"Contact your administrator to request permission to use this product" when launching Autodesk software

Autodesk Support

Sep 5, 2024

Products and versions covered

Issue:

After downloading and installing Autodesk software, the following messages may appear when starting the program:
  • "Contact your administrator to request permission to use this product."
  • "Renew your license."

Contact your administrator to request permission to use this product

 

Causes:

  • Insufficient permissions.
  • Trial access with no serial number or license expired.
  • Local license information corruption.

Solution:

Insufficient permissions:

Ask the administrator to grant permissions to the email address associated with your Autodesk Account (see Assign users to products). If the administrator has granted permission and the error still shows, try resetting the password for your Autodesk Account.
Note: The administrator can add you as an authorized user only if the product license has available seats. If an account has only a single seat, that seat is assigned by default to the administrator. Ask the administrator to release the seat and reassign it to your account.
 

Trial access with no serial number or license expired:

If a trial version of the software has been installed before the subscription was assigned, or the license expired and a new one purchased, follow these steps:
  1. Navigate to the following folder:
  • Windows: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\CLM\LGS
  • Mac: /Library/Application Support/Autodesk/CLM/LGS
  1. Delete the folder related to the Autodesk software. The naming convention for the folder would be <SofttwareProductKey>_SoftwareVersion.0.0.F. For example, AutoCAD 2019 has the folder name 001K1_2019.0.0.F. If a product key is needed, it can be found publicly on the Autodesk website (see Look Up Product Keys).
  2. Launch the Autodesk software.
  3. On the "Let's Get Started" window, select the Autodesk software license type:
  1. Sign in with Autodesk account credentials.

Local license information corruption

If the error continues to occur after trying the above, follow these steps to reset the local license information:

Windows:

  1. Close all running Autodesk programs.
  2. Sign out from the Autodesk desktop app.
  3. Go to C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ and delete the ADUT folder.
  4. Go to C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\CLM\ and delete the LGS folder.
  5. Go to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk and delete the ADUT folder.
  6. Go to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Autodesk\Web Services\ and delete the LoginState.xml file.
  7. Go to C:\ProgramData\FLEXnet\ and delete the three files that begin with adskflex.

Mac:

  1. Close all running Autodesk programs.
  2. Turn off Time Machine in System Preferences if it is running.
  3. Go to /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/ADUT/ and remove all files.
  4. Go to /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/Web Services/ and delete the LoginState.xml file.
  5. Go to /Library/Preferences/FLEXnet Publisher/ and delete any files that start with adsk.
  6. Go to /Library/Application Support/Autodesk/CLM/ and delete LGS folder.
Note: Other software products, such as those from Adobe, may also use the same licensing technology. Do not remove any files from companies other than Autodesk. Additionally, a few folders in the above paths are hidden. Turn on hidden files to be able to view them (see How to turn on hidden files and folders on Windows and How to turn on hidden files and folders in the Mac OS).

Products:

All Desktop Products;

Was this information helpful?

Need help? Ask the Autodesk Assistant!

The Assistant can help you find answers or contact an agent.

Ask the Assistant

What level of support do you have?

Different subscription plans provide distinct categories of support. Find out the level of support for your plan.

View levels of support