Please check whether your serial number gives you access to the version of the software you are trying to activate. 

You can verify that you have access by entering the serial number into our activation code form. Press "Enter" and review the information next to the serial number field to see what products are associated with that serial number.

Perpetual licenses mean that the version of the software you purchase will never stop working. Even if you do not subscribe to our software service programs, your software will continue to operate with the version you currently have installed.

However, access to online downloads of older versions of software is a service NI provides and is not part of your perpetual license. If you need to download older versions of software, please purchase a subscription or service agreement. 

Perpetual licenses mean that the version of the software you purchase will never stop working. 

Perpetual licenses do not give you access to all versions of the software. Please purchase a subscription or service agreement to gain access to all versions of the software. 

Disconnected license activation instructions

 

Generate the Disconnected License File

You will need your Server Administrator to provide you with the Disconnected license file. If you are the Server Administrator, please work through the steps in the KnowledgeBase article Creating a Disconnected or Home License. 

  

Install the License File

To install the license file, open NI License Manager (NILM) on the target machine by going to Start >> All Programs >> National Instruments >> NI License Manager, then add the license file to NILM in one of the following ways: 

• Drag and drop the license file into the NI License Manager window

• Navigate to Options >> Install License File and browse to the license file

 

Verify License is Correctly Installed

To check that the disconnected license has been installed correctly and the software is activated, please look at the Local Licenses in NILM. The license will contain text indicating that it is disconnected. 

 

Note: When you launch NI software (for example, LabVIEW), you may be prompted with a dialog box by NI License Manager that asks you to license the software. Bypass this reminder by selecting Remind Me When They Expire.

 

For additional considerations and images associated with each step, please visit our KnowledgeBase article on Activating NI Software Using a Disconnected License.

Activating NI Software as a Student Through an Academic License

 

Begin by contacting your software administrator to determine how your school handles NI software student licenses, then use the appropriate section below.

 

Student Install Option (SIO)

1. Request SIO serial number.

   • Your IT staff may need to contact NI if they cannot find the serial number or if they are not sure whether they have an Academic Volume License (AVL).

   • Note: Our support team cannot and will not give serial numbers nor activation codes directly to students.

2. Follow the Serial Number Activation steps in Activating NI Software with a Single-Seat License to activate software.

   • Note: For a serial number-based activation, an active NI User Account is required.

The Student Install Option licenses automatically expire after one year. After expiration, contact your license administrator to renew your license with a new serial number.

 

User-Based Licensing

1. Contact your IT admin and provide the requested information, which may include the following items:

   • Your full name

   • The software you want to download and activate

   • Computer ID (in case offline activation is needed)

2. Follow steps in Activate NI Software as Part of a Volume License Agreement to connect to the school's Volume License Server.

Activating LabVIEW Student Edition

LabVIEW Student Edition does not have a direct download link. To download and activate the Student Edition of LabVIEW, you should begin by downloading the Base Version of LabVIEW that you would like. 

1. Go to the LabVIEW Downloads Page to download and install the Base Version of LabVIEW for the specific year you need.

2. Follow installation instructions from NI Package Manager to install the product. 

3. Once the product has been installed, activate it using your serial number for LabVIEW Student Edition.

Note: NI no longer offers LabVIEW Student Edition. For any new applications, NI recommends that students use LabVIEW Community Edition or look into the NI software packages available through their school. Contact your school's License Administrator to determine if you have access to NI software.

Activating Multisim Student Edition

NI no longer sells the Multisim Student Edition. All the features of Multisim Student Edition are included in NI Circuit Design Suite Education Edition.

• You can access a free trial for up to 45 days by downloading the NI Circuit Design Suite Education Edition. 
• Students can purchase NI Circuit Design Suite - Multisim Edition - Student Edition through one of our distributors like Studica.

If you have purchased a Multisim Student Edition or NI Circuit Design Suite license from Studica, follow the Single-Seat License Activation Process to activate your software.

Software Trials and Community Editions

To access a trial of NI software, all you need to do is download the software and use it. The initial trial period is 7 days. The majority of NI software allows you to extend the evaluation period for an additional 45 days if you need more time to consider the software and your needs.

NI also offers LabVIEW Community Edition free for noncommercial use.

 

Considerations

• During an evaluation period, you are allowed to use the product with certain limitations, such as reduced functionality and limited execution time, for a predetermined amount of time. For example, you can see the limitations of the LabVIEW evaluation in our LabVIEW Evaluation Version Limitations documentation.

• In this trial period, you will see “Evaluation License” in NI License Manager under the product name as well as the number of days remaining in this trial period.

• Exceptions to this evaluation timeframes and their extensions may exist for legacy products. Evaluation extensions are not available for every version of software. Use the Extending Your Evaluation tool to determine whether your software version is eligible for a trial extension. In the Extend Your Evaluation tool, you can find and browse the complete list of NI software with available evaluation extensions. 

Licensing and Activating SystemLink Products

Enterprise and Volume License Agreement Setup

Each step is organized into separate how-to articles to guide you through each process of the NI VLM setup. 

1. Download and Install NI Volume License Manager (VLM)

   • Download and install NI VLM on a server/computer accessible by the end users through your network.

2. Request a License File for the server

   • The License File is the file that will rule out what licenses you can manage and how many seats you have based on what you have acquired.

3. Install the License File

   • This KnowledgeBase article explains how to install your License File once it has been received after requesting it.

4. Configure Server Settings

   • Ports–Needed to communicate with the server

   • Email–If you want to send automated emails with NI VLM

   • Administrator Information–Shown to all end users

   • Custom Fields–Information required from the end users

5. Adding users for the licenses

   • For Client Computers or Users Connected to the Network: Add Computers and Set Permissions Manually

   • For Client Computers or Users Not Connected to the Network: Create a Disconnected or Home License

6. Generate an Activity Compliance Log or VLA Log

   • The VLA Log is a file that contains all the user and host activity for a specified date range.

   • You will be required to provide this information in certain scenarios.

For technical assistance or questions, you can refer to the Volume License Manager (VLM) Troubleshooting Guide. 
 

Alternatives

• If you prefer video tutorials, please use our self-paced online course: Software License Management Using NI VLM. 

• If you are using FlexNet Publisher (formerly known as FlexLM), follow steps in Getting Started with FlexNet Publisher Configuration

Academic Volume License Instructions

 

Academic Volume Licenses (AVLs) servers are managed using NI Volume License Manager (VLM). VLM is a tool for our multiseat license programs that helps you to centrally manage your licenses.

1. Download and install NI VLM on your server computer
   • NI VLM should be downloaded on the computer that will be the licensing server to be reached by the client machines (for example, end users like students, educators, or researchers). The server computer must have successful communication with the client machines through the network.

2. Obtain License File
   • The license file is the file will rule out what licenses you can manage and how many seats you have based on what you have acquired.
   • The license file should be emailed to you after purchase is complete. However, if you need help accessing this license file, follow steps to Obtain a License File for Server  from NI Agreements.

3. Install the License File
4. Configure Server Settings
5. Add Computers or Users access to the AVL. There are different methods for sharing access depending on your institution’s needs:

Adding Faculty Access

• Unmanaged Concurrent License—This license type is easiest to manage, but it operates as first come first served. If this license type is used, you cannot reserve seats for individuals. You can track license usage numbers, but you cannot easily track individual users. 
• Managed License—This license type reserves licenses for specific individuals or defined groups. Add your end users’ information to VLM to add permissions to grant access.
  • For Client Computers or Users Connected to the Network: Add Computers and Set Permissions Manually
  • For Client Computers or Users Not Connected to the Network: Create a Disconnected or Home License

Adding Student Access

• [Recommended] Student Install Option (SIO)—Using SIO, you can provide a serial number to students to allow them to activate software on their personal computers for learning purposes. This method allows you as the administrator to not worry about tracking students on a server or collecting user information.
  • The SIO serial number updates every year, so students will need to request SIO periodically. Using this licensing method, admins can track overall software usage at any given time but are not able to easily track individual users.
  • SIO license is meant for students not academic faculty or staff. 
• Managed License—You can add students’ information to VLM individually to grant access to software. This method will allow you to know exact amount of usage and limit access to software if needed. 
  • For Client Computers or Users Connected to the Network:  Add Computers and Set Permissions Manually
  • For Client Computers or Users Not Connected to the Network:  Create a Disconnected or Home License
  
   

For more details, please see Academic Volume License Administrator Resources.
 

Activating NI Software with a Single-Seat License

1. Register your software to your NI User Account.

Identity-based activation requires that you register your serial number to your NI User Account, which enables you to have access to all of the software and entitlements associated with your license agreement. You can register your software with the "Claim Access" email sent to the license contacts when the NI software was purchased. If you do not have access to the email or the link is expired, find your software serial number and register it under My Products.

2. Ensure the computer is connected to the internet and log in to your NI User Account in NI License Manager (NILM).  

3. Check that the software you want to activate is listed in the Product Summary tab of NILM.

4. Click Activate Software.

5. Select Check my account for licenses from the drop-down menu and click the Activate button. 

For additional details and images, refer to the KnowledgeBase article Activating NI Software with a Single-Seat License.

Offline activation instructions for single-seat

Create an Activation Code
 

An Activation Code is 20-digit alphanumeric code that is specific to your computer, your software, and your serial number.

1. For the offline computer, find the unique computer ID, the serial number of your product, and the version of the software installed on the computer.

   • Notice that activation codes are unique to the version of the software for which it was generated. For example, an activation code for LabVIEW 2021 will not activate LabVIEW 2022Q3, and an activation code for LabVIEW 2020 SP1 will not activate LabVIEW 2020.
      

2. On a computer with an internet connection, visit the Activation Code Generator. Complete the fields on this page to provide information about the offline computer. The tool will generate an activation code valid only for the offline computer.

   • You will need a separate activation code for each software product you would like to activate.

 
After you have your activation codes, you can activate the software on your offline computer either through NI License Manager or the NI Licensing Wizard within your product. Our KnowledgeBase has detailed instructions with images of the offline activation process.

Activate NI Software as Part of a Volume License Agreement

If your company has a Volume License Agreement (VLA) or Enterprise Agreement (EA) with NI, you will activate the NI software on your computer by connecting to the volume license server. Your company will have a volume license administrator who will have details on how your company's server is configured and if you need to take any special steps to gain access to the software you need.
 

1. Ensure NI License Manager (NILM)  is installed on your machine.
   • NILM automatically installs when you download any NI software, but you can also download it as a stand-alone product.
2. Connect to the volume license server from your computer by following the steps in Setting up and Removing Volume License Server Access.
   • If your company is using Unmanaged Concurrent licenses, your license configuration should be complete and you should have access to your software. 
3. Obtain a license following the guidance of your company's volume license administrator. Your software admin will know the guidelines for your company's licensing usage and the internal procedures to get you a license for the software you need.
   • If you are using a Managed Concurrent License or a Non-Concurrent license, your admin may ask you for your user or computer details to add you to the server .
   • If you need access to specific software products available to a group, your admin may direct you to follow steps to Request Group Membership from a Volume License Server

For more information about NI licensing options, visit Understanding NI Software Policies or read our Software Activation Privacy Statement. 

Activating NI Community Edition Software

NI Community edition software products are versions of NI development software, available to users for free for noncommercial use. 

1. Download NI Community edition software such as LabVIEW Community edition or G Web Development Software Community edition . 
2. Run the downloaded executable to start the installation.
3. Activate using the same NI account credentials you used when downloading the product from the website. You can accomplish this through the software sign-in prompts that appear after installation, or through NI License Manager. 

Software sign-on: 

1. Open the software. You will see a prompt asking you to activate the product. 
2. Click on Log in to Activate and enter your account info to the Activation Wizard using the same account that you used to download the software.

NI License Manager sign-on: 

1. Open NI License Manager and select the Activate Software tab.
2. Select Check my account for licenses and then click Activate.
3. Log in to the Activation Wizard using the same account that you used to download the software.