License Key is disabled

QUESTION

I've recently upgraded and now, when prompted to activate, I am getting the error that the license key is disabled. What's going on and how do I activate the software?

ANSWER

There are several instances when you may get an error message "License key is disabled".

Case 1

You are trying to activate a newer version of Capture One with an older perpetual license key

If you have a perpetual license, the product key activates the corresponding Capture One version and earlier versions as well. For instance, the license key for Capture One 21 can activate Capture One 21, 20, 12, and any older version.

Case 2

You have recently upgraded to the latest major release

For instance, if you upgraded from Capture One 12 to Capture One 21, your license key for Capture One 12 will be automatically disabled.

Instead, you will receive a new license key that replaces your old key. It should be used to activate the corresponding version of Capture One. It can also activate the previous versions of the software.

You can find the new license key in your order history and in the e-mail sent by FastSpring after you have completed the payment.

Case 3

You have purchased a subscription after November 29, 2018, however, you want to activate Capture One 11.3.1 or older versions.

Backward compatibility of Capture One licenses depends on whether it was issued by Fastspring. Fastspring licensing was first introduced in Capture 11.3.2. If you can find your license in the Fastspring order history, your license is a Fastspring license.