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Still no luck with license

Dierk Widmann

I have been trying to activate my product again. As has happened about 2 months ago, the license activation fails. I have attached screenshots of my license page, my activation process, and the error messages.

After none of these worked, I tried the offline activation process. However, when I got to the offline activation page, and pasted my activation code in the field Activation Code, I do not receive an Installation ID, so I could not proceed.

Now, my * license is shown as In Use, too, as I tried to create an Offline Activation certificate.

I have now attempted to reset this step, but, unfortunately, this can only be done 3 times within 12 months, so I would need somebody to free up my license again.

I have also tried to uninstall my current Studio installation, and to reinstall it. Sadly, I now receive an Installation ID when I try to go through the offline activation steps, but I can no longer paste it, on my license page, as I no longer have the option of creating an online certificate, as my license is now in use. 

RWS Account license page showing SDL Trados Studio 2021 Freelance Plus with one license in use and no available activations.File explorer window displaying the SDL Trados Studio installation folder with various subfolders and files.Trados Studio 2021 activation window with an activation code field and options for resetting or alternative activation.Trados Studio activation error message stating 'The specified lock code is invalid' with XML details.Activation failed error message stating 'Could not activate this license. No licenses are currently available for the specified activation code.'

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[edited by: RWS Community AI at 6:29 PM (GMT 1) on 31 Jul 2025]
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  • 0

    Thank you. Today, I was informed that my license had been reset and that I should be able to activate via the Offline activation.

    The license was indeed reset, but the offline activation did not work. Please see attached.

    RWS Account page showing the Offline Activation Certificate section with fields for Description, Installation ID, Quantity, and Activation Code.

    As you can see, I had an activation code.

    I then went to the next step, and was very happy to see that I got an installation ID, which I copied to the License part.

    RWS Account page displaying the Offline Activation Certificate section with an Activation Certificate generated and highlighted in blue.

    I received an activation certificate, which I copied.

    Trados Studio 2021 activation window showing fields for Activation Code, Installation ID, and Activation Certificate, with the certificate pasted into the field.

    I pasted the Certificate into my software and chose Activate.

    This is the error message I received:

    Trados Studio 2021 activation window displaying an error message in a pop-up stating 'Offline activation failed' with details about an invalid lock code.

    The only thing I can think of is that I am trying to install a wrong version of the software, but this was the version of Studio 2021 that I was given to download. They both claim to be a version 16. I am at my wits end.
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    [edited by: RWS Community AI at 7:55 AM (GMT 1) on 1 Aug 2025]
  • 0 in reply to Dierk Widmann

    Hello  

    Please check if  the name of your computer contains any special characters. If it does. change the name of your computer in one that doesn`t contain any special characters. Then restart the computer and try to activate the license again. It could work online but if it doesn`t it should work offline for sure.

    Thank you,

    Sorin
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  • 0 in reply to Sorin Perta

    Thank you for this, Sorin Perta,

    This change actually enabled me to do the online activation. I am very, VERY glad that this episode has come to a conclusion.

    HOWEVER: Is it not a bit strange that a software that is dedicated to localisation cannot be installed if somebody of a different mother tongue wishes to give their computer a name in the language that involves special characters?

    I am quite displeased with this issue, as the name I had chosen for my computer held personal value to me.
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  • 0 in reply to Dierk Widmann

     

    Yes, it is ironic that a localisation-centric application stumbles over international characters.  The root cause appears to be in the licensing system, though it's difficult to pinpoint exactly where - it could be the licensing vendor's components, how Windows handles paths with special characters, or how the various software layers interact with each other.  This is a widespread issue affecting many software applications that use licensing systems, not just Trados.

    Until this is resolved (which would likely require updates from multiple vendors), if you really want to work with your preferred username, you could try installing and activating under an ASCII-only Windows account making the software available to all users, and then carry on working in any user account with any language and preferred username you like. This is a common workaround used across the industry, though I haven't personally tested it with this specific version.

    Paul Filkin | RWS Group

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  • 0 in reply to Paul

    Thanks, Paul,

    While it irks me that I cannot use the originally chosen name for my computer, I believe I have had a surfeit of IT-related things in the recent past, trying to switch to this new machine, and am quite happy to start pottering along as normal, now that the last remaining stumbling block for using the new machine has been sorted. Very soon, I will just look at my new PC's new name and have a chuckle about the whole thing.
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