Licensing
In this document, we covered the basics regarding our licensing model: you can check how to activate your license depending on the license type, what to do with the downloaded license files, and how to finalize license settings while running IDA. This guide is dedicated to individual users.
Licenses overview
License types
In Hex-Rays, we offer two basic license types for IDA products, that are suitable for individual users:
Named licenses, that are assigned to specific individuals.
Computer licenses that are assigned to specific devices.
There is also an additional type, called floating licenses, that allow a set number of concurrent users but are not assigned to specific individuals or devices.
Floating licenses are available only for IDA Pro and dedicated to business/organization purposes.
What are license files, and where can I find them?
The license file contains your license ID and other data and is required to make your IDA instance fully operative after installation.
You can download your license file from My Hex-Rays portal, after its activation.
License Activation
To complete the installation, you need an active IDA license with an assigned owner or a MAC address. Without activation, you cannot download your license file.
What is needed to assign my license?
for named licenses: the email address of the owner,
for computer licenses: the MAC address of a specific device
for floating licenses: the MAC address of the device where the license server will be running
The license type (named/computer) is selected when you purchase your subscription.
Named licenses activation
Go to My Hex-Rays portal and navigate to the Licenses tab.
Locate the license ID you want to activate. Ensure it has the Pending activation status.
Under the Actions column, click the three dots and then Activate License from the dropdown menu.
If you haven't completed the KYC procedure yet, you will need to do so for accessing paid products. If the "Activate License" option is not visible despite a Pending Activation status, it means your KYC process is still in progress.
In the new dialog, assign the ownership of the license: set the email address for this IDA instance user (it can be yours) and select decompilers. Optionally, select a Lumina or Teams server and tick the checkbox to send the license via email.
Click Assign button and then Click to confirm to finalize the assignment. Your license is now active, and you can download your license key.
Download the license key and installer
In the main Licenses view, click the three dots under Actions column and in the dropdown menu, click Download key to save it locally. You will need it to complete the installation process.
Navigate to the Download center on the left menu, locate your IDA product and base on your operating system, select an installer to download.
What's next?
Now you are ready to install your IDA instance.
Computer licenses activation
Go to My Hex-Rays portal and navigate to the Licenses tab.
Locate the license ID you want to activate. Ensure it has the Pending activation status.
Under the Actions column, click the three dots and then Activate License from the dropdown menu.
If you haven't completed the KYC procedure yet, you will need to do so for accessing paid products. If the "Activate License" option is not visible despite a Pending Activation status, it means your KYC process is still in progress.
In the new dialog, assign the ownership of the license: set the MAC address of the machine where this IDA instance will be installed and running (it can be yours) and select decompilers. Optionally, select a Lumina and Teams server and tick the checkbox to send your license via email.
Click Assign button and then Click to confirm to finalize the assignment. Your license is now active, and you can download your license key.
Download the license key and installer
In the main Licenses view, click the three dots under Actions column and in the dropdown menu, click Download key to save it locally. You will need it to complete the installation process.
Navigate to the Download center on the left menu, locate your IDA product and base on your operating system, select an installer to download.
What's next?
Now you are ready to install your IDA instance.
Server licenses for businesses and organizations
In this part, we cover the basics of license activation for Teams and Private Lumina servers, and the floating license server.
The Admin Guide covers the comprehensive manual regarding installation and server management.
The server installers and license files are available via My Hex-Rays portal.
License server licenses
Floating licenses are managed by administrators and require a license server to work. If you purchase the floating licenses, you will see an additional license for the license server in your Hex-Rays portal.
License server activation for admins
Similar to named and computer licenses, license server licenses need to be activated in My Hex-Rays portal.
If you're using floating licenses, activate your server license before activating your IDA license. The server's license ID is required to activate your IDA instance.
Go to My Hex-Rays portal and navigate to the Licenses tab.
Locate the license ID you want to activate. Ensure it has the Pending activation status.
Under the Actions column, click the three dots and select Activate License from the dropdown menu.
In the new dialog, assign the ownership to the license server and provide the MAC address of the device where the license server will be running.
Click Assign button and then Click to confirm to finalize the assignment. Your license is now active, and you can download your license key and certificate.
Navigate to the Download center on the left menu, and select a license server installer to download.
Link your IDA instance to the license server: IDA license activation
Navigate to the Licenses tab and look for your IDA license marked with -floating. Ensure it has the Pending activation status.
Under the Actions column, click the three dots and then Activate License from the dropdown menu.
In the new dialog:
select decompilers;
under Link to License server, select the license server ID;
enter your email address to receive the license file.
Click Assign button and then Click to confirm to finalize the assignment. Your IDA license is now active, and you can download your license key.
License server installation for admins
Server installation for floating licenses should be done by the administrator. Check our Admin Guide for details.
How can I start using IDA as a floating license user?
Once your administrator installs a license server, adds particular license seats to the pool, and hands over the credentials, you are ready to install your IDA instance.
You don't need to download a license file/key to your local machine while using the floating licenses server.
Floating licenses borrowing
Every time you launch IDA, you'll see the License Manager pop-up window. As long as there are free seats, you can borrow one of the available licenses and start using IDA.
Note that some of the available licenses may have different decompilers and add-ons enabled.
Add-ons servers' licenses
Each of our add-ons, Teams and Private Lumina, requires a separate server to work. The server license is provided with the first IDA instance/plan with the specific add-on enabled.
Teams server activation for admins
Similar to named/computer licenses and floating license server, the Teams server license needs to be activated in My Hex-Rays portal.
Teams server installation for admins
Server installation for Teams should be done by the administrator. Check our Admin Guide for details.
Private Lumina server activation for admins
Similar to named/computer licenses and floating license server, the Private Lumina server license needs to be activated in My Hex-Rays portal.
Private Lumina server installation for admins
Server installation for Private Lumina should be done by the administrator. Check our Admin Guide for details.
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