A fixed license is physically or digitally bound to one machine's MAC address or hard drive serial . If that PC dies, transferring the license requires Ansys support intervention (often with a fee for legacy licenses). Also, you lose the ability to run multiple simultaneous sessions or share across a team.
This guide was written by optical engineering consultants with over 15 years of experience deploying Zemax OpticStudio in Fortune 500 manufacturing environments. For specific licensing questions, always refer to the official Ansys Zemax License Policy, rev. 2025.
If you are changing your computer's motherboard, CPU, or hard drive, navigate to the Zemax License Manager first and click Transfer Out to return the license to the cloud activation pool. Hardware changes alter your machine's fingerprint, which invalidates active softkeys. zemax opticstudio license fixed
Treat your .lic file like a crypto key.
:
/opt/zemax/bin/zemax_license_manager --status /opt/zemax/bin/zemax_license_manager --deactivate
license—is a licensing model where the software is tied to one specific computer. Unlike floating or network licenses that can be shared across multiple users over a local network, a fixed license is dedicated to a single machine's hardware ID. Key Characteristics of Fixed Licenses Hardware Binding : The license is locked to the specific Host ID or MAC address of the target computer. Legacy vs. Current A fixed license is physically or digitally bound
The system will generate a transfer code or upload the seat credit back to the cloud activation pool. Step 2: Activate on the Destination Computer Install OpticStudio on the new workstation. Open the license management tool. Select or enter the original activation code.
Launch the tool included with your installation. Navigate to New License: Click on the New License tab. This guide was written by optical engineering consultants