Troubleshooting authorization problems
If you experience problems authorizing Ableton Live online, follow the steps below to troubleshoot common issues such as:
- Live does not authorize and/or times out
- Error message: "License does not match your Live installation"
- Authorization problems using Google Chrome
- Serial number is registered to another email address
- Issue with Hardware Code
- Live asks for authorization at every launch (Mac)
1. Live does not authorize or times out
- Empty your browser's cache. Here's a guide that covers how to do this on most browsers.
- Try authorizing again using a different browser; we recommend Chrome or Firefox.
- Temporarily disable any anti-virus or firewall during the authorization process. You can also add the Live application as an "exception" in your anti-virus settings.
- Run Live as an administrator (Win).
2. "License does not match your Live installation"
- Make sure you have the correct version of the program installer.
- Download the latest installer from your user account (the disc version is now outdated).
- When upgrading from e.g. the Trial version to Suite, first uninstall the Trial version and download the Suite installer separately; as the Trial is a separate installation from a paid version of the program. Learn more about buying Live after using the free trial.
3. If you encounter authorization problems using Google Chrome
- Try the authorization with a different browser such as Firefox.
- Use the Offline authorization method.
Note: There is a known issue for some users due to a recent update to the Google Chrome browser. External Protocol Handlers required in the authorization process are currently blocked or do not function correctly on some operating systems.
4. Serial number is registered to another email address
- Confirm the email address you are signed in with under the "Personal Details" section of your account.
As each Live license is for a single user it is only possible for a serial number to be registered to one email. If you are logged into Ableton.com with an address that your Live serial is not associated to, you will not be able to authorize.
5. Issue with Hardware Code
- Check the Hardware Code in the offline authorization dialogue box in Live's Preferences → Licenses Maintenance → Authorize Offline
The Hardware Code is a number generated by your computer and is different from the Live serial number. When authorizing offline, you will need to enter the Hardware Code on your account page to download the necessary file.
6. Live asks for authorization at every launch (Mac)
See our dedicated article: Live asks for authorization at every launch.
Authorize Offline
In case online authorization still isn't working, you can authorize offline instead.