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Effective 2024-07-01, Seequent will introduce updated Annual Maintenance policies for GeoStudio products.

From this date, GeoStudio perpetual licenses that are not current on maintenance will become machine-locked to the computer or server where the software is installed.

This means they cannot be moved to another device or restored to the current device in the event of, but not limited to, software failure, virtual machine re-hosting, formatted hard drive and so forth.
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Home > Licensing > Standalone Licensing > Problem - USB Dongle License Not Found
Problem - USB Dongle License Not Found
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Feb 10, 2026

In this article we explain why the license for your USB dongle may be missing and how to resolve this problem.

Before You Start

  • A dongle is a serialized hardware key attached to a USB port on a computer. 
  • A dongle is used to limit or lock software access to whomever has the dongle attached to their system through the associated license file.
  • Use of a dongle based license require three components:
    • The physical dongle attached to a USB port.
    • The proper dongle driver installed on the computer.
    • A license file that matches the host ID on the dongle.
  • When the computer successfully recognizes the dongle, a red light will illuminate on the key.
  • If the key is not illuminated, refer to the article:
    Problem - USB License Dongle Not Recognized
  • If your key is recognized but the license isn't found, continue reading.

Cause

  • GeoStudio cannot locate the matching license file for your dongle.
  • The license file you have has expired and needs replacing.

Steps to Resolve

  • When GeoStudio recognizes a host ID, it looks for an accompanying license file.
  • Even if a GeoStudio license is perpetual, the data in the license file expires annually as a security measure. 
  • New license files are generated 60 days before a license is set to expire. 
  • If your computer has an internet connection, GeoStudio will automatically check for updated license files.

If your dongle is attached to the computer and the red light is illuminated, but GeoStudio still cannot find a license:

  1. Ensure you have GeoStudio in the correct license mode.
  2. Check the location where the license files are stored.
    1. Launch GeoStudio.
    2. Go to the 'Help' | 'License Management' menu option.
    3. From the pane on the left, select 'Local Settings'.
    4. You should now see the following dialog box:
    5. The license path is specified at the top. 
    6. Ensure that this is a valid location on your hard drive. 
    7. If you need to modify the path, click on the 'Edit Settings' button and then make any necessary modification.
    8. Once you have verified the path, click on the 'Update' button. 
    9. This will attempt to download the latest license file for your license dongle.
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