Licensing & payments

Activating your licence

Activate Storage Studio with one tap from the Activate Storage Studio button in your purchase email, or by entering your email and licence key in the app. Lost the key? The app can email it again, but only to the address you bought with.

Last updated Markdown

There are two ways to activate Storage Studio after you buy it: one tap on the Activate Storage Studio button in your purchase email, or typing your email and licence key into the app. Both give exactly the same licence.

One tap from the email

  1. Install Storage Studio first if you haven't already.
  2. On the Mac you want to activate, open the purchase email and choose Activate Storage Studio.
  3. A web page opens and hands the link to the app. If nothing happens, choose Open Storage Studio on that page.
  4. The app shows Activating Storage Studio…, then You're all set with a summary of your plan. Choose Done.

The link works once, on the Mac that uses it, and expires after a few days. If it has already been used or has expired, the app says Couldn't activate from the link and offers Enter licence manually.

Typing your licence key

  1. Open Preferences → License, or choose I have a licence or onboarding code wherever it appears.
  2. Enter the Email you used at checkout.
  3. Paste your License Code — 25 characters in five groups of five. You can paste it with or without the dashes; the app formats it for you.
  4. Choose Activate.
The two ways to activate

Flowchart outline: The two ways to activate

  • Purchase email
    • leads to Use the Activate button?
  • Use the Activate button?
    • Yes: leads to Link opens Storage Studio
    • No: leads to Enter licence manually
  • Link opens Storage Studio
    • leads to Link still valid?
  • Link still valid?
    • Yes: leads to You're all set
    • No: leads to Enter licence manually
  • Enter licence manually
    • leads to Email and licence key, then Activate
  • Email and licence key, then Activate
    • leads to You're all set

After activating, Storage Studio asks You're activated — restart to finish? Choose Restart now so every feature picks up the new licence, or Later.

If activation fails

What you seeWhat to do
The email doesn't match the address this code was issued to.Use the same email you entered at checkout (or on the offer form).
This code is already activated on a different Mac. Contact support to release the lock.Contact support to release it — see the guide to using your licence on a new Mac, linked below.
That doesn't look like a Storage Studio activation code.Copy the key from your purchase email again.
This activation code has expired.Contact support.

Moving from another Mac? See Using your licence on a new Mac.

Lost your licence key?

Choose Can't find your licence key? Email it to me in Preferences → License (or Don't have your licence key? Email it to me in the activation sheet). Enter the email you bought Storage Studio with, complete the quick verification if one is shown, and choose Email my licence key. For your safety, the key is only ever sent to the registered address, never to a different one. Check your spam folder if it doesn't appear.

See also: Buying a licence, Coupons and onboarding codes, The License pane.

licenceactivationlicence keygetting started