Activation Locations • A Feature of iLok Licensing

One license.
Three places to keep it.

You decide where your customers can activate — we handle the security behind every option.
Every license on the iLok Licensing platform can be stored and used from more than one place. As the publisher, you choose which activation locations to make available for each product: the customer's own computer, an iLok USB, or iLok Cloud — plus a shared option for classrooms and labs.
Integrate with iLok
3
Core activation locations
1
Platform for all of them
Publisher-Set
Which locations are offered
Where Licenses Live

Three locations. One consistent security model.

iLok USB is available by default on every iLok Licensing account. Host computer and iLok Cloud activation are optional locations you can enable — iLok Cloud carries an additional fee.
iLok USB
● Available by Default
iLok USB
A hardware-encrypted USB device that stores up to 1,500 licenses from any vendor. Customers carry their licenses with them and authorize software on any computer, Mac or Windows — with Zero Downtime™ protection if a device is ever lost or damaged.
Best for
Portability, multi-vendor use
◆ Optional Setting
Host Computer
Also called a "machine" activation, this stores the license directly on the customer's computer — no external device or iLok account required day-to-day. It's the simplest option for a single user on a single machine, with the trade-off that the license stays tied to that specific computer.
Best for
Single-machine simplicity
iLok Cloud
◆ Optional Setting
iLok Cloud
A virtual iLok that works with any license type over a continual internet connection. The moment a customer launches the application, a secure Cloud session opens — no hardware to install, and as secure as a physical iLok USB.
Best for
Hardware-free flexibility
You're in Control

Publishers choose the mix, not us

Not every product needs every location. A perpetual desktop tool might only need host computer and iLok USB. A subscription plug-in aimed at a mobile studio might lean entirely on iLok Cloud. You configure which activation locations are available per product — and can change that mix as your product and customers evolve.
Whatever combination you choose, the underlying security is the same iLok Licensing platform your customers already trust.
Same platform. Same security. You just decide where the license is allowed to live.
Activation-locations
One More Option

Sharing licenses across a classroom or lab

For deployments where individual activation doesn't make sense — like a shared computer lab — iLok License Server adds a fourth way to distribute licenses.
iLok License Server
iLok License Server
Licenses are stored on a single iLok USB and shared across a local network to whoever needs them — no internet connection, and no iLok account required for each student or lab user. It's built on the same iLok USB security as an individual activation, just proxied to a group.

Not sure which mix is right for your product?

Tell us how your customers use your software, and we'll help you configure the right activation locations.
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