Understanding When to Deactivate in BarTender 2019 and Later

BarTender allows you to install multiple clients with the same license key regardless of your edition. However, you can only have one computer hosting the BarTender Licensing Service, which replaced the old Seagull License Server. You only need to go through the deactivation process if you wish to move the license itself.

Additionally, BarTender allows you to transfer the license to another computer using the Move License dialog. If you have two computers with BarTender and wish to transfer the license to another computer, please refer to Moving your license to a new computer.

How to Deactivate in BarTender 2019

Automatic Internet Connection

If you are deactivating the Licensing Owner/License Server:

1. Open the Administration Console.
2. Select Licensing from the left-hand menu. Your network's licenses will populate, and your active license will be listed under the Current License section.
3. Right-click on your license and choose Deactivate License.
4. You will be prompted to ensure you have a working internet connection. Click Next. If you do not have a working internet connection, skip down to the Offline Deactivation section.
5. The wizard will indicate the deactivation is successful. Click Finish.

If you are deactivating a BarTender suite and not the License server. You may wish to deactivate an install to decommission or change license keys.

1. Open BarTender Designer.
2. Close any open dialogs.
3. Go to Help > BarTender Licensing Wizard.
4. You will be prompted to ensure you have a working internet connection. Click Next. If you do not have a working internet connection, skip to the Offline Deactivation section.
5. The wizard will indicate the deactivation is successful. Click Finish.

Offline Deactivation

If you do not have a working internet connection, the wizard will throw the following error:

Clicking OK will allow you to click Try Browser Instead for another deactivation method. This will present you with a Product Deactivation Code you will need for the next steps:

Your first available option will be Browser deactivation

1. Make note of the Product Deactivation Code. Go to another computer with a working internet connection, open a web browser, and go to the primary activation site at https://license1.seagullscientific.com/LicenseDeactivate/. If, for some reason, the primary site is unavailable, try the secondary activation site at https://license2.seagullscientific.com/LicenseDeactivate/.
2. Enter the Product Deactivation Code you noted in Step 1, then click Deactivate.
3. You should receive a message indicating the deactivation was successful.

Understanding Which Application to Deactivate in BarTender 2016 and Earlier

The application that triggers a significant activation is different based on the edition.

Basic and Professional Editions

Activating BarTender is the significant activation for Basic and Professional editions. If you need to move BarTender to a new computer, you must deactivate the currently activated computer, and then you may activate BarTender on the new computer using the Product Key Code supplied with the software.

Automation editions

Activating the Seagull License Server (SLS) is the significant activation for Automation editions.  If you need to move SLS to a new computer, you must deactivate the currently activated computer, and then you may activate SLS on the new computer using the Product Key Code supplied with the software.  Since automation editions allow unlimited users as long as they can connect to your SLS, you don't need to deactivate BarTender to activate BarTender on another computer.

How to Deactivate the Currently Activated Computer in BarTender 2016 and Earlier

Before you may activate the new computer, you must first deactivate the currently activated computer. Use one of the methods below to deactivate BarTender or SLS.

If unsure which application to deactivate, please review the Understanding Which Application to Deactivate section above.

Automatic Internet Connection

1. Open BarTender or SLS.
2. Click the Help menu. Select Activation Wizard.
3. Select Deactivate BarTender Suite and click Next.
4. You will be prompted to ensure you have a working internet connection. Click Next.
5. The wizard will indicate the deactivation is successful. Click Finish.

If you do not have a working internet connection, the wizard will throw the following error:

Clicking OK will allow you to click Try Browser Instead for another deactivation method. This will present you with a Product Deactivation Code you will need for the next steps:

Web Browser Deactivation

Your first available option will be Browser deactivation.

1. Make note of the Product Deactivation Code. Go to another computer with a working internet connection, open a web browser, and go to the primary activation site at http://license1.seagullscientific.com/Deactivate. If, for some reason, the primary site is unavailable, try the secondary activation site at http://license2.seagullscientific.com/Deactivate.
2. Enter the Product Deactivation Code you noted in Step 1, then click Deactivate.
3. You should receive a message indicating the deactivation was successful.