Issue:
When activating an Autodesk product as a standalone license, the following error message is displayed:
The serial number you entered is not valid. Try again. (1)
This article also applies to collections: Architecture Engineering Construction Collection, Product Design Collection, and Media & Entertainment Collection.
Causes:
There are several reasons this message may appear during an activation, including:
- The license changed from serial number to "Sign In" without serial number.
- The serial number is for a network license rather than a stand-alone license.
- The serial number does not match the media (or product key) used either during installation or during initial activation of the product.
- The serial number has been upgraded to a new release. (Active subscription contracts have previous version benefits, so this does not apply to them.)
- The product has been upgraded to a different product. (This can also happen with an active subscription contract. Check the previous version eligibility list.)
- The product has been returned through a reseller or the online store.
- The subscription license has lapsed or been canceled.
- The serial number is not registered.
The serial number does not match the media or initial activation information
An “Invalid serial number” error may occur if the serial number used for activation does not match the media used for installation. Common examples include:
- AutoCAD 2016 was installed using the Building Design Suite 2016 installer, but attempting to activate/reactivate it using the AutoCAD 2016 serial number.
- AutoCAD LT 2016 was activated using the AutoCAD LT 2016 serial number, but attempting to reactivate it using the Inventor LT Suite 2016 serial number.
- AutoCAD 2017 was activated using the Building Design Suite 2017 serial number, but attempting to reactivate it using the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Collection serial number.
- AutoCAD LT 2020 entitled under Revit LT 2020 suite, is attempted to activate with the suite serial number and the AutoCAD LT default product key 057L1, instead of the suite serial number and product key 828L1.
Solution:
To avoid this error, use one of the following:
Verify the license type of your software
The error can appear if you are trying to use your Subscription ID to activate through Serial Number activation. New subscriptions, however, are not activated with a Serial Number, but rather with the Autodesk Account associated with the specific product (see: Assign Users to Products). Follow these steps:
- Reset the license on your computer, see How to reset license activation for an Autodesk product for stand-alone license with single-user access.
- Run the software again.
- In the Let's Get Started window, select Sign In or Sign In with your Autodesk ID.
- Enter your Autodesk Account credentials.
- The software will activate with your account.
Serial Number Check
- The serial number that matches the product media (or product key) used during installation.
- The serial number that matches the product key used during initial activation.
If neither option is possible (e.g., the subscription has expired), then uninstall and reinstall the product using the product media (or product key) that matches the new subscription.
Note: For industry collection users, if switching* an active individual product or suite subscription to an industry collection subscription, there is no need to update the serial number for products that are already installed and activated. Attempting to do so may result in the “invalid serial number” error. To ensure continued access to the software, be sure to assign users to the new subscription in the
Autodesk Account. However, if a suite subscription expired prior to starting a new industry collection subscription, then a
clean uninstall and reinstall of the product is needed from the individual product installer.
* Switching subscriptions before a subscription expires allows taking advantage of automated switching (i.e., no need to enter a new serial number or reinstall products). Learn more about switching subscriptions:
How to activate & switch from Suite to Collection.
Self-service registration and activation
All Autodesk products are automatically registered with Autodesk during the first install and activation through the internet. If this is not the first time a product has been activated or used, the software has already been registered with Autodesk and cannot be registered again.
Products with subscription
If a subscription customer, have the Contract Manager/Software Coordinator or Primary/Secondary Admin log in to Autodesk Account to verify deployment and whether the product is on the
previous version eligibility list.
Contacting Autodesk for help
Go to Installation & Activation Support or click the
Contact Support button on any support article.
Products:
All Desktop Products;
