You can activate your NI software product by using the serial number if your computer is connected to the Internet and by using the activation code if your computer is not connected to the Internet.
A) If the computer that needs activation has internet access
Activate the NI software product using the serial number associated with the product.
NOTE: Before using this method, make sure your computer is connected to the network and that you are logged in to your NI user account in the License Manager.
NI License Manager 4.0 or later
- When you launch an NI software product that has not yet been activated, you will see the following screen:

- Click Activate on this screen to open the LabVIEW License Wizard.

- The list on this screen shows the products that are installed on your computer and have not been activated. If you enter the serial number for each product and click Activate, activation of each product will be completed automatically at the next startup without the need for additional activation steps by the LabVIEW License Wizard.
NI License Manager 3.7 or earlier
- Launching an NI software product that has not yet been activated opens the NI Activation Wizard. Click Activate Product on that screen.
- To activate using your serial number, select the option to enable it automatically over a secure internet connection .
- The list on this screen shows the products that are installed on your computer and have not been activated.
Please note that there may be multiple pages of the product if you are fully installed. Enter the serial number of each product and click Activate to automatically complete the activation of each product at the next startup. No additional activation steps are required by the NI Activation Wizard.

B) If the computer that needs activation does not have access to the internet
You must activate your computer with a 20-character unique activation code. There are two ways to generate this 20-character code.
NOTE: If you activate a single software product, such as the LabVIEW Professional Development System, the included add-on toolkits, such as the Application Builder, are not activated at the same time. In this case, you need to generate and enter an activation code for each add-on.
Then activate it from the NI License Manager.
NI License Manager 4.0 or later
- Launch the NI License Manager and click Activate Software .

- Click Enter Activation Code in the NI License Wizard.

- Enter the activation code and click Apply Code .
NOTE: If you receive multiple activation codes by email, you can use
Parse Activation Email to Comma-separated Codes to extract the strings that will be pasted into the screen in step 2.

NI License Manager 3.7 or earlier
- When you launch an NI product that has not yet been activated, you will see the following screen: Click Activate Product on this screen to open the NI Activation Wizard.

- To activate using the serial number, select Apply one or more previously obtained 20-character activation code to this computer .

- Enter the activation code and click Next to activate.

Additional Information
- If you launch an NI product that has not yet been activated and the Activation Wizard does not appear, see Activating Software . To launch the Activation Wizard, you need to launch the corresponding application. The extension is usually .exe.
- If you get an activation error while using the 20-character activation code:
- Go to the version of the software you have installed on your computer and make sure the code you are writing matches that version . For example, the code generated for LabVIEW Professional Development System 2018 is version-specific and does not activate the LabVIEW 2018 SP1 installation.
- Upgrade the NI License Manager to the latest version.
- If you continue to see the red exclamation mark, it may be associated with a Volume Licensing program. In such cases, the enterprise will have a software administrator who handles granting licenses to users. Please contact your software administrator before contacting NI.
- If you get the error "Activate your product, use another method, or try again later", check the correct computer ID and recreate the new 20-character activation code.
- If you simply uninstall and reinstall a non-expired product on the same computer, the same activation code will work.