TECH NOTE: How to Change AutoCAD 2012 from a Standalone to Network License

Just a quick post on another tip that I figured out while solving a client’s problem.

If you have AutoCAD 2012 configured for standalone licensing, but then later set up a license server, you don’t need to uninstall AutoCAD to then reinstall it with network licensing.

All you need to do is change one registry key and you’re set. In recent versions (maybe 2010 and up), AutoDesk has changed the registry values, so similar guides for AutoCAD 2009 and older are now outdated.

Run regedit and find the following key

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\AutoCADR18.x\ACAD-x:x\AdLM "Type"=dword:00000019

The X values change from version to version

Change the value of key called “Type” from 2 to 1. It doesn’t matter if you have decimal or hex selected, as in this range, 1 in hex is the same as 1 in decimal. This key tells AutoCAD which licensing type to use.

1 = network
2 = standalone

Close out of regedit and run AutoCAD 2012. It will ask you where your license server is, so just enter the hostname of your license server and you should be good to go. It asked me twice for the license server, so it could ask you twice as well. I didn’t have to specify the license server on subsequent program launches.

This also works in reverse. If you’ve left the office but forgot to check out a license to your laptop copy, you can set it to standalone (change from 1 to 2) and it will run for 30 days in the trial mode.

Couldn’t be easier, right?

12 Comments

Nauman Myso on July 15, 2011 at 10:04 am

This does not work if oyu have network and want to go standalone. it errors out and says Soft lock error.
Something else needs to change somewhere. same issue with Revit 2012.

David Norelid on July 17, 2011 at 8:21 am

Thanks for the heads up. I had done this at a client’s office to go from stand-alone to network without having to reinstall, and was just going from other feedback online and an assumption that reverse (network to stand-alone) would be true, too.

ivy on August 29, 2011 at 7:02 am

Thanks but can i achieve this without the network activation utility.

kss_3d on September 7, 2011 at 1:09 am

Thanks !
it worked for me in 3ds max design 2012 as well….

daniel on December 8, 2011 at 7:52 am

nice tip, just tried on my machine and it worked both ways (i changed it to netowrk and then again to standalone)

not sure if it works when you install as Network and tries to go standalone, though.

thanks again keep up

Rich Murillo on December 23, 2011 at 1:45 pm

Is there any way to apply this to Maya 2012. I have a license server but cannot get the deployment wizard to see it,and therefore doesn’t create the deployment.

sebus on May 15, 2012 at 10:30 pm

As Nauman Myso said in first post, it does not work from network to standalone. It just flicks the logo & exits
Not found the way yet to change the licence without re-install…

pete on July 6, 2012 at 9:05 am

Thank you so much! Worked for me with AutoCAD Mechanical 2013 after my trial expired.

João Carlos on September 27, 2012 at 12:58 pm

Thanks for de assist.
Helpfull.. =D

Praveen on March 21, 2013 at 9:51 pm

Great! Works sweetly for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 from trial/standalone version to network.
The registry settings for this to happen is:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREAutodeskAutoCADR19.0ACAD-B000Adlm.
Change the “Type” value from “2” to “1” for network licence.

Nick on March 26, 2013 at 10:54 pm

Any firewall rules need to be allowed for the activation between client and server?

Jonathan Upton on April 9, 2015 at 4:56 am

YOU LEGEND, THANKS SO MUCH!!!!

Nauman Myso on July 15, 2011 at 10:04 am

This does not work if oyu have network and want to go standalone. it errors out and says Soft lock error.
Something else needs to change somewhere. same issue with Revit 2012.
David Norelid on July 17, 2011 at 8:21 am

Thanks for the heads up. I had done this at a client’s office to go from stand-alone to network without having to reinstall, and was just going from other feedback online and an assumption that reverse (network to stand-alone) would be true, too.
ivy on August 29, 2011 at 7:02 am

Thanks but can i achieve this without the network activation utility.
kss_3d on September 7, 2011 at 1:09 am

Thanks !
it worked for me in 3ds max design 2012 as well….
daniel on December 8, 2011 at 7:52 am

nice tip, just tried on my machine and it worked both ways (i changed it to netowrk and then again to standalone)

not sure if it works when you install as Network and tries to go standalone, though.

thanks again keep up
Rich Murillo on December 23, 2011 at 1:45 pm

Is there any way to apply this to Maya 2012. I have a license server but cannot get the deployment wizard to see it,and therefore doesn’t create the deployment.
sebus on May 15, 2012 at 10:30 pm

As Nauman Myso said in first post, it does not work from network to standalone. It just flicks the logo & exits
Not found the way yet to change the licence without re-install…
pete on July 6, 2012 at 9:05 am

Thank you so much! Worked for me with AutoCAD Mechanical 2013 after my trial expired.
João Carlos on September 27, 2012 at 12:58 pm

Thanks for de assist.
Helpfull.. =D
Praveen on March 21, 2013 at 9:51 pm

Great! Works sweetly for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 from trial/standalone version to network.
The registry settings for this to happen is:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREAutodeskAutoCADR19.0ACAD-B000Adlm.
Change the “Type” value from “2” to “1” for network licence.
Nick on March 26, 2013 at 10:54 pm

Any firewall rules need to be allowed for the activation between client and server?
Jonathan Upton on April 9, 2015 at 4:56 am

YOU LEGEND, THANKS SO MUCH!!!!

TECH NOTE: How to Change AutoCAD 2012 from a Standalone to Network License

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