Unable to Activate Your License

Applies to TestComplete 15.68, last modified on October 03, 2024

This page refers to key-based licenses — a legacy license type used in TestComplete until version 15.48. For information on the current, ID-based license type, see SmartBear ID-based Licenses.

If TestComplete encounters an error when activating your license, it will display an error message notifying you about the problem.

Resolving Problems

You can try resolving the problem by using the Licensing Troubleshooter on our web site:

Licensing Troubleshooter


Below are some recommendations for resolving typical problems:

  • Check that your computer has an Internet connection.

    Verify that you have a working Internet connection. Check that the network cable is connected to your computer and check that you can open web sites (for instance, you can try opening https://smartbear.com).

  • Check you have access to the SmartBear licensing web sites.

    Check that the firewalls or proxies running on your computer and local network allow activation requests to the URLs https://ls1.smartbear.com or https://ls2.smartbear.com, and port 443. To determine whether a firewall (or proxy) blocks the port 443, try connecting to the My SmartBear section of our web site (https://my.smartbear.com).

    Ask your administrator for help with configuring the firewall or proxy settings, if needed.

  • Check that your computer is configured to use TLS 1.0 for its Internet connections.

    • Launch Internet Explorer and select Tools > Internet options.

    • Switch to the Advanced tab page and find the Security > Use TLS 1.0 option.

    • Make sure the option is enabled.

      If the option is disabled, enable it. Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog.

  • Make sure the Sentinel LDK License Manager service is running on your computer.

    The service is started automatically after the TestComplete installation. If this service is not running, activation is impossible. To determine whether this service is running, open the Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services window and see if the services list contains the Sentinel LDK License Manager service and that the service is running.

    If the service does not start or if it is not in the list, see Cannot Connect to the Sentinel LDK License Manager Service on Your Computer.

After fixing the issues, attempt activation again.

What to do if these recommendations do not help?

If these recommendations do not help, try using the offline (manual) activation and follow the instructions the wizard displays on the screen.

Also, you can ask our Support Team for assistance. For information on how to contact them, see Getting Help With Licenses.

Important: When writing to the Support Team, please specify the exact error message you get during product activation. To get this error message, click within the message box and then press Ctrl+C. This will copy the message’s text to the clipboard. You can then paste this text into your message.

See Also

Getting Help With Licenses

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