Summary

This article covers the reactivation process for InstallShield 2014 and later versions.

Symptoms

During the launch of the InstallShield 2014 (and later) product, a dialog box is displayed and prompts for the reactivation of the product serial number to verify the license key. Following the on-screen prompts for reactivation fails with an error informing the user with the following error message or similar:

The license key for this computer is in use on another computer.
Error 20653: The number of activations allowed for this account has been exceeded

IMPORTANT: Be aware that the word "Re-activation" in the dialog box is important to this article. For problems regarding activation, see the InstallShield Activation User Guide.

Resolution

The steps below should resolve the issue.

1. Close InstallShield
2. Open up a Command Prompt and change directories to the appropriate default path:

   InstallShield Version & Edition	Path
   InstallShield 2014 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2014\System
   InstallShield 2015 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2015\System
   InstallShield 2016 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2016\System
   InstallShield 2018 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2018\System
   InstallShield 2019 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2019\System
   InstallShield 2020 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2020\System
   InstallShield 2021 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2021\System
   InstallShield 2022 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2022\System
   InstallShield 2023 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2023\System
   InstallShield 2024 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2024\System
   InstallShield 2025 Express/Pro/Premier	C:\Program Files\InstallShield\2025\System

   For 64-Bit Machines: The location will be under the Program Files (x86) directory. For example, InstallShield 2014 on a 64-bit machine would be located at C:\Program Files (x86)\InstallShield\2014\System
3. Execute the following command: tsconfig /return
   

   NOTE: Allow access to ports 80, 443 and 8443 to ensure connectivity to our license servers.

4. Restart InstallShield and re-activate the product by selecting the Purchase / Activate option and click on the Activate button.

NOTE: If the online return attempt fails, click the Proceed with Offline Verification button to proceed with the offline license return method. Click the Save button and save the License.request file. Open the URL: https://flexerasoftware.flexnetoperations.com/control/inst/offlineActivation on an online machine and process the file to retrieve activation response file. You can then move that to the offline machine and activate the license.

If you see the message The product license has been corrupted. You must repair the license before you can continue, contact Revenera Support.

NOTE: If issues still persist, reach out to Revenera Support at support@revenera.com and share the license details.

Additional Information

Reactivation is the process by which an activated product is checked to verify that it is still installed according to the InstallShield EULA, and that it has not been activated on more machines than allowed.

Reactivation is required on each machine on which InstallShield has been successfully installed and activated; otherwise, InstallShield stops working.

This resolution is only applicable to errors showing Re-Activation or Reactivate my license in the dialog box when the product is launched. For issues surrounding other activation problems for InstallShield, see the InstallShield Activation User Guide.