Settings > License is where you enter your license key and see whether it is active. A license also gives you updates and support. Your key is in the purchase email and in your account on hiveplugins.com. You need the permission Manage settings.
Activate #
- Go to Settings > License.
- Paste the key into License key.
- Click Activate. The toast says the license is active, the badge reads Active, and the page reloads by itself about a second later so the menu shows the licensed screens.
This site's address is sent to the store so it can count your sites.
After activation the card shows the masked License key (first and last four characters; the full key never reaches your browser), Renews or expires (a date, or "Never (lifetime)"), Sites using this license and Last checked. Three controls sit under it: Check now, Deactivate on this site and Manage in my account.
Statuses #
| Badge | Meaning | Licensed features |
|---|---|---|
| Active | The store accepts the key for this site. | On |
| Expired | The license period ended. | Keep working. Updates and support stop. |
| Not active on this site | The key is saved but this site is not counted on it. Click Deactivate on this site, then enter the key again. | Off |
| Not valid | The store does not accept the key. | Off |
| Not activated | No key yet. | Off |
While the license is not Active, a bar above the app on every screen says why and offers a button: Enter license key, Activate license, Renew license or Check license. It has no close button and goes away when the license is valid. If the store cannot be reached, the card shows the last answer it gave.
What expired means #
Your yearly license has ended, and Hive Mail keeps working: every screen and feature stays on. Only updates and support stop. You cannot activate an expired key on a new site, but a site that was already active keeps its features. A lifetime license never expires.
To renew, click Renew license in the banner or Manage in my account (both open your hiveplugins.com account), then click Check now.
Check, deactivate and move #
- Check now asks the store for the current answer. Hive Mail also checks once a day.
- Deactivate on this site asks for confirmation, frees the key for another site and locks the licensed screens again until you activate. Do this before you move or delete a site. If the store cannot be told, the key is still removed here; deactivate the site from your account if it still counts.
- Your data is never deleted by a license change: contacts, campaigns, flows and settings come back as you left them.
Set the key in wp-config.php #
To keep the key out of the database, add:
define( 'HMAIL_PRO_LICENSE_KEY', 'your-key-here' );This key wins over a saved one. The License tab then shows the masked key and the note that it is set in wp-config.php; Deactivate on this site is hidden and you cannot enter another key on screen. Activate the site once on the License tab first, then move the key, so the store counts the site.
Updates #
Updates come through the WordPress Plugins screen. Without an active license the update row says it needs an active license. With an Active license WordPress can update it automatically. To turn that off, add define( 'HMAIL_PRO_NO_AUTO_UPDATE', true ); to wp-config.php.
What contacts the store #
Hive Mail talks to the license store on hiveplugins.com only to check the license and look for updates. It never sends contacts, emails or other site data. A license call sends the action (activate, deactivate, check or version lookup), your license key, the product number, your site's address and its environment type (for example production or staging). An update check adds the plugin's folder name and installed version, and its result is kept for 6 hours. If the store cannot be reached, Hive Mail keeps the last answer and changes nothing.
If activation fails #
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| "That does not look like a license key…" | Copy it again from your account (8 to 100 characters: letters, digits, _ and -). Nothing was sent. |
| "That license key was not found…" | Check it for typing mistakes. |
| "This license is already active on all the sites it allows…" | Deactivate it on a site you no longer use, then try again. |
| "This license has been switched off…" | Contact support. |
| "This license has expired." | Renew first, then activate. |
| "The license store could not be reached (…)" | Check that your server can make outgoing connections to hiveplugins.com. |
Warning: Keep the key private, like a password. Anyone with it can use up your sites.
Next: Settings: Roles & Permissions, What data Hive Mail stores and where.
