{"id":"settings.services-says-not-activated-background-work-paused","url":"/faq/settings/services-says-not-activated-background-work-paused","category":{"id":"settings","title":"Settings & keep-time"},"subcategory":{"id":"services-health","title":"Services and self-healing"},"question":"Why does Services say background work stays paused until I activate?","alt_questions":["Not activated background work paused","License on hold storage studio","Storage Studio not doing anything after trial","Invalid license services row"],"short_answer":"Not activated means there's no active trial or licence on this Mac, so automatic work waits. Activate in Settings → License. Items already moved keep working either way.","answer_markdown":"When **Your plan** reads **Not activated**, Storage Studio has no active trial or licence on this Mac, so automatic background work waits until you activate. Open **Settings → License** to start or activate a plan.\n\n**License on hold** is different: things you've already moved keep working and nothing is deleted, but new moves and offloads pause until the hold is lifted. **Invalid license** asks you to re-activate in **Settings → License**. More in [activating your licence](/manual/activate).","answer_html":"

When Your plan reads Not activated, Storage Studio has no active trial or licence on this Mac, so automatic background work waits until you activate. Open Settings → License to start or activate a plan.

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License on hold is different: things you've already moved keep working and nothing is deleted, but new moves and offloads pause until the hold is lifted. Invalid license asks you to re-activate in Settings → License. More in activating your licence.

","answer_text":"When Your plan reads Not activated, Storage Studio has no active trial or licence on this Mac, so automatic background work waits until you activate. Open Settings → License to start or activate a plan.\n\nLicense on hold is different: things you've already moved keep working and nothing is deleted, but new moves and offloads pause until the hold is lifted. Invalid license asks you to re-activate in Settings → License. More in activating your licence.","tags":["license","services","activation"],"related":[{"id":"licensing-payments.how-do-i-check-my-licence-status-from-services","question":"What do the \"Your plan\" and \"License check-in\" rows mean?","url":"/faq/licensing-payments/how-do-i-check-my-licence-status-from-services"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Why does Services say background work stays paused until I activate? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Not activated means there's no active trial or licence on this Mac, so automatic work waits. Activate in Settings → License. Items already moved keep working either way.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Settings & keep-time","path":"/faq/settings/"},{"name":"Why does Services say background work stays paused until I activate?","path":"/faq/settings/services-says-not-activated-background-work-paused"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/settings/services-says-not-activated-background-work-paused","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why does Services say background work stays paused until I activate?","alternateName":["Not activated background work paused","License on hold storage studio","Storage Studio not doing anything after trial","Invalid license services row"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"When Your plan reads Not activated, Storage Studio has no active trial or licence on this Mac, so automatic background work waits until you activate. Open Settings → License to start or activate a plan.\n\nLicense on hold is different: things you've already moved keep working and nothing is deleted, but new moves and offloads pause until the hold is lifted. Invalid license asks you to re-activate in Settings → License. More in activating your licence.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/settings/services-says-not-activated-background-work-paused"}}]},"fragment":"
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Settings & keep-time · Services and self-healing

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Why does Services say background work stays paused until I activate?

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Short answer: Not activated means there's no active trial or licence on this Mac, so automatic work waits. Activate in Settings → License. Items already moved keep working either way.

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When Your plan reads Not activated, Storage Studio has no active trial or licence on this Mac, so automatic background work waits until you activate. Open Settings → License to start or activate a plan.

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License on hold is different: things you've already moved keep working and nothing is deleted, but new moves and offloads pause until the hold is lifted. Invalid license asks you to re-activate in Settings → License. More in activating your licence.

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Last reviewed

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