Activate a licence

There are two ways to activate AFDIM in AutoCAD®. Both use the buttons in the Licence group, on the About tab of the settings dialog:

With a licence key, the key you receive by email after you buy. The computer must be online for a moment.
With a request and a licence file, which does not need an internet connection in AutoCAD. You send a request from this computer, and you receive a licence file issued for it.

This page quotes the English texts of AFDIM. The plugin shows them in the language you chose in the settings dialog. A text without a translation appears in English.

With a licence key

Click Settings on the AFDIM ribbon tab to open the settings dialog. Then open the About tab.
In the Licence group, click Enter licence key…. A field opens in the same group, under Licence key (from the email you received after buying):. It shows the reminder Looks like AFDIM-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. The computer needs to be online while it activates.
Paste the key into the field.
Click Activate, or press Enter. AFDIM accepts lower case letters, spaces and a missing AFDIM-.
While AFDIM waits for the server, the dialog shows Activating…. When the key is accepted, the dialog shows Activated. Run AFDIM to start. and the status changes to Active.

The Enter licence key… button is missing. The AFDIM on this computer is older than licence keys. Update it: in the Updates group of the same tab, click Check now. When Update now appears, click it. You can also install the latest version from Download. On a computer that IT installed for all users, ask IT. Then close AutoCAD completely, open it again and start again.
One key, one computer. The first computer that activates a key is the computer the key is for. You can enter the key again on that computer at any time, for example after you reinstall Windows.
Another computer, or new hardware. The licence server refuses the key on a second computer. It also refuses the key after the disk or the motherboard of this computer was replaced. To move the key, click Move licence to another computer… on the old computer. If the old computer no longer works, ask for a move on the Licence page and give the key. After the move is approved, enter the key again. See Move to another computer.
Renewals of the same key arrive by themselves. AFDIM checks at most once a day, while AutoCAD is open and the computer is online. For a perpetual licence, it checks from 14 days before the update period ends until 30 days after, and every day while the installed version was released after that end. When your key is renewed, a window titled Your AFDIM licence has been renewed tells you. A normal quarterly or yearly Paddle purchase delivers a new key instead: enter it after the old key expires. The background check does not switch to the newly purchased key. It can still collect a support-approved renewal of the old term key from 14 days before expiry until 30 days after. See Renew.

Enter licence key… shows one of these messages:

Message	Meaning
`Activated. Run AFDIM to start.`	Done.
`Could not activate: <reason>`	The licence server refused the key. `<reason>` is the server’s own sentence, for example: the key is not known, the key is already activated on another computer, the key has expired or was suspended, or the key was tried too often in the last 24 hours.
`Could not activate: a licence key looks like AFDIM-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX: capital letters and the digits 2 to 9 (no 0, 1, I or O). Check the key in the email you received.`	What you pasted cannot be a licence key. AFDIM sent nothing.
`Could not activate: this computer reports no hardware id of its own, so a key cannot be activated on it. Choose "Request licence" and send that code with your licence key.`	This computer reports no hardware identifier that a licence can be tied to. Use a request and a licence file instead (see below), and give your licence key in the request.
`Could not reach the AFDIM server. Check the network and try again; if the shop network blocks it, choose "Request licence" and send that code with your licence key.`	There is no connection. On a network that blocks it, use a request and a licence file (see below), and give your licence key in the request.
`The server's answer cannot be used on this computer. Please send this line to support: <details>`	AFDIM cannot use the licence that the server sent. The text after the colon says why. Send the whole line to Support.
`The licence could not be saved on this computer. Close the other CAD windows and try again. If this continues, contact support.`	AFDIM could not save the licence in the licence store. Another program, for example another CAD window, is using the store at that moment. Close the other CAD windows and try again. If the message continues, contact Support.

With a request and a licence file

Open the settings dialog in one of these ways:
- Click Settings on the AFDIM ribbon tab.
- Run AFDIM on a computer without a valid licence. The command does not run. It opens the AFDIM is not activated window instead. On a computer that has never had a licence, the window is titled Welcome to AFDIM. Click Activate in the window. The dialog opens on the About tab.
- Run AFDIM with a valid licence, and type S at the prompt Select the part to dimension or [Setting].
Open the About tab if it is not open. The Licence group shows the Status. A fresh install starts in English, or in Vietnamese when Windows is set up for Vietnam. To change the language, use the drop-down list at the right end of the dialog header.
Click Request licence. The button asks nothing. Then:
- The request code appears in a read-only box under This machine’s request code (click Copy code, then paste it into Zalo/email):.
- AFDIM saves request.afdim to your Desktop, and the dialog shows Request saved: <path>.
Send the request. Two buttons are next to the code:
- Copy code copies the code, so that you can paste it into a Zalo message or an email. The dialog shows Request code copied. Paste it (Ctrl+V) into Zalo or an email to send it.
- Send via afdim.com opens the Licence page in your browser with a new request from this computer already filled in. The dialog shows The licence page on afdim.com is open with this machine's new request code filled in. Choose what you need and send it. When the licence is issued, AFDIM collects it by itself (the computer needs to be online). If AFDIM cannot start a browser, the dialog shows Open your browser to: <page>. Open that page yourself.
You can also paste the code, or choose the file, on the Licence page yourself. On the page, choose what you need (trial, purchase, renewal or move). The page prepares the email.
Wait for the licence. When the licence is issued, AFDIM collects it by itself, within about an hour, while AutoCAD is open and the computer is online. A window titled Your AFDIM licence has arrived tells you. You have nothing more to do.
If AFDIM does not collect the licence, load the file you received, license.json. Click Load licence…. In the Choose a licence file window, select the file. The window lists .json and .afdim files.
After you load the file, the dialog shows Activated. Run AFDIM to start. and the status changes to Active.

The request does not include an email address. The Licence page asks for it.

Send the code as text, or send the file. Do not send a screenshot. The code is about 1,000 characters long, and nobody can type it back from a picture. If Copy code shows Could not copy to the clipboard. Click in the code box, press Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+C., do what the message says.

Request licence shows one of these messages:

Message	Meaning
`Request saved: <path>`	The code is in the box, and AFDIM saved `request.afdim`. `<path>` is the location of the file: your Desktop, or `%TEMP%\AFDIM` when AFDIM cannot write to the Desktop.
`Request code created — click Copy code, then paste it into Zalo/email.`	AFDIM could not write a file. Send the code from the box: click Copy code, then paste the code.
`Could not read this machine's id. Please contact support.`	AFDIM cannot make a request on this computer. Contact Support.

Instead of Activated. Run AFDIM to start., Load licence… can show one of these messages:

Message	Meaning and fix
`Cannot read file: <reason>`	AFDIM could not open the file, for example because another program has it open. Nothing changed.
`Invalid licence: <reason>`	The file is not a valid AFDIM licence, or it was changed. Nothing was replaced. Load the file exactly as you received it.
`Licence not installed; your active licence was kept: <status>`	The file is genuine, but it would not run on this computer, and this computer already has a licence that runs. AFDIM keeps the working licence. `<status>` is one of the statuses below.
`Valid file, but not usable yet: <status>`	The file is genuine, but it does not let this computer run AFDIM. Usually it was issued for another computer. See the statuses below.
`The licence could not be saved on this computer. Close the other CAD windows and try again. If this continues, contact support.`	AFDIM could not save the licence in the licence store. Another program, for example another CAD window, is using the store at that moment. Close the other CAD windows and load the file again. If the message continues, contact Support.

The Licence group

Besides the Status, the Licence group shows:

Issued to: <name>, only when the licence names a person.
The plan and the expiry date, for example yearly · expires 31/12/2026. The plan is trial, quarterly or yearly. A perpetual licence shows the end of its updates instead, for example perpetual · updates until 03/10/2027.
One line of advice when AFDIM cannot run, for example Choose "Request licence" to begin.

The group has these buttons, in this order:

Button	What it does
Start 7-day trial	Shown only while no valid licence is installed. It is dimmed once the trial of this computer has expired; point at it to see why. See Start a 7-day trial.
Enter licence key…	Opens a field in this group for your licence key. Activate then activates this computer with the key. See With a licence key.
Request licence	Shows the request code of this computer and saves `request.afdim`. Next to the code, Copy code copies the code. Send via afdim.com opens the Licence page with a new request filled in, and saves that request as `request.afdim`.
Load licence…	Opens the Choose a licence file window and loads the file you select.
Buy / Renew	Opens the Licence page in your browser, in the language of the dialog, with a new request from this computer filled in. If your licence names another renewal address, AFDIM opens that address instead.
Move licence to another computer…	Shown only for a licence that was activated with a licence key. It has its own row below the other buttons. See Move to another computer.

Licence statuses

The About tab and the AFDIM is not activated window show the status in the language chosen in the settings dialog.

Status	Meaning	What to do
Active	The licence is valid on this computer.	Nothing.
Not activated	There is no licence on this computer.	Click Start 7-day trial. See Start a 7-day trial.
Expired	The expiry date has passed.	Renew. A normal quarterly or yearly purchase delivers a new key: enter it after the old one expires. A same-key renewal arranged by support can arrive in the background. For a licence file, send a new request, then click Load licence….
This machine has changed	Windows was reinstalled, or hardware was replaced.	You have not lost the licence. With a licence key, enter the key again. Without one, click Request licence and send the request to have the licence issued again. See Move to another computer.
Issued for another machine	The licence file belongs to a different computer.	Click Request licence on this computer. With a licence key, ask for a move instead. See Move to another computer.
Licence file is not valid	AFDIM cannot verify the stored licence.	Load the original `license.json` again. If the status stays, contact Support.
Not valid yet	The start date of the licence is later than the date of this computer.	Check the date and time in Windows, as the advice says: `Check this computer's date and time (Windows Settings › Time & language › Set time automatically), then try again.` If they are right, contact Support.
Install is older than the licence allows	The installed AFDIM is older than this licence accepts.	Update AFDIM first: Settings › About › Updates. See Updates. You can also install the latest version from Download.
Licence withdrawn	The licence was withdrawn after a refund, or when it was moved to another computer. AFDIM shows `This licence has been withdrawn (refunded, or moved to another computer). If you think this is a mistake, write to support@afdim.com.`	If you think it is a mistake, write to support@afdim.com and give your request code.
Install is newer than the licence covers	The installed AFDIM is newer than the versions this licence covers.	Contact Support and give your request code.
Released after your update period	A perpetual licence runs the versions released up to the end of its updates, and the installed AFDIM was released after that date. The advice under the status names both dates.	Renew the updates, then enter your licence key again. Or go back to the version you had before: click Go back to `<version>` in the Updates group.

When `AFDIM` cannot run

Without a valid licence, AFDIM does not run. It prints one line and opens a window. The line is [AFDIM] Cannot run: <reason> Activate it in Settings > About. <reason> is a short sentence, for example AFDIM is not activated. or the licence has expired. The window is titled AFDIM is not activated and shows the status and the advice. On a computer that has never had a licence, the window is titled Welcome to AFDIM and offers the free 7-day trial. The window has these buttons, in this order:

Button	What it does
Start 7-day trial	Dimmed once the trial of this computer has expired, and Activate is then the highlighted button. See Start a 7-day trial.
Activate	Opens the settings dialog on the About tab, where Enter licence key… and Request licence are.
Buy / Renew	Opens the Licence page in your browser, like the button with the same name on the About tab.
Close	Closes the window.

Good to know

The request code is not secret. It holds the AFDIM version, the time of the request and salted one-way hashes of identifiers of this computer. See How licensing works.
Keep the license.json you received. Loading the same file again does no harm.
AFDIM stores the licence in %LOCALAPPDATA%\AFDIM\license\. When Windows allows it, AFDIM also stores a copy in %ProgramData%\AFDIM\license\, so that other Windows accounts on this computer can use the licence.