Unable to Complete Activation Message When Opening LabVIEW

Updated May 4, 2026

Reported In

Software

  • LabVIEW
  • Volume License Manager
  • License Manager

Issue Details

  • I recently updated NI License Manager to its latest version, since then when I open LabVIEW or any other licensed NI software I receive a pop-up window saying Unable to complete activation and the error code is General license error.

 

  • I can connect to a license server, LabVIEW is licensed (green) but when I open it a message pops up saying Unable to complete activation and the error code is General license error.

 

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Solution

This error may occur if the license file in use is outdated. Please obtain the most recent license file by contacting services@ni.com 

 

If you have recently updated your license file and the issue persists, the error may be caused by an incompatibility between the version of NI License Manager running on the client machine and the version of NI Volume License Manager running on the license server (see Related Links section). 

 

Starting with version 2025 Q1, NI License Manager is compatible only with NI Volume License Manager 2023 Q1 or later. To resolve this issue, please contact your software administrator to verify the version of NI Volume License Manager installed on the server and upgrade it to the latest version if necessary.

Additional Information

If you are a software administrator and planning to upgrade the NI Volume License Manager on the server please refer to this document: How Do I Upgrade NI Volume License Manager (VLM) 3.x?

Related Links

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