Activate this device
Add this device to your account's access from the License / Subscription window, complete it in your browser, and confirm it automatically.
Activation adds this device to your account's access — there is no file to send, receive, copy or keep safe. Open the License / Subscription window, copy this device's Device ID, request access, and complete it in your browser. Switching back to the window confirms it automatically. Access belongs to your account and covers up to three devices; see How access works.
You can also see this at a glance without opening the window: the top toolbar always shows an access-status chip. On a device that has never been activated it reads ● No active access, with a Get Free Access button right beside it that does exactly what the window's button does.
Until access is active, Generate Layout — and every export, plus the SLD and BOM tools — won't run. Everything else in the application works. See How access works for the full list of what stays free.
Open Help ▸ License / Subscription…
The License / Subscription window opens. On a device with no active access, the status headline reads ✗ No access, with the message "No active access for this device. Click 'Get Free Access' to get started." beneath it, followed by "Layout generation is disabled until your access is active."
Below that: the read-only Your Device ID field, labelled "This Device ID identifies this computer to SolarLayout (it matches Settings ▸ System ▸ About ▸ Device ID):", with its Copy button, then Get Free Access, Contact Us, Refresh and Close.
- What it shows
- Help ▸ License / Subscription… on a device with no active access: the ✗ No access status headline, the Your Device ID field with its Copy button, and the Get Free Access, Contact Us, Refresh and Close buttons.
- How to get there
- Launch the app on a device with no active access, then open Help ▸ License / Subscription…
- Callouts to add
- Number the Device ID field 1 and the Get Free Access button 2. Blur the Device ID value itself.
Copy the Device ID
Click Copy beside the Device ID field rather than reading the value off the screen. It goes straight to the clipboard. The Device ID is the key — there is nothing else to install, load or back up.
Click Get Free Access
The status headline changes at once to ⏳ Waiting for activation, and
your browser opens to the activation page for this device
(https://solarlayout.app/desktop/solarlayout?device=<DeviceID>).
Complete activation in your browser
Sign in — or create an account — if the page asks, then click Activate free access for this device. On your second or third computer the page says "This will be device 2 of 3 on your account." and the button reads Add this device instead.
If the page reads You have used all 3 devices or This device is already in use, activation stops there — see How access works for what each means and what to do.
Return and confirm
Switch back to the License / Subscription window. It re-checks automatically whenever it regains focus — no need to click anything. You can also click Refresh to check immediately.
A device with active access shows ✓ Active, with the sub-text "You have access until <Month DD, YYYY>.", and Access Details, Refresh and Close in place of the earlier buttons.
- What it shows
- The same window on a device with active access — the ✓ Active headline and the 'You have access until <date>.' line, with the Access Details, Refresh and Close buttons.
- How to get there
- On a device with active access, open Help ▸ License / Subscription…
- Callouts to add
- Outline the status banner. Blur the Device ID.
Generate Layout now works. Go to Your first layout.
If the status reads ✗ No access with a message about access having ended or been revoked, Get Free Access will not help:
- "Your access has ended. Contact SolarLayout to purchase a licence." (expired)
- "Access has been revoked. Contact SolarLayout." (revoked)
See Licence problems or contact SolarLayout at sales@solarlayout.app. Contact Us in the window opens the same page (solarlayout.app/contact).
If you try before activating
Clicking Generate Layout (or an export, or the SLD or BOM tools) before access is active shows a Subscription Required dialog: "Layout generation is locked.", then the reason, then "Open Help ▸ License / Subscription… to view your Device ID and start your free trial." The License / Subscription window then opens itself so you can act on it.
- What it shows
- The Subscription Required dialog the app shows when Generate Layout is clicked and this device has no active access.
- How to get there
- With no active access, load a boundary file and click Generate Layout.
Working offline
A successful check is cached, so the application keeps working for up to three days without an internet connection. If it cannot reach the server and has no usable cached result, it reports "Could not verify access — connect to the internet and try again."
Updates, reinstalls and other accounts
Updates and reinstalls do not require reactivating. Access is checked against the server and belongs to your account, not to a file on disk, so it survives reinstalls and updates automatically. See Updates and reinstalling.
Another computer is activated the same way. Your account covers up to three devices, and every one of them shows the same end date. See How access works.
A second Windows user account on the same PC has the same Device ID. Access carries over to that account without doing anything further.
Where to go next
How access works
Access belongs to your account and covers up to three devices, checked online — what Get Free Access unlocks, the status chip, and the offline grace period.
Licence problems
Every access state the License / Subscription window shows, what each one means, and the fix — plus the 3-day offline grace.