Activation Error When Trying to Activate NI Software

Check my account for licenses

• Make sure you are connected to the internet.
• Your serial number(s) must be registered to your NI online account. If you have recently registered your license, please note that the system may take up to 24 hours to complete the registration process.
• This activation method requires an active license agreement to function. Perpetual licenses without an active license agreement will not allow you to activate your software using this method.
• NI Partner Software licenses cannot be used to activate software using this method.
• If you meet the requirements outlined above but are still unable to activate your software, please contact NI Technical Support for assistance.

Enter a serial number

• Make sure you are connected to the internet.

• Make sure your serial number is correct for the software version you are trying to activate. The software name and version can be seen in full by selecting Local Licenses in NI License Manager.

  • For example, a serial number for LabVIEW Professional Development System 2017 will produce an Activation Error if you are trying to activate LabVIEW Base Development System 2017.

  • Service Pack releases are considered separate versions from the base release of NI software. A serial number for LabVIEW 20xx will not activate LabVIEW 20xx SP1 and vice versa. Note: If you already installed LabVIEW 20xx SP1 and want to activate LabVIEW 20xx, you will have to uninstall LabVIEW 20xx SP1 and then reinstall LabVIEW 20xx.

• On rare occasions, serial numbers on shipped packaging can be incorrect. Check other sources, like quotes and order confirmations, to see if different serial numbers corresponding to the same product can be found.

• Student Install Option (SIO) serial numbers change every year, so if the number you are using is from a previous year, it will have expired. To obtain the current serial number, please contact the software administrator for your academic site.

• You can try to disable the IPv6 setting for the time of the activation: If you are using Windows 8 or later, you can press Win + Q to search for Control Panel and open it. Select Network and Internet, then Network and Sharing Center. Click on Change adapter settings and right-click on the connection in use and select Properties. Untick Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).

• Make sure that the serial number you are using to activate the software is not expired. Please contact NI Support  for further assistance.

Enter activation codes

• Ensure that the activation code is generated for the computer ID of the computer on which you are performing the activation. Each activation code is tied to a specific Computer ID and will not work on a different computer. 

• Make sure that the activation code matches the software name and version you have installed.

  • Service Pack releases are considered separate versions from the base release of NI software. A serial number for LabVIEW 20xx will not activate LabVIEW 20xx SP1 and vice versa. 

• Take your computer offline and Activate NI Software Without an Internet Connection.

• Activation codes are generated for individual machines and cannot be reused across different computers.

Connect to a volume license server

• If your company has a Volume License Agreement, please follow these steps to access a volume license server from a client machine.

• Volume License Server activation differs from other methods, as it does not require you to explicitly activate the software. Instead, you only need to connect to the license server and be assigned the appropriate license permissions by the Software Administrator.

• If you require license permissions to use the software, please contact your company's Software Administrator to be added as a user for the network license.