Why do I receive the error message "Cannot Retrieve License File" when trying to activate MATLAB?

When attempting to activate my license, I receive the following error message:

ERROR: Cannot Retrieve License File: License files for network licenses cannot be retrieved automatically. You need to retrieve the license file from the MathWorks website and then modify it as described in the Installation Guide. Contact your system administrator for assistance.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

This message indicates you are attempting to activate a MATLAB network license using the activation client. 

Client machines are not activated to, and you will need to retrieve the license.dat file from your existing license server to proceed. Please contact your License Administrators for information on obtaining the license.dat from the license server.

For information on installing MATLAB on a client machine:

How do I install a MATLAB client for a network license?

If you have issues with the activation process, or believe you are receiving this message by error, please contact MathWorks Installation Support for assistance.

[Walter Roberson]

@Andrew McNeil

Are you trying to install MATLAB using a Network License that is being served by a license server run by your organization? Or are you just trying to install MATLAB for a standalone license ?

This particular error message indicates that you tried to use a Network license. One of the ways it can happen is if you tried to install MATLAB as you were installing a standalone license, but then you asked to activate it with a license that is a network license instead of a standalone license.