---
title: License Activation
description: HiveCRM Premium requires an active commercial license key to unlock full functionality and receive automatic plugin updates. This article explains how to activate, view, and deactivate your license.
url: "https://hiveplugins.com/docs/license-activation/"
updated: "2026-09-27"
category: HiveCRM
---

# License Activation

HiveCRM Premium requires an active commercial license key to unlock full functionality and receive automatic plugin updates. This article explains how to activate, view, and deactivate your license.

## Where to Find Your License Key

Your license key is issued when you purchase HiveCRM Premium and is available anytime from [your Hive Plugins account](https://hiveplugins.com/my-account/). If you don't have a license key yet, you can [purchase one here](https://hiveplugins.com/hivecrm/pricing/).

## Activate Your License

1. In your WordPress admin area, go to **Hive CRM → Settings → Plugin License**.
2. Paste your commercial license key into the **Commercial License Key** field.
3. Click **Activate License Key**.

HiveCRM sends the key to the Hive Plugins license server together with your site's URL. If the key is valid and has an available activation for your site, the license is marked **Active**, and HiveCRM stores the verified status locally on your site.

Once active, you'll see a **License Active** badge and a confirmation panel: *"Your License is Active & Verified."* This authorizes your site to receive automatic plugin updates and unlocks full read/write access to every HiveCRM module.

## View or Hide Your License Key

On the License settings screen, your stored license key is shown masked by default. Click the eye icon next to the field to reveal or re-hide it.

## Deactivate Your License

Deactivating frees up the activation slot so you can use the same key on a different site (subject to your license's site limit).

1. Go to **Settings → Plugin License**.
2. Click **Deactivate License on this Domain**.

This calls the license server to release this site's activation. Your license key is not deleted from the field — you can reactivate the same site, or paste the key into a different site, at any time.

## What Happens Without an Active License

HiveCRM checks your license status automatically in the background (roughly every 12 hours) and also whenever it needs to verify access.

- **No key entered, or the key fails verification:** HiveCRM runs in **read-only mode**. You can still view CRM records that already exist, but creating, editing, or deleting leads, deals, contacts, projects, tasks, tickets, estimates, invoices, and other CRM data is disabled until a valid license is activated.
- **License expired:** the License settings screen shows a **License Expired** status. Visit your Hive Plugins account to renew your subscription, then re-activate the same key.
- **Temporary connection issues:** if HiveCRM briefly can't reach the license server (for example, due to a network hiccup), it does not immediately drop you into read-only mode. A site that was recently verified as active stays active for a **5-day grace period** while HiveCRM keeps retrying verification in the background. If the license still can't be verified after 5 days, the site switches to read-only mode until it's verified again.

## Troubleshooting

### "License Key Required" won't go away after I click Activate

Double-check the key was copied without extra spaces, and confirm the key hasn't already been activated on the maximum number of allowed sites for your plan — check your [Hive Plugins account](https://hiveplugins.com/my-account/) for your license's active-site count.

### My license shows Active, but I still can't edit records

Refresh the Settings page. If the issue persists, deactivate and reactivate the license from **Settings → Plugin License** to force HiveCRM to re-verify and re-cache its status.

### I moved my site to a new domain and my license won't activate

A license activation is tied to the site URL it was activated on. If you've changed domains (for example, moving from a staging URL to your live domain), deactivate the license from the old URL first if possible, or use your Hive Plugins account to manage/reset activations, then activate again from the new domain.

## Related Documentation

- [Installation & Requirements](installation-requirements.md)
- [HiveCRM Overview](hivecrm-overview.md)