Activating a License
Get your key, run the Activate License dialog, and handle the Activation pending state.
There's no separate installer to activate — the same desktop app handles trial and paid use, so activating just means entering a valid key. For what the trial restricts and what a paid license unlocks, see Licensing and Trial.
Before you start
- Download the app from filament.click/download.
- Buy Filament, or sign in to your customer portal if you already own a license.
- Copy your raw license key from the customer portal.
- Launch Filament and open Settings → License.
Run the activation
Open the Activate License dialog from the home trial bar (Enter License Key) or from Settings → License (Activate License, or Change Key if a key is already saved). Then:
- Paste your key into the
License keyfield. Its placeholder shows the expected shape,FILA-XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX. - Choose
Activate.
Filament normalizes the key (trims whitespace, uppercases, keeps only letters, digits, and hyphens) and sends an activation request to Filament's backend — not directly to Polar. The backend validates the key with Polar, records the activation, and returns a signed receipt. The request carries your license key, installation ID, machine ID, a hashed machine fingerprint, and the app's platform and version.
Activation outcomes
| Outcome | Badge after | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Success | Licensed | The backend confirmed the key. The dialog closes and Filament unlocks on this installation. |
| Activation pending | Activation pending | The request couldn't reach the backend (usually no network). Your key is saved encrypted, and the dialog closes with a warning. |
| Backend declined the key | Trial (invalidated) | The backend gave a clear answer that the key isn't valid for this machine. The dialog closes and the License card explains why. |
| Error the app can't interpret | dialog stays open | The request failed in a way Filament couldn't turn into a license state. The dialog shows the error inline so you can fix the key and retry. |
Activation pending
If the call to the backend fails — most often because you're offline — Filament doesn't discard your key. It saves the key encrypted and moves to Activation pending. While there:
- Trial limits still apply, since activation was never confirmed.
- Your key is saved, so you don't re-enter it.
- Filament retries automatically on the next online launch, or now via
Re-check License.
Once an online check succeeds, you move to Licensed and the limits lift. If it stays pending, see Troubleshooting License Validation.
Where your key is stored
After activation, Filament keeps three things on this machine so it can stay unlocked:
- An encrypted copy of the raw key — sealed with authenticated encryption keyed to this machine's hardware identifier, written to Filament's local database. Never plain text.
- A masked version — shown on the License card as the first and last four characters, middle hidden (e.g.
ABCD-****-9999). - The signed receipt and non-secret state — the receipt from a successful activation, plus the current state, last-checked time, and identifiers.
This local copy is a convenience, not the source of truth. If you lose your key, recover it from the customer portal — Polar stays canonical for your raw key, invoices, and billing. (See Licensing and Trial for the full Settings → License rundown.)
Moving to a new machine
A paid license stays activated on a limited number of machines at once, counted against the Machine ID — see Licensing and Trial for the seat count. Before switching:
- On the old machine, open Settings → License and choose
Remove Licenseto free its seat. - Activate on the new machine.
No longer have the old machine? Use the customer portal to recover your key and manage seats, or contact support.
If activation fails
If the dialog rejects your key or the state stays Activation pending, start with Troubleshooting License Validation. Still stuck? Export support logs from Filament and send them to support.