How can I transfer my license to a new computer?

If you want to transfer your MAXQDA license to a new computer, you need to do two things:

Please back up your project file and your external files and transfer them to the local hard drive on the new computer.

Deactivate the license on your old device.

To move your project from the old computer to the new computer, please proceed as described in the FAQ for creating and restoring a backup.

Deactivate your license

In order to transfer your MAXQDA license to a new computer, please deactivate the license on your current computer first.

The deactivation process disconnects your MAXQDA license from your computer so you can install and unlock MAXQDA on a new machine with your serial number. (Use the download link in the installation guide that you received when you purchased the license).

Deactivate MAXQDA 24, 2022, MAXQDA 2020 or MAXQDA 2018 (Windows / Mac)

Open MAXQDA and in the menu click “? > License Status > Deactivate license on this computer”.

You find the license status when you click on the e(i) on the start screen in addition 

in MAXQDA 24 you find the ? menu in the lower left corner when you open a project, 

in MAXQDA 2020, 2022 you find the ? menu in the upper right corner.

Deactivation not possible

If it is no longer possible to deactivate the license on your old device, for example, because you have lost it, the hard drive has broken or your colleague has left the team, then external deactivation is possible.  

Single-user license: You can deactivate the license in the "Licences" menu item in the Subscription Manager.

Student licenses: We can deactivated the license  for you. Please complete the following form and let us know the serial number and the name of the computer on which the license is to be deactivated. 

Note: We can only deactivate this for you from MAXQDA 2020 onwards.