Our licensing system, Steinberg Licensing, has been in use since January 2022 and has now completely replaced the eLicenser-based licensing technology.
If you are still using Steinberg software with an eLicenser-based license, the following checklist will help you prepare for the upcoming discontinuation of the eLicenser service in 2025.
- Upgrade vouchers in MySteinberg: First, check if you have received upgrade vouchers for free upgrades to Steinberg Licensing in your MySteinberg account.
- Updates via a Grace Period: Next, check in the eLicenser Control Center if you can receive a free update for your software.
- Updates to newer product versions: For your remaining eLicenser-based licenses, check which products you would like to update to a new version with Steinberg Licensing-based licenses.
- Retention of eLicenser-based licenses: For all remaining eLicenser-based licenses, there will likely be no license in Steinberg Licensing. If you want to continue using these products, you can keep them on a USB-eLicenser.
1. Upgrade vouchers in MySteinberg
For various instruments and content sets, we provide a free upgrade voucher. Therefore, check the 'Vouchers' section of your MySteinberg account to see if you have received upgrade vouchers for your eLicenser-based licenses.
Here is the link to the vouchers section of your MySteinberg account::
MySteinberg account: Vouchers
For more information and a detailed guide, click here:
Upgrade voucher in MySteinberg for switching to Steinberg Licensing
If you cannot find any vouchers, please check if your eLicensers are registered in your MySteinberg account. Upgrade vouchers for Steinberg Licensing can only be provided for registered eLicensers and licenses.
Here you can find out how to register your eLicensers:
eLicenser: How to register Steinberg software (and why it's worth it)
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Note that upgrade vouchers are not available for all products. If no vouchers appear in your MySteinberg account after registration, a paid update to a newer version is necessary to transfer it to Steinberg Licensing.
2. Updates via a Grace Period
Check if you still have a license on your Soft-eLicenser or USB-eLicenser that is eligible for a free update to a current version.
To do this, open the eLicenser Control Center and perform the maintenance task. If you find a license that shows the addition "(Grace Period Eligible)", you can request a free update through the Steinberg Activation Manager.
Here you can find out how to get your free update if you are eligible:
How to verify eligibility for free Grace Period update
3. Updates to newer product versions
For many other products, Steinberg Licensing was introduced with the release of a new major update (e.g., Cubase 12, Dorico 4, SpectraLayers Pro 9, etc.). For these products, an update to the latest version is necessary to obtain a Steinberg Licensing-based license.
You can find the relevant updates on our website:
All Steinberg Products
Which products have last used an eLicenser-based license can be found here:
Steinberg program releases still supporting eLicenser technology
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If you want to wait for a more affordable update, make sure you receive our newsletter. We will notify you if a sale starts. In previous years, there have been regular offers, but we cannot guarantee that your software will be included as well.
You can sign up for the newsletter through your MySteinberg account:
MySteinberg account: Newsletter
4. Retention of eLicenser-based licenses
If you are using very old product versions for which there is no update to Steinberg Licensing, you can still ensure that they remain available to you for a long time. We generally recommend using a USB- eLicenser (USB license dongle), as it stores your licenses independently of the computer. If you change your computer, you can simply connect the USB eLicenser to the new computer and continue using your licenses.
You can get a USB-eLicenser from your trusted audio gear dealer. A list of authorized Steinberg dealers can be found here:
Steinberg Dealers
And here you can learn how to transfer licenses to the USB-eLicenser:
Transferring licenses from Soft-eLicenser to USB-eLicenser
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This way, eLicenser-based licenses will remain available to you for as long as possible, but note that after the end of the eLicenser service, it will no longer be possible to receive a license replacement if your USB-eLicenser is lost or damaged.
Detailed information about the discontinuation of the eLicenser service can be found here: