On a long-term or temporary basis, there may be users that need access to Autodesk products beyond the office network, either from a laptop in the field or from a home-based computer. If you are an Autodesk subscriber or have perpetual license(s) on active Autodesk maintenance plan(s), you have the ability to install your Autodesk software on a secondary workstation such as a laptop or home office computer. To see an eligible product list click here. The different setup options are described below, for Single-User (Standalone) or Multi-User (Network) licenses.

Single-User (Standalone)

Autodesk Terms of Use specifies the number of machines that a product can be installed for an authorized User:

User may install Software on up to three (3) Electronic Devices

User may only use the Software on one (1) Electronic Device at a time.

Single-User license entitlements are assigned in User Management  by the Primary or Secondary Admin.

Users can view their products when logging in to manage.autodesk.com and navigating to All Products & Services.

Expanding a Product reveals the downloads that are available. Click View Downloads to open the Download dialog.

Browser Download is recommended, with the Pop-up blocker disabled. This will ensure that multiple installation files (EXE) can be downloaded at once. After all files have successfully downloaded, open one of the EXE files to start the installation process.

After installation, install updates through the Autodesk Desktop App, which will be automatically installed alongside any Autodesk product. Upon opening the product for the first time, choose Single-User and then sign-in with their Autodesk ID & password.

Multi-User (Network)

For Multi-User licenses, there are three options to setup use at home:

1. Install the software and use a VPN to check out the license
2. Borrow a License from the Network License Manager – For Users that take laptops home or in the field.
3. Request a Home Use License – For Users that need to use the product on a personal computer at home. Note: This is only available for Eligible Products.

Accessing LMTOOLS via VPN

In this option, you will need a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect the individual remote user to your office. Once the VPN connection is established, the user can open the application, and check out the license from the LMTOOLS server on your network.

You may need to configure the client to properly locate your firm’s LMTOOLS server. You can do this by editing the ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE environment variable, as described in our blog: Using Group Policies to Distribute Autodesk Settings.

The instance of LMTOOLS can also be stored in a Cloud or virtualized server. As long as the client can access the server with LMTOOLS, they can check out the license. You can also use this to borrow a license (see below).

However, if latency is high between the VPN client and the server with LMTOOLS, then the client may time out before checking out the license. In that case, you can use the FLEXLM_TIMEOUT environment variable to give the client more time to get a license. This process is described in a KB article by Autodesk, which can be found here: How to create a FLEXLM_TIMEOUT.

Borrow a License

In the upper right corner of a product, click on the Sign-in drop-down menu and go to Manage License.

This will open a License Manager dialog where the license that is currently in use from the Network License Manager can be Borrowed.

Select a Date and Borrow License.

The license will be returned automatically on the return date that is specified. The license can be returned earlier if the computer is connected to the same network as the License Server.

Request a Home-Use License

Home-Use licenses can be requested at this Autodesk Page by the Contract Manager or Software Coordinator.  Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Get Started.

After logging-in, enter the Serial number for the product.

If eligible, a different Serial Number will be issued to the Contract Manager and can be used to activate the home installation.

Notes:

1. While in most cases the turnaround time is much sooner, please allow up to 5 business days to process your request and receive an email from Autodesk with serial number(s).
2. For Multi-User licenses, files will need to be downloaded by the Contract Manager, Software Coordinator, Primary Admin, or Secondary Admin and issued to the User for installation on their home computer

Upon opening the product for the first time, the ‘Let’s Get Started’ screen will appear. Select ‘Enter a serial number’ and enter the SN provided by Autodesk when the home-use license was requested.

The user should now be setup for home-use!

Note: Users may only use the Software on

one (1) Electronic Device at a time.

Are you having trouble setting up a product for home use? Call us at 888-768-7568 or send us an email!

As Autodesk’s subscription model matures, over time the activation process has changed. In addition, there are some variations in the activation process, depending on how you have licensed your software. We’ll keep this post updated with the latest methods used to activate your software.
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