Activate a computer without internet

Some apps can be activated on a computer with no internet. The app shows a request code. You send the code to the app’s developer, and you open the activation file they send back.

Important

Only the app’s developer can make an activation file. Polaris Locker cannot make one for you.

Before you start

Only some apps offer this. If Activate offline is not on the app’s welcome screen, ask the developer. You also need a device with internet to send the code and receive the file, and a way to move the file to the offline computer, such as a USB drive.

Activate the computer

Your app may look different.

1. In the app on the offline computer, select Activate offline.
2. Find the request code under Offline activation.
3. Select Copy code, or write the code down.
4. On a device with internet, send the code to the app’s developer. The request code is not your license key.
5. Copy the activation file you get back to the offline computer.
6. In the app, select Load file… and choose the file.
7. If the app shows Activate, select it.

You can also drop the file onto the window, or paste its text into Paste the activation text here. Some apps activate when the file loads, and some also show the request code as a QR code. On a Mac, the button reads Load File… and other buttons use capital letters too.

In a terminal app, run its offline-request command to see the request code, then run its import-bundle command with the file.

How long it works

The file works only on the computer that showed the code.

• Open the file within 30 days of when it was made.
• The offline period starts when the developer makes the file, not when you open it.
• The app keeps working for the number of days the developer chose, or until the license ends if that comes first. It can show Offline while it does.
• When the time runs out, it says License expired. Ask for a new file. If the license itself has ended, ask the developer to renew it first.

If the app refuses the file

The app can say:

• Activation file not valid: the file is damaged, was made for another app or computer, has expired, or holds a license that is no longer valid.
• Activation file not trusted: the app does not trust who made the file.

Ask the app’s developer for a new file, and tell them which message you saw. For the exact words, see All messages.

Check it worked

The app shows Activated from the offline file.

Undo

In a terminal app, run its deactivate command to remove the activation from that computer. To activate it again, load the file again, or ask for a new one if the file no longer works.

Still need help?

If you do not know who to ask, read Get help with an app.