Why do I receive the error "License Manager Error -9"?

Solution:

There are several reasons why you may receive this error. In general, the License Manager Error -9 means one or more of the following:

- The Host ID of the license file does not match the machine
- The username in the license file does not match your user login (user-based licenses).
- Your machine does not have a C:\ drive (Windows), an eth0 interface (Linux), or en0 interface (Mac OS X)
- You have a Designated Computer license, and the license is already in use by another user (R2008a and higher)

To resolve this error, see the following workarounds below:

NOTE: If you are receiving this error with your MATLAB Student Version, or if you have a license that requires a dongle, see the related solutions below to resolve the error.

For MATLAB R2008a and higher:
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1. If you have selected the Standalone Named User (SNU) activation type, the license is locked to both the Host ID of your machine as well as your username on the machine. If either the Host ID or username does not match your license file, you will not be able to start MATLAB.

Additionally, if you are using a Mac OS X machine, the username that MATLAB looks for is the short username, not your full username. Make sure that when you activate, you use the short name. To obtain the proper username, look for your home folder in the "Users" folder on the machine or in a Finder window sidebar. Your short name is represented by the name of this folder.

NOTE: In MATLAB R2008a, the username that MATLAB locks to is case sensitive.

For instructions on obtaining your hostid, visit the related solution:

http://www.mathworks.com/support/solutions/en/data/1-171PI/index.html

2. If you have a Designated Computer (DC) activation type, this error means that either the Host ID of your license file is incorrect, or that the MATLAB license is already in use by another user. If you have confirmed that no one else is using the MATLAB, it is most likely that the Host ID of the activation is incorrect. In that case, you will need to deactivate and reactivate MATLAB to start MATLAB on this machine.

To confirm no one else is using MATLAB on a Windows computer, open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Go to the processes tab. Check the box 'Show processes from all users'. Click on 'Image Name' to sort alphabetically and look for a MATLAB.exe process. If one exists, you will need to have that user close MATLAB.

For versions prior to R2008a:
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1. If you are using a stand-alone license on Windows, you may get this error if you copy your MATLAB installation from one hard drive to another. The only workaround is to re-install MATLAB.

2. This error can also occur in stand-alone installations if you do not have a C:\ drive formatted on your computer. MathWorks only supports the C:\ drive for DISK_SERIAL_NUM node locking, which is what occurs during the creation of the license.dat file in a standalone Windows installation.

3. You will also receive this error message if you are trying to run MATLAB on a terminal server. MATLAB is not supported, and will not run on a terminal server.

See the Related Solution below:
How do I start the activation process when I am unable to open MATLAB?

http://www.mathworks.com/support/solutions/en/data/1-614OPR/index.html

If you are still unable to resolve the issue by the steps above, contact the Installation and Licensing Team by creating a Service Request here:

http://www.mathworks.com/support/contact_us/index.html