Licensing
In this document, we covered the fundamentals of our licensing model—including how to activate your license based on its type, check license's details and share them with your team members.
Here, you can learn how to:
Licenses overview
License types
At Hex-Rays, we offer two basic license types for IDA products, which 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.
How many licenses should I have?
Beside the license for IDA product, you need also a separate active license for each server available in your subscription.
The components of your subscription that require their own license:
Base IDA license (e.g., IDA PRO Expert 4)
Teams server for Teams add-on
Lumina server for Lumina add-on
License server for floating licenses
Example: You've purchased IDA PRO Expert 4 Plan with Teams and Private Lumina, along with floating type of license with 6 seats. In this case, you’ll need to activate the following four licenses:
License server license
Private Lumina server license
Teams server license
IDA PRO Expert 4 license
What's a license file?
The .hexlic license file contains your license ID and other data, and is required to make your IDA instance fully operative after installation (or your Lumina, Teams or License server). You can download your license files from My Hex-Rays portal, after their activation.
License activation
To complete the installation, you need an active IDA license with an assigned owner (for a named license) or a MAC address (for a computer/floating license). Without activation, you cannot download your license file.
What is needed to activate 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
Where can I activate my license?
From the License tab in My Hex-Rays portal, you can initiate the activation process and open the License activation dialog from several locations:
In the table, locate your license and click Activate Now (1),
Click on the desired license to open its detail view, then click Activate License (2), or
Select multiple licenses of the same type by ticking their checkboxes, then click Bulk Activation (3).
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.
Open the License activation dialog, select decompilers and click Next.
Assign the ownership of the license: set the email address for this IDA instance user (it can be yours) and click Activate license.
Your license is now active.
You can check the license details and modify it if needed. If all details are correct, you can download your license key.
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.
Open the License activation dialog, select decompilers and click Next.
Add the MAC address of the machine where this IDA instance will be installed and running (it can be yours) and click Activate license.
Your license is now active.
You can check the license details and modify it if needed. If all details are correct, you can download your license key.
Download the license files
If you are sure that all of the license details are correct, you can go ahead and download your license hexlic file. You will need it to complete the installation process.
Downloading the license locks the configuration and prevents further edits.
Go to the Licenses tab in My Hex-Rays portal.
Under the Actions column, click the three dots and then Download hexlic from the dropdown menu (1), or, alternatively, in the license detail view, click Download hexlic.
To download multiple license files at once, select the desired licenses by ticking their checkboxes, or click Select all. Then, click Download License Files (2). You’ll receive an email with a link to download all license files and a CSV.
Quick alternative
HCLI Commands | See HCLI Docs
hcli license get
What's next?
Now you are ready to install your IDA instance.
Floating licenses activation
To use floating licenses, you need to activate:
A license for your license server
A base IDA Pro license linked to that server
Both licenses can be activated and linked in a single step, as described below.
Navigate to the Licenses tab and look for your IDA license with Floating label. Ensure it has the Pending activation status.
Open the License activation dialog, select decompilers and click Next.
Assign a license server. If you added the license server before, select the Use existing server option and then tick the server from the list. If you haven't done it yet, you can add and activate a license server now—select Add new server option, type the MAC address and click Add.
Add tags if needed, and click Activate license to finalize.
Your license(s) is now active.
You can check the license details and modify it if needed.
If all details are correct, you can download your license key and license files for the license server.
Bulk activation
If you have multiple licenses of the same type (for example, ten IDA PRO Expert 2 licenses), you can activate them all in a single batch operation. All licenses activated in bulk will share the same configuration details, decompilers set, and add-ons, while allowing for unique owner email addresses and MAC addresses.
Go to My Hex-Rays portal and navigate to the Licenses tab.
Locate the licenses you want to activate with the Pending activation status. Select all of them by ticking the checkboxes on their left side.
In the top menu that appears after selection, click Bulk Activation.
In the new dialog, select decompilers (this action is done for all licenses in a batch) and click Next.
Depending on your licenses type, assign the license user's emails or set the MAC addresses. Optionally, you can add tags.
Click Activate Licenses.
You've noticed a mistake? No worries, you can still edit your selected licenses before downloading them.
Bulk download the license files
In the Licenses tab, select the licenses for bulk download and click Download License Files.
After confirmation, you'll get an email with link to download all license files + CSV.
License details
The License Details card provides a complete overview of the license, including assigned decompilers and users it has been shared with. You can edit access permissions and tags at any time, even for active and already downloaded licenses. To open the License Details view, go to the My Hex-Rays portal, open the License or Servers tab, and click the license you want to view.
License editing
When you activate your license using one of the methods shown above, you can still make changes—such as modifying the decompiler set—as long as you have not downloaded the license file(s). Once the license file(s) are downloaded, further modifications will no longer be possible.
To edit the license:
Go to My Hex-Rays portal and navigate to the Licenses or Servers tab.
Locate the licenses you want to edit with the Active status. Under the Actions column, click the three dots and then Edit from the dropdown menu, or alternatively, in the license detail view, click Edit. If the Edit option is not visible, it means the license has already been downloaded and can no longer be edited.
Make changes and click on Next/Activate license to confirm.
Server licenses
If your subscription includes a server (for Private Lumina, Teams or floating licenses), you'll need to activate the corresponding server licenses to download the license files. To do so, make sure to add the relevant servers to your account.
Add servers
In My Hex-Rays portal, go to the Servers tab and click + Add server.
Select the type of server(s) you want to add and click Next. You may add multiple servers at one go.
Assign MAC addresses and click Create servers to finalize.
After that, your servers will appear in the Servers list with an Active status, allowing you to download the server certificates (1) and hexlic files (2).
If you are using floating licenses, you can now go ahead and activate your IDA licenses that uses the server.
Downloading the server license files
Once all IDA PRO licenses intended for use with your floating license server have been activated, you can proceed to download the server’s hexlic file and license certificate. Maintaining this order is crucial—the hexlic file contains essential details about the linked licenses, which are properly embedded only when the IDA license is associated with the specific floating license server.
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. New to the floating licenses? Check our Floating Licenses User Guide.
Floating licenses check-out
Every time you launch IDA, you'll see the License Manager pop-up window. As long as there are free seats, you can check-out one of the available licenses and start using IDA.
Add-ons servers' licenses
Private Lumina server activation for admins
Each of our add-ons, Teams and Private Lumina, requires an active license to work properly. To proceed with Lumina installation and setup, an active server's license is required.
Add server in your account (activate the license).
Locate your server license on the Servers tab and download the following files:
lumina server certificate (1)
.hexlic file (license key) (2)
You'll need both files to continue with the server installation and setup.
Quick alternative
HCLI Commands | See HCLI Docs
hcli license get
Private Lumina server installation for admins
Server installation for Private Lumina should be done by the administrator. Check our Admin Guide for details.
Teams server activation for admins
Each of our add-ons, Teams and Private Lumina, requires an active license to work properly. To proceed with Teams installation and setup, an active server's license is required.
Add server in your account (activate the license).
Locate your server license on the Servers tab and download the following files:
teams server certificate (1)
.hexlic file (license key) (2)
You'll need both files to continue with the server installation and setup.
Quick alternative
HCLI Commands | See HCLI Docs
hcli license get
Teams server installation for admins
Server installation for Teams should be done by the administrator. Check our Admin Guide for details.
Grant access to manage licenses
You can invite your teammates to view and activate licenses via their own My Hex-Rays account. To grant access:
Select license(s) you want to share and click Grant Access (1).
Add the email address of your teammate and click Confirm (2).
Your team member will receive an email invitation to log in to the portal and access the shared licenses.
The License Details view allows you to review who currently has access to the license, remove users, or grant access to new ones.
Key points:
Once a license has been downloaded, it cannot be modified.
Multiple licenses of the same type can be activated in bulk.
You can grant the access to manage licenses to other teammates, while the ownership of the license remains the same.
Change your plan
If you need additional decompilers or add-ons, you can upgrade your plan at any time through My Hex-Rays portal.
Steps to update your plan:
Go to the Licenses tab.
Find/select the IDA license plan you want to renew.
Click Renew/Change plan in the top panel or in the license’s row in the table.
Review the plan options. You can upgrade your plan, change the license type to floating, and add seats or add-ons.
Select Change plan (starts immediately) to apply the changes right after the upgrade. Click Continue to Payment to finalize.
The new plan will appear under the Licenses tab with a Pending Activation status. Activate the license to start using the updated plan.
Actions Required After Update
If you upgraded your plan (for example, from IDA PRO Expert 2 to IDA PRO Expert 4), you will need to activate your new license and download the new license files before you can use the updated plan.
Renew your plan
You can renew your subscription and, if needed, change your plan(s) in one go through My Hex-Rays portal.
Steps to renew and change your plan:
Go to the Licenses tab.
Find/select the IDA license plan you want to renew.
Click Renew/Change plan in the top panel or in the license’s row in the table.
Select subscription duration and review the plan options. You can upgrade/downgrade your plan, change the license type, and add seats or add-ons.
Select one of the following options:
Renew (starts after current period), if you want all changes to be applied at the renewal date, or
Change plan (starts immediately), if you want the changes to take effect right away. Click Continue to Payment to finalize.
Based on your selection, follow the appropriate scenario:
a. Renewal without plan change: The subscription validity is automatically extended. Re-download the license files and save them in your usual location (You can check and change the .hexlic location via Help → License Manager…).
b. Renewal with plan change: The new plan will appear under the Licenses tab with a Pending Activation status. You need to activate it, then download and save the new license file locally.
Actions Required After Renewal With/Without Upgrade
If you upgraded your plan (for example, from IDA PRO Expert 2 to IDA PRO Expert 4), you will need to activate your new license and download the new license files before you can use the updated plan. If you renewed your existing plan without changes, re-download a license file to apply the extended validity period.
License Renewal and Update FAQ
How can I change only my decompilers?
If you only want to change the type of decompilers (not the number of decompilers, and without upgrading or downgrading your plan), this can be done after your current plan expires. Instead of renewing the current plan, you will need to place a new order. A new license will then be generated, and during activation you will be able to choose different decompilers.
How can I add more decompilers to my current plan?
To add more decompilers to your active subscription, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher plan that includes the desired number of decompilers. You can upgrade your plan at any time through My Hex-Rays portal, and choose to apply the changes immediately.
What changes can I make during renewal?
You can apply the following changes during renewal via My Hex-Rays portal:
Switch to a different license type
Upgrade or downgrade your plan
Add optional add-ons (Teams or Lumina)
Add additional seats
Some changes, such as downgrading a plan or changing the license type from computer to named, can only take effect at the next term, not during the active subscription period.
For other modifications, such as changing an active license type from named to computer, contact our Sales team
What changes can I make to my active license?
During your current subscription period, you can:
Upgrade to a higher plan
Add seats or add-ons
Switch to a floating license type
You can apply these changes immediately to your active license.
Can I change the license type of my active subscription plan?
During an active subscription period, the only license type change you can make yourself via My Hex-Rays portal is switching to a floating license. Other changes (e.g., switching between named and computer licenses) are only possible at renewal for the next term, or require assistance from our Sales team.
Can I downgrade my active license?
Downgrades are possible only for your next renewal date.
I have IDA Pro Essential and want to upgrade to IDA Pro Expert 4. How can I do this?
You can upgrade your plan at any time through the Customer Portal, and choose to apply the changes immediately, or at your next renewal date. Check the details on how to change your current plan.
I have named license, can I change the license type to computer?
You can change the license type (for example, from the named to computer) via customer portal only while renewing for the next term. In other words, you cannot change the license type for active subscription period. If you need to do that for some reason, contact our Sales team.
Why can’t I renew or change the license?
If the Renew/Change plan option is missing or greyed out, it means the license was shared with you and bought by someone else. Only the person who purchased the license can renew or modify the plan.
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