskLicensingInstHelper).
Before you begin: If you’re signed in to the Autodesk desktop app or Autodesk cloud-based services, sign out. Then clear the login status by deleting the LoginState.xml file at these locations:
- Windows: %localappdata%\Autodesk\Web Services\LoginState.xml (Tip: From the Task Manager, select the Details tab. If the AdSSO service is running, click End Task and delete the LoginState.xml file.)
- macOS: ~/Library/Application\ Support/Autodesk/Web\ Services/LoginState.xml
- Linux: ~/.local/share/Autodesk/Web Services/LoginState.xml
- Open a command prompt on Windows (run as administrator) or a terminal in macOS or Linux.
- To change the directory to AdskLicensingInstHelper, run following commands:
- Windows: cd %CommonProgramFiles(x86)%\Autodesk Shared\AdskLicensing\Current\helper\
- macOS: cd /Library/Application\ Support/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/Current/helper/
- Linux: cd /opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/2020/helper/
- In the Command line, run the following (for example, for the 2020 release):
- Windows: AdskLicensingInstHelper change -pk 2020_product_key -pv 2020.0.0.F -lm “”
- Mac/Linux: sudo AdskLicensingInstHelper change -pk 2020_product_key -pv 2020.0.0.F -lm
Note: Here is a list of product keys.
- Start your Autodesk software. On the Let’s Get Started screen, select the appropriate license type.
For Autodesk 2019, 2018, and 2017 releases
If your software starts
- At the upper right, click the drop-down triangle next to the username.
- Click Manage License.
- In the License Manager dialog box, click Change License Type.
- Close the product and restart it. Follow these directions, according to whether you see the Let’s Get Started screen.
A video tutorial of this process can be found here.
You see the Let’s Get Started screen
- If you see the screen, select one of these options:
- Single-user
- Multi-user
- Enter a serial number
- Start a trial
- If you’re not sure, click Help Me Choose.
You don’t see the Let’s Get Started screen or your software doesn’t open
Windows
- If you don’t see the Get Started screen, delete the following LGS.data file.
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\CLM\LGS\ProductKey_ProductVersion.0.0.F\LGS.data
For example, in AutoCAD 2019, the file may be here: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\CLM\LGS\001K1_2019.0.0.F\LGS.data
- For a single-user license, delete the following folders and files:
- C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ADUT
- C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ADUT (if it exists)
- C:\Users\user\AppData\local\Autodesk\Web Services\LoginState.xmlNote: If the folders and files are hidden, see Show hidden files.
- Restart the Autodesk software.
macOS
- If you don’t see the Get Started screen, delete the LGS.data file.
/Library/Application\ Support/Autodesk/CLM/LGS/ProductKey_ProductVersion.0.0.F/LGS.data
For example, in AutoCAD 2018, the file may be here:
/Library/Application\ Support/Autodesk/CLM/LGS/777J1_2018.0.0.F/LGS.data
Note: Here is a list of all the Autodesk product keys.
- For a single-user license, also remove the following folders and files:
- /Users/username/Library/Application\ Support/Autodesk/ADUT (if it exists)
- /Users/username/Library/Application\ Support/Autodesk/Web Services/LoginState.xml
- /Library/Preferences/FLEXnet Publisher/FLEXnet all files that begin with “adsk”
Note: Don’t remove any non-Autodesk files from the FLEXnet folder. To make hidden files visible, go to Finder > Go > Go To Folder. Paste in the path, and press Enter.
- Restart the Autodesk software.
For Autodesk 2016 and earlier releases
For products earlier than 2017, uninstall the product and then reinstall it to reset the license.
- Uninstall your Autodesk software.
- Delete ADUT folders, if any. You can find them here:
- Windows: C:\Users\YourUserID\ AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ADUT
- macOS: /User/username/Library/Application\ Support/Autodesk/ADUT
- Sign in to manage.autodesk.com and download the software.
- Follow the recommended installation workflow for Autodesk products.
- After the software is installed, start it and select the appropriate license type.