License activation failed
Symptom
You loaded your .dslic license file — via Mediator: License Status in VS Code, or the activation screen in Visual Studio — but the device didn’t activate. The commercial features stayed locked, or you saw a message that the license was rejected, the seat limit was reached, or the file wasn’t a valid license.
Work through the causes below in order.
1. The file isn’t a valid .dslic license
Activation expects the .dslic envelope DSoftStudio sends you after you subscribe (or start a trial). It rejects anything else — a plain token saved into a file, a renamed .txt, or a partial download.
Check
- The file you selected has the
.dslicextension and is the one you received from DSoftStudio. - It downloaded completely (re-download it from the customer portal if you’re unsure).
Fix
Load the original .dslic file. If you only have its contents in an email, save them to a file named license.dslic and load that. If activation still reports the file isn’t a valid license, re-download it from the customer portal.
2. There’s no subscription to activate yet
If you haven’t subscribed, there is nothing to load. During the launch window the commercial features unlock automatically under the free access period; after that, a subscription is required.
Check
The status shows a trial / free-access countdown, or reports that no license was found.
Fix
- If you’re still inside the free access period, the commercial features are already unlocked — no
.dslicfile is needed. - To subscribe — or to start the optional 14-day paid-subscription trial — open the Pricing page. Checkout and trials are handled by our payment provider, Paddle; see the Terms of Service for trial and billing details. After checkout you receive your
.dslicfile by email.
3. Seat limit reached
Each plan allows a fixed number of activated machines — one for Individual, more for Teams and Enterprise plans. Activating on more machines than your plan allows is rejected.
Check
The message indicates the seat limit for your subscription has been reached.
Fix
- Free up a seat: open the customer portal, find a machine you no longer use, and release it — then activate again.
- Moving this license from another machine? Use Move to another machine in the portal (https://portal.dsoftstudio.com/transfer).
- Or upgrade to a plan with more seats on the Pricing page.
4. Activated on different hardware
A seat is bound to the machine it was activated on. If you reimaged the machine, swapped major hardware, or moved the drive to a new computer, the binding no longer matches and activation is refused.
Check
The message mentions a machine or hardware mismatch.
Fix
Release or transfer the previous binding in the customer portal using Move to another machine, then activate again on the new machine.
5. Can’t reach the activation service
Activation may need a one-time online check. On a network that blocks outbound HTTPS — a corporate proxy or firewall — that check can’t complete. Once the device is activated, the extension keeps working offline.
Check
Confirm the machine has general internet access.
Fix
- If you are behind a corporate proxy, configure your IDE’s proxy:
- VS Code — the
http.proxysetting. - Visual Studio — inherits the Windows proxy settings.
- VS Code — the
- If outbound HTTPS is blocked, ask your IT team to allow access to DSoftStudio’s services.
- Retry activation once connectivity is restored.
6. The system clock is wrong
Activation is time-sensitive. If the system clock is significantly off, activation can be rejected.
Check & fix
Enable automatic date & time, let the clock sync, then retry:
- Windows — Settings → Time & language → Date & time → Sync now.
- macOS — System Settings → General → Date & Time → Set automatically.
- Linux — enable NTP:
sudo timedatectl set-ntp true.
Still stuck?
Email licensing@dsoftstudio.com with:
- The exact message shown on the activation screen
- Your IDE and extension version
- Your subscription plan or order email, so we can match your seats
See the Terms of Service for seat, trial, and transfer policies.