Licence messages
Messages appear in the app in English. Look up the start of the message in the table.
| Message | What it means and what to do |
|---|---|
| That does not look like a PDF Studio licence key. | The key is incomplete or has been changed. Open the .pdfkey file directly instead of copying, or copy the whole key with nothing added. |
| This key is not genuine, or it has been altered in transit. | The key’s signature doesn’t match — usually an email client or text editor altered it. Ask for a fresh copy of the original file. |
| This key was issued for a different product. | It’s a key for another product. Make sure you’re using your PDF Studio key. |
| This key covers PDF Studio version N… | The key is for an older major version than the one installed. Install a version the key covers, or ask for an upgrade key. |
| This key expired on … / This licence expired on … | The licence term has ended. Contact us to renew; you’ll receive a new key. |
| PDF Studio could not reach the licence server. | No connection to the server. Check the internet connection and that pdfstudio-licence.elixtechs.com (or pdfstudio-licence.nmteches.com in 1.2.0 and earlier) isn’t blocked or subject to TLS inspection (see proxies and TLS inspection). No internet on this PC? Use offline activation. |
| PDF Studio needs to check its licence | The activation ran out without renewing because the PC couldn’t reach the server. Connect and press Try again — or Activate without a network. |
| All N seats on this licence are in use. | Every seat is taken. Deactivate a PC that’s no longer used, or ask us to free a seat or add seats — see moving a licence. |
| This key has been replaced by a newer one. | A newer key was issued to you (a renewal, or more seats). Enter the new key, or ask IT to deploy it. |
| This licence key has been withdrawn. | The licence was withdrawn. Contact whoever manages licences in your organisation, or us. |
| This key is not on record. | The server doesn’t recognise this key. Email us with the serial shown in the message. |
| This computer has been blocked from using this licence. | This PC was deliberately blocked from the licence. Contact your IT department. |
| This computer’s clock has been set back… / is wrong… | The PC’s clock is wrong. Turn on Set time automatically in Windows settings, then restart the app. |
| The activation record belongs to a different computer. | The activation file came from another PC, or the PC was renamed or Windows reinstalled. Activate this PC again. |
| The licence server is busy. PDF Studio will try again shortly. | Too many requests from your network at once. Nothing to do — the app retries by itself. |
| The licence server sent an activation this version of PDF Studio cannot read. | This version of the app is too old. Install the latest version from the download page. |
| … is not part of your licence. | Your licence doesn’t include this tool. The list is under Settings ▸ Licence ▸ Not included. Contact us to add it. |
Installing and starting
“Windows protected your PC”
A SmartScreen warning for software that hasn’t built up a reputation yet. Check the file’s checksum against the download page, then choose More info, then Run anyway. In managed environments, allow the file in your Defender policy by its hash.
Antivirus quarantined a file
If tools don’t work after installing, check your antivirus hasn’t quarantined resources\sidecar\pdfsvc.exe — the PDF engine inside the install folder. Add the install folder to exclusions and reinstall.
“…already installed on this PC by its setup program” / “…installed on this PC from its Windows Installer package”
PDF Studio is already installed in the other format: the setup and the MSI don’t install over each other (the MSI fails with error 1603, the setup exits with code 3). Upgrade with the format that is installed, or uninstall it from Settings ▸ Apps and then install the other — see upgrading.
The app doesn’t open a window
- Only one copy runs at a time; if it’s already open, its window is brought back. Check the taskbar.
- ARM64: make sure the PC runs Windows 11 and that you installed the ARM64 package.
The key wasn’t applied after deployment
Check that %ProgramData%\PDF Studio\license.key exists and contains the whole key on one line. With the MSI it must be deployed separately — see distributing the key.
Tools and conversion
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| …is a legacy Office format that needs LibreOffice | .doc, .xls, .ppt, .rtf, .odt and similar need LibreOffice. Install it from Settings ▸ Optional upgrades, or save the file as .docx, .xlsx or .pptx. |
| A converted Word file doesn’t match the original | The built-in converter is weaker with heavily designed files. Install LibreOffice from Settings ▸ Optional upgrades for higher-fidelity conversion — in PDF to Word you can pick it as the converter. |
| Can’t open a password-protected file | Use Unlock PDF with the document’s password. A file can’t be opened without it. |
| A PDF is damaged or won’t open | Try Repair PDF first. |
| The output file is large | Use Compress PDF. |
| A tool is missing from the list | Your licence may not include it — check Settings ▸ Licence ▸ Not included. |
OCR and Arabic
- OCR doesn’t read Arabic text: the built-in engine handles English and Chinese only. Install Tesseract OCR from Settings ▸ Optional upgrades, then pick Arabic under Settings ▸ OCR languages.
- Poor results on a bad scan: run Clean Up Scan before OCR PDF to straighten and de-speckle the pages.
- Added Arabic text shows as empty boxes: the chosen font has no Arabic letters. Pick one of the bundled Arabic fonts, such as Amiri or Noto Naskh Arabic.
AI assistant
- The AI tools need two steps under Settings ▸ AI assistant: install the assistant, then download a pack.
- Very slow, or out of memory: choose the Light pack and close heavy programs. Free up memory gives back what the assistant is using.
- A pack download was interrupted: start it again — it resumes where it stopped.
Diagnostic information
| Help ▸ About | Version, organisation, seats and serial. |
|---|---|
| Settings ▸ Licence | Licence status, where the key came from, and the 8-character “This computer” ID. |
| Settings ▸ PDF engine ▸ View log | The PDF engine’s latest messages — copy them when reporting a tool error. |
| Help ▸ Open the Log Folder | The main.log file (version 1.0.4 and later): messages from the app and the PDF engine, without licence keys. It may include the paths of files you processed. |
| Settings ▸ Data and storage | Where the history file and the app data folder are. |
Asking for support
To get a quick answer, send:
- The licence serial (it starts with K-)
- The app version, the PC type (x64 or ARM64) and the Windows version
- The exact message, or a screenshot
- What you were doing, and whether it happens with another file
- For tool errors: main.log from Help ▸ Open the Log Folder, or the text from Settings ▸ PDF engine ▸ View log
Don’t send confidential documents
If the problem is with a particular file, send a similar non-sensitive one if you can. And don’t send the whole licence key — the serial is enough.
Didn’t find what you need?
Check the FAQ, or write to us and we will reply within one working day.