How do I transfer a Student or Home license to a new computer?

How do I transfer a Student or Home license to a new computer?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

You are permitted to install MATLAB Student and Home on one computer. MATLAB Student and Home must be deactivated before it can be transferred to a new machine.

To deactivate MATLAB Student and Home from within MATLAB:

• Click the word "Help" in the toolstrip, found beneath the white question mark that launches the help browser.
• Go to the "Licensing" menu.
• Select "Deactivate software..."
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the deactivation process.

If the machine you wish to deactivate MATLAB from is no longer available, you can deactivate MATLAB from the MathWorks website: Follow the steps below to deactivate MATLAB:

• Log in to your MathWorks account: https://www.mathworks.com/mwaccount/
• Click on the "Manage" icon under the license you would like to deactivate MATLAB from
• Switch to the tab "Install and Activate".
• Click "Deactivate a computer" on the right.
• Click the blue circle with the white X for the computer you would like to deactivate.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the deactivation process.

Once you have deactivated your previous activations you will be able to activate MATLAB on your new computer. Deactivating the old machine and activating on the new machine completes the license transfer process. If you are unable to deactivate MATLAB and encounter an issue doing so, please contact MathWorks support:

https://www.mathworks.com/support/contact_us.html

[Walter Roberson]

Student licenses can only be activated on one computer at a time.

You can install on a new computer without taking the activation step, and then you can deactivate on the old computer and activate on the new computer -- that is, installation itself does not use up activations. But it is usually easier to deactivate first before doing the new install rather than having to go back and forth between the two computers.

Note: in the very particular case of Total Student Headcount licenses, in which an academic institution provides Academic licenses for students instead of the students obtaining them directly, then the students may activate on two computers simultaneously. These are Academic licenses instead of Student licenses.

[Walter Roberson]

The R2017a license agreement says:

1. License Options

1.1. Individual License Option

(ii) A Named User may install the Programs on up to four (4) different Computers but may not use a Program on more than two (2) Computers simultaneously, except that Student and Home Licenses are limited to a single Computer.

2. License Uses

2.3. Student

(i) Student Licenses may be licensed by students enrolled in degree-granting educational institutions, or primary and secondary schools, or those participating in a continuing education program at a degree-granting educational institution. A Licensee may use the Programs only on a single physical (not virtual) Computer owned or leased by the student.

[Walter Roberson]

"You are permitted to install MATLAB Student and Home on up to two computers"

That statement is contrary to the license agreement, which as of R2022b says,

1. License Options

1.1. Individual License Option

(ii) A Named User may install the Programs on up to four (4) different

Computers but may not use a Program on more than two (2) Computers

simultaneously, except that Student and Home Licenses are limited to a

single Computer.

As the phrasing talks about installing on multiple computers, but contains an exception limiting Student and Home licenses to single computers, we must understand that as excluding the possibility of installing Student or Home licenses on multiple computers.

There is a different interpretation, which is that potentially the "except" applies to the not using on more than two computers. One could potentially interpret the clause as allowing Students to install on up to four computers simultaneously, as long as Student and Home licenses only use on a single computer at a time. In my opinion, that possibility is ruled out by the placement of the comma in the sentence. In English, subordinate clauses such as "but may not (etc)" are terminated by a comma that is not acting as an apposition within the subordinate clause (appositions are primarily signalled by the presence of two commas, and oppositions seldom seldom start with prepositions.)