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Manual / Getting started

Activate a licence key

Enter a licence key to activate MECHCAD on this computer.

Edition: Standard+

What it does

Activates this computer with a licence key issued by MET (for example MECHCAD-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX). The licence determines which Edition you can use. You can change Edition later without changing the key.

Where to find it

  • The Welcome window (opens automatically when there is no licence yet)
  • Help › Activate License (online)…
  • Click the Edition badge at the top right of the window (for example ● MECHCAD Premium · Perpetual)

Help menu: Activate / Deactivate License, License Certificate and Check for Updates
Help menu: Activate / Deactivate License, License Certificate and Check for Updates

Steps

  1. Open the Welcome window.
  2. Enter Full name, Company and E-mail. The e-mail must match the one MET used to issue the key.
  3. Enter the key in the Licence key (if you have one) field.
  4. Click Activate licence key (or press Enter in the key field).
  5. When activation succeeds, the window closes and the badge at the top right shows your Edition.

Welcome window for entering a licence key
Welcome window for entering a licence key

Messages you may see

Message Cause / fix
Enter full name, company and the e-mail the key was issued to. Required fields are incomplete.
This license key has expired. The key has expired. Contact MET.
All N seats are in use. Release one from another PC first. All seats are in use. Use Deactivate License on a previous computer first.
Offline grace elapsed — reconnect to the license server. The computer has been offline for more than 7 days. Connect to the internet and restart the program.

Note: The program checks the licence with the server every 5 minutes in the background. If there is no internet connection, you can keep working during the 7-day grace period.

Try it: Activate a new office laptop in two minutes

Scenario: you received the key MECHCAD-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX by e-mail at you@company.com and want to start designing a desk nameplate today.

  1. Start MECHCAD. The Welcome window opens because the laptop has no licence yet.
  2. Type your Full name, Company, and you@company.com, the e-mail the key was sent to. Another address does not work.
  3. Paste the key into Licence key (if you have one) and press Enter.
  4. The window closes. The badge at the top right now shows your edition, for example ● MECHCAD Standard · Perpetual.
  5. To check it works, sketch a 150 × 40 rectangle, Extrude it 8 mm and save it as nameplate.metprt.

Challenge: Choose Help › License Certificate (PDF)… and keep the certificate with your purchase records.

See also