# Trial and License

> The 14-day free trial, buying a license, activating it on up to two Macs, and moving it to a new Mac.

## The free trial

Everything in ClassicTunes works for 14 days from the first time you open it. While the trial lasts, the foot of the sidebar shows how many days are left, with a **Buy** button and a key button for entering a license.

![The trial's days left at the foot of the sidebar](https://classictunes.app/images/trial-banner-light.png)

When the trial ends, syncing iPods and music players needs a license. Everything else keeps working: your library, playing music, podcasts, CDs, and what's already on your iPods. If you try to sync, ClassicTunes says the trial has ended and offers to open the Buy page or the License window.

## Buying a license

Click **Buy** in the sidebar, choose **ClassicTunes › License…** and click **Buy ClassicTunes…**, or go to the [Buy page](https://classictunes.app/buy). The price is US$14.99 plus any sales tax, VAT or GST for where you live, which checkout adds before you pay. Paddle handles the payment, tax and receipt, and you can ask for a refund within 14 days.

After paying, the page shows your license key, with an **Activate in ClassicTunes** button. The key is also emailed to you. Keys look like `CT-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX`.

## Activating your license

The quickest way is to click **Activate in ClassicTunes** on the page after paying, or in the email. ClassicTunes opens its License window and activates the key. (The link in the email opens a page on classictunes.app first, which asks your browser to open ClassicTunes, because many email apps don't open apps directly. That page also shows the key, to copy, if ClassicTunes isn't installed yet.)

To enter it yourself:

1. Choose **ClassicTunes › License…**.
2. Paste or type the key into **License key**. Capitals, spaces and dashes don't matter.
3. Click **Activate**.

![The License window during the trial](https://classictunes.app/images/license-trial-light.png)

Activating needs an internet connection once, to check the key with classictunes.app. After that, ClassicTunes never needs to go online for the license again: it keeps working offline, for good.

Once activated, the License window shows who the license belongs to, its email address and key.

![The License window once ClassicTunes is licensed](https://classictunes.app/images/license-light.png)

## Two Macs per license

A license can be used on two Macs at a time, such as a desktop and a laptop. Once it's activated, the License window lists the Macs it's on, with when each last checked in.

To move it to another Mac, choose **ClassicTunes › License…** on the Mac you're leaving and click **Deactivate This Mac…**. Then activate the key on the new Mac.

If the old Mac is gone, or you forgot to deactivate it, there are three ways to free its place:

- In the License window on your other Mac, click **Remove…** beside the Mac you no longer have.
- On the new Mac, just activate the key. When the license is already in use on two Macs, the License window lists them; click **Deactivate It and Use This Mac** beside the one you no longer use.
- On the website, go to [Manage Your Macs](https://classictunes.app/manage), enter your key and click **Remove** beside the Mac. This works even if you no longer have either Mac. The license email has a link to it.

A Mac you remove stops syncing the next time it checks its license (see below).

### The monthly check

About once a month, when your Mac is online, ClassicTunes checks with classictunes.app that its license is still active on that Mac. If the Mac was removed from the license, or the license was refunded, syncing stops until a license is activated again; everything else keeps working. If your Mac is offline, nothing changes: ClassicTunes never stops working because it couldn't check.

## Lost your key?

Click **Lost Your Key?** in the License window, or go to [Support](https://classictunes.app/support), and enter the email address you bought with. If there's a license for that address, it's emailed to you again.

## If activating doesn't work

The License window says what went wrong:

| Message | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| That isn't a license key. | Check you've copied the whole key, starting `CT-`. |
| There's no license with that key. | Compare it with the key in your email, or use **Lost Your Key?**. |
| This license has been canceled. | A refunded license can't be activated. [Contact support](https://classictunes.app/support) if that's a mistake. |
| This license is already in use on two Macs. | Deactivate one of the Macs listed (see above). |
| This license has been moved to new Macs several times recently. | [Contact support](https://classictunes.app/support) and we'll sort it out. |
| This Mac was removed from its license. | It was removed in the License window on another Mac, or on [Manage Your Macs](https://classictunes.app/manage). Activate the key again to use it here (it's filled in for you). |
| Couldn't reach classictunes.app. | Check your internet connection and try again. |

## From AppleScript and Shortcuts

```applescript
tell application "ClassicTunes"
    if not licensed then
        -- Days left in the trial (0 once it has ended)
        display dialog "Trial days left: " & (trial days left as text)
        activate license "CT-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX"
    end if
    license email -- the address the license belongs to
end tell
```

`deactivate license` frees this Mac's place, `check license` checks the license online now, `license macs` lists the license's Macs, and `remove license mac "Name"` removes another one. In Shortcuts, **Get ClassicTunes License Status** returns a sentence saying whether ClassicTunes is licensed or how long the trial has left, and **Activate ClassicTunes License** activates a key. See [AppleScript](https://classictunes.app/docs/applescript) and [Shortcuts](https://classictunes.app/docs/shortcuts).