# Help

Below is an overview of all actions that can be accessed from this menu.

| UI Action Name              | Action Name          | Description                                     |
| --------------------------- | -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Online help                 | `ToggleOnlineManual` | Use either the online, or bundled IDA manual    |
| Help                        | `ShowHelp`           | Help                                            |
| API Documentation           | \`\`                 |                                                 |
| Python API                  | `HelpPythonAPI`      | Python API                                      |
| IDA SDK                     | `HelpIDASDK`         | IDA SDK                                         |
| Decompiler SDK              | `HelpHexraysSDK`     | Decompiler SDK                                  |
| IDC Functions               | `HelpIDCFunctions`   | IDC Functions                                   |
| About program...            | `About`              | About program                                   |
| License manager...          | `LicenseManager`     | Open license manager. [More…](#license-manager) |
| How to buy IDA              | `BuyIDA`             | How to buy IDA                                  |
| IDA home page               | `Homepage`           | IDA home page                                   |
| IDA support forum           | `SupportForum`       | IDA support forum                               |
| Send database...            | `hx:SendIDB`         | Send database                                   |
| Extract function...         | `hx:ExtractFunc`     | Extract function                                |
| Check for free update...    | `CheckFreeUpdate`    | Check for free update                           |
| Report a bug or an issue... | `BugReport`          | Report a bug or an issue                        |

## License manager...

Open license manager. The license manager dialog (**Help -> License manager...**) lets you pick a license to use IDA with.

![](/files/iTqlRKHxhIMe2Ool6oRN)

Depending on your licensing plan (e.g., floating), you may have the possibility to switch between various licenses located on the same license server (but having different sets of add-ons & decompilers, for example).

The active license is represented in **bold** in the list. Double-clicking on a line in the list, will make that license active, and make it the [preferred license](#preferred-license).

### Preferred license

Doing so will also make it the "preferred" license -- that is, it will be remembered for later sessions as being the default license to use.

### Borrowing & returning licenses

When using floating licenses from a server, it is possible to borrow the license for an extended period of time, thereby allowing offline work. Please use the context menu to achieve that.

### License management command line options

IDA recognizes the `-Olicense` command-line switch, with the following format:

1. `-Olicense:keyfile=<path-to-.hexlic-file>[:setpref]`
2. `-Olicense:server[:host=<hostname>][:port=<port>][:lid=<xx-xxxx-xxxx-xx>][:setpref]`

Where the optional bits are:

|           |                                                                            |
| --------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `keyfile` | Path to the license file                                                   |
| `host`    | The license server host name                                               |
| `port`    | The license server port                                                    |
| `lid`     | The license ID to use                                                      |
| `setpref` | Whether the selected license should be remembered as the preferred license |

The command-line switch `-Olicense` takes precedence over both:

1. the preferred license information possibly stored in the registry, and
2. the [`IDA_LICENSE` environment variable](#license-management-environment-variable)

NOTE: The `-Olicense` switch (or [`IDA_LICENSE`](#license-management-environment-variable)) will not, by default, overwrite the "preferred" license information in the registry. Specify `setpref` to achieve that.

NOTE: On Windows, the `<DriveLetter>:` scheme is recognized. Therefore `-Olicense:keyfile=C:/tmp/my.hexlic:setpref` will work as expected.

### License management environment variable

Alternatively, the `IDA_LICENSE` environment variable can be used to specify licensing information, and accepts the same format as [the `-Olicense` option](#license-management-command-line-options)

E.g., `IDA_LICENSE=server:host=<hostname>:…`


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```

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