AutoCAD 2018 License Manager is not Functioning or is Improperly Installed

You see the following error message when you start any product in the Windows AutoCAD 2017/2018 family (AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD MEP, and so on):

“The License manager is not functioning or is improperly installed. AutoCAD will shut down now.”

Causes:
Solutions for the most common causes are listed below.

Solution 1: Check whether the FlexNet Licensing Service is running

1. Click Start (or right-click Start on Windows 10) and choose Run
2. In the Run box, type services.msc
3. In the Name column of the Services console window, find FlexNet Licensing 64 and check whether its status is Running
   • If FlexNet Licensing 64 is running, close the Services console window and go to Solution 2
   • If FlexNet Licensing 64 is not running, go to step 4
4. In the Startup Type column, right-click Manual and select Properties. (Note: if the service cannot be started, make sure your Windows profile has enough permissions – consult with your IT administrator.)
5. In the Properties dialog, use the drop-down menu to change Startup Type to Automatic and click OK
6. To change the status of FlexNet to Running, right-click its empty Status cell and select Start from the context menu

Solution 2: Run as administrator

• Right-click the product icon, choose Run As Administrator, and see whether the product runs as expected

Solution 3: Recreate the licensing data file

Your product won’t run if the licensing data file is missing or corrupted

1. Browse to the following folder:For 2017 products: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\CLM\LGS\<Product_Key>_2017.0.0.FFor 2018 products: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\CLM\LGS\<Product_Key>_2018.0.0.F
   • If the folder isn’t there, be sure that it’s not hidden.
   • If the folder doesn’t exist, create it.

   Note: Replace <Product Key> with the product key for your product. To find your product key, sign in to your Autodesk Account at manage.autodesk.com.

2. If an LGS.data file is in the folder, delete it.
3. Use a text editor such as Notepad to create a text file named LGS.data in the folder.
4. Open LGS.data in the text editor and type one of the following in capital letters on the first line of the file:
   • _STANDALONE (if your product license has a serial number)
   • _NETWORK
   • _USER (if your license is based on your Autodesk ID and does not have a serial number)
5. Save LGS.data and close the text editorImportant: Verify that your text editor did not save LGS.data with a hidden “.txt” extension. See these instructions to be sure that extensions are not hidden
6. Try starting your product again

Solution 4: Try other troubleshooting measures

If the previous solutions don’t solve your problem, try each of the following, one at a time. Test for success before trying the next one

• Scan your system with your antivirus software to check for adware or malware. If you find adware or malware, you can search the Internet for ways to uninstall it
• Disable your antivirus software
• Sign out from all Autodesk cloud services and applications that may be running on your system (e.g. Autodesk Desktop App, A360, Fusion 360, etc.)
• Reactivate your license:
  1. Be sure that files and folders are not hidden using these instructions.
  2. Go to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ADUT and remove all files
  3. Go to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Autodesk\WebService and remove the LoginState.xml file
  4. Go to C:\ProgramData\FLEXnet and if exists remove all files whose names begin with adskflex
  5. If these files in bold are not getting created, complete the following;
     1. In the Internet Options window on the Advanced tab, under Settings, scroll down to the Security section. Make sure ssl 3.0 is enabled
     2. Uninstall\reinstall all C++ libraries.  How to remove and reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Libraries
  6. Run your AutoCAD product and try to activate it.
• Uninstall your AutoCAD product and reinstall it as follows:
  1. Use the Windows Uninstall control panel to remove the productNote: If you are getting licensing errors from all your Autodesk products, you may need to perform a clean uninstall. Be sure to back up your system before you perform a clean uninstall
  2. Download the software again using Browser Download
  3. Run the installer to reinstall the product

Solution 5: Create a deployment to reinstall your AutoCAD product.

A deployment install is a workaround when normal installation fails because of locked or deleted license information. There are several reasons for the loss of license data, including operating system updates. Unlike a regular installation, a deployment installation gathers your license information before you try to start the product, replacing lost or corrupted information.

Attempt this solution only if you get a licensing error after trying Solutions 1-4

1. If you haven’t removed the previous installation of your AutoCAD product, uninstall it now using the Windows Uninstall control panel
2. Follow these instructions to create a deployment
3. Locate Setup.exe in your deployment path
4. Right-click Setup.exe and select Run As Administrator
5. Follow the instructions for installing your AutoCAD product deployment
6. Restart your computer and start your AutoCAD product

If you are still experiencing errors after following the steps above, please do not hesitate to contact our technical support team HERE