---
title: "Activating your licence"
url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/activating-your-licence
category: "Licensing & payments"
tags: ["licence", "activation", "licence key", "getting started"]
summary: "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."
updated: 2026-10-01T05:36:23.000Z
---

# 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.

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**.

```mermaid
%% caption: The two ways to activate
flowchart TD
  A[Purchase email] --> B{Use the Activate button?}
  B -->|Yes| C[Link opens Storage Studio]
  C --> D{Link still valid?}
  D -->|Yes| E[You're all set]
  D -->|No| F[Enter licence manually]
  B -->|No| F
  F --> G[Email and licence key, then Activate]
  G --> E
```

*Flowchart — The two ways to activate. Outline:*

- 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 see | What 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](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-to-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.

- **What happens to My Drive if my Storage Studio trial or licence ends?** My Drive is paused, not removed, and nothing in your storage is touched — your files stay in your own bucket. While paused it can't be opened on the web and anything you shared is paused; on your Mac you can only disconnect or remove it. Reactivating Storage Studio picks up where you left off.… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)

See also: [Buying a licence](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/buying-a-licence), [Coupons and onboarding codes](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/coupons-and-codes), [The License pane](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-license-pane).

## What links here

- [Buying a licence](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/buying-a-licence)
- [Coupons and onboarding codes](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/coupons-and-codes)
- [Extending your trial](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/extending-your-trial)
- [Paste or Select All doesn't work in a text box](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/paste-doesnt-work-in-a-text-box)
- [Redeeming a code](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/redeeming-a-code)
- [The License pane](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-license-pane)
- [The My Drive code didn't arrive or doesn't work](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/my-drive-code-didnt-arrive)
- [Using your licence on a new Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-to-a-new-mac)
- [What leaves your Mac, and when](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-leaves-your-mac)
- [Your first launch, step by step](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/your-first-launch)