--- title: "The License pane" url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-license-pane category: "Licensing & payments" tags: ["licence", "settings", "billing", "trial"] summary: "Settings → License shows your trial or licence status, your plan and billing details, and every way to activate, buy, extend or fix a payment. It also has the Updates and Support cards. A smaller licence card at the bottom of the popover shows the same status at a glance." updated: 2026-10-01T12:54:25.000Z --- # The License pane Settings → License shows your trial or licence status, your plan and billing details, and every way to activate, buy, extend or fix a payment. It also has the Updates and Support cards. A smaller licence card at the bottom of the popover shows the same status at a glance. **Settings → License** is where everything about your trial or licence lives: its status, your plan, how to activate or buy, and what to do if a payment needs attention. It changes with your situation, so it always leads with the thing you most likely need to do next. ## What it shows, by situation | Your situation | What the pane leads with | |---|---| | Trial running | **Status** ("Trial active", days left and end date), then the activation and buy options | | Trial ended | **Not ready to buy? Extend your trial** (when offered), then **Have a licence key or onboarding code?**, then **Status** | | Licensed | **Status**, **Subscription**, and a **Delta Trust** section for that plan | | Payment problem that ended the licence | **Payment needed** (or **Your subscription has ended**), with the key form folded away under **Have a different licence key?** | The pane checks with our servers every time you open it, so it is always current. ## The Status card The heading tells you where you stand — for example **Licensed — Monthly**, **Licensed (working offline)**, **Trial active**, **Trial ended**, **Payment needed**, **Subscription ended** or **Licence inactive** — with a line underneath that explains it. "Working offline" means we haven't reached our servers for a while; your subscription is still valid, and the message clears once you're back online. ## The Subscription section When you're licensed you see **Plan**, **Started**, **Last paid** (or **Valid** for a lifetime licence) and **Email**, and these buttons: - **Billing & invoices**, which opens your own secure billing page in one click — invoices, your card and cancelling, with no website login. See [Billing & invoices](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/billing-and-invoices); - **Refresh status**, which checks with our servers now; - **Remove from this Mac**, which unlinks this Mac from your licence without cancelling anything. ## Activating, buying and coupons **Have a licence key or onboarding code?** takes your email and your 25-character key, with an **Activate** button and **Can't find your licence key? Email it to me** underneath. Below that, **Don't have a code? Buy a plan** has a coupon box and a **Buy a plan** button. See [Activating your licence](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/activating-your-licence) and [Buying a licence](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/buying-a-licence). ```mermaid %% caption: How the License pane decides what to show first flowchart TD A[Open Settings, License] --> B{Licence ended over a payment?} B -->|Yes| C[Payment needed panel] B -->|No| D{Licensed?} D -->|Yes| E[Status, Subscription, Delta Trust plan] D -->|No| F{Trial ended?} F -->|Yes| G[Extend trial, then activate or buy] F -->|No| H[Status, then activate or buy] ``` *Flowchart — How the License pane decides what to show first. Outline:* - Open Settings, License - leads to Licence ended over a payment? - Licence ended over a payment? - Yes: leads to Payment needed panel - No: leads to Licensed? - Licensed? - Yes: leads to Status, Subscription, Delta Trust plan - No: leads to Trial ended? - Trial ended? - Yes: leads to Extend trial, then activate or buy - No: leads to Status, then activate or buy ## Updates and Support At the bottom, **Updates** shows the latest and installed versions with **Check Now**, and **Support** shows the addresses to write to. ## The licence card in the popover The bottom of the menu-bar popover has a smaller licence card. During a trial it shows the days left, when the trial started and ends, and buttons that open checkout for each plan. With a licence it shows your plan, a **Billing & invoices** button and, if a payment didn't go through, a **Fix Payment** button above it — see [When a payment didn't go through](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/fix-payment). While a payment is still clearing, the card shows the **Payment processing** note and a **Check again** button instead — see [Payment processing](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/payment-processing). ## Reminders you may see - "Only N days left in your free trial" in the notifications bell near the end of a trial. - "Your plan renews on" a date, shortly before a renewal. - **Payment didn't go through**, a red item that can't be dismissed and keeps the menu-bar badge showing until the payment is sorted. It clears itself once the payment lands. - **Payment processing**, an informational item while a payment is clearing. There's nothing to do. See also: [Billing & invoices](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/billing-and-invoices), [The Preferences window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/preferences-window), [The free trial](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-free-trial), [When a trial or licence ends](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-your-licence-ends). ## What links here - [Activating your licence](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/activating-your-licence) - [Billing & invoices](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/billing-and-invoices) - [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) - [How recurring payments work](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/how-recurring-payments-work) - [Keeping Storage Studio up to date](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keeping-storage-studio-up-to-date) - [Payment needed](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/payment-needed) - [The My Drive code didn't arrive or doesn't work](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/my-drive-code-didnt-arrive) - [The Preferences window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/preferences-window) - [Using your licence on a new Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-to-a-new-mac) - [When a trial or licence ends](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-your-licence-ends)