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How to manually activate a Unity license via command line on Windows.

Anna Hayward
  • Updated

To activate a Unity license via command line on Windows, first delete any existing .ulf file in C:\ProgramData\Unity and close the Hub. Generate an activation license file (.alf) using the command line with the editor path. Upload the .alf file at license.unity3d.com/manual to request a license file (.ulf). Finally, activate the license using the .ulf file via command line. Manual activation for Personal licenses is no longer supported. For issues, contact Unity Customer Service with log files.

Activate via command line on Windows

Note: Unity no longer supports manual activation of Personal licenses. For more information, see: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/LicensesAndActivation.html
 
First, delete the existing .ulf found in the following location if one is there: C:ProgramData/Unity. Now close the Hub completely using the Task Manager.
 
Now, you need to create an activation license file (ALF) using the command line method.
 
Enter the following into the Command Prompt (replacing <editor-installation-location> with the actual installation location, such as "C:\Program Files\Unity\Hub\Editor\2020.3.30f1\Editor\unity.exe"):
 
Note: It does not matter which Editor version you choose. The activation works for all installed Editors.
 
"<editor-installation-location>" -batchmode -createManualActivationFile -logfile
 
the command prompt window showing the required command line. the username has been obfuscated
 
After you generate a license activation (.alf) file, the next step is to use this to request your Unity license (.ulf) file from the license server:
  1. Open the license.unity3d.com/manual webpage.
  2. If prompted, sign in to your Unity ID. This is necessary to request a Unity license file. The Manual activation webpage appears.
  3. Click the Browse button to locate the license activation (.alf) file you already generated using your system’s file browser. By default, your .alf is found in C:\Users\<username>
  4. If the upload was successful and Unity detected that the file you chose was a license activation file, the filename appears in the text box with a green checkmark. If you see a red X instead, try again.
     
  5. Click the Next button. The Activate your license webpage appears.
  6. Enter your serial number and click the Next button. The Download license file webpage appears.
  7. Click the Download license file button.
  8. Allow downloads for the license.unity3d.com/manual webpage if your system prompts you.
  9. Open your browser’s downloads location and locate the new Unity license file with the .ulf extension.
Now you are ready to activate your Unity license from the command line.
 
Enter the following into the Command Prompt (replacing <editor-installation-location> with the actual installation location, such as”C:\Program Files\Unity\Hub\Editor\2020.3.30f1\Editor\unity.exe"):
 
"<editor-installation-location>" -batchmode -manualLicenseFile <yourulffilelocation> -logfile
 
the command prompt window displaying the command line in full. The username has been obfuscated.
 
Your Unity license is now activated.
 
If the above steps do not help resolve your issue, contact Customer Service with your log files.
 

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