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Installing a license

This page applies to:

PaperCut NG PaperCut MF PaperCut Pocket PaperCut Hive

Last updated April 23, 2026

To activate PaperCut NG/MF for your organization, you’ll need to install the license file. Authorized Partners issue PaperCut MF licenses as digitally signed files. If you are a direct PaperCut NG customer, PaperCut issues these licenses.

Manually apply a license through the admin web interface

You can apply a license file directly through the PaperCut NG/MF admin console.

Before you start

  • Ensure you have the license file attachment saved to your local machine.
  • Verify the file uses the format PaperCut NG/MF-[orgname].license.

If you do not have your license file, refer to our guide on how to retrieve a lost license.

  1. Log in to the PaperCut NG or MF admin web interface.

  2. Select About > Registration.

  3. In the Register section, under License file, select Choose file.

  4. Select the license file.

  5. Select Install license. The license details are added to the About page.

  6. Verify the license information is correct.

Automatically apply a license on install

If you use a perpetual license, you can automate the installation during the initial setup. For more information about automating PaperCut NG/MF server installation, refer to Automated PaperCut Server Deployment.

  1. Rename the digitally signed license file to application.license.
  2. Place the file in the same directory as the pcng-setup.exe or pcmf-setup.exe installer. The installer detects and installs the license file automatically. This process removes the need to manually install the license after the configuration.

Apply the license using server-command

Use the server-command tool to install a license if you use a headless server or cannot access the admin web interface. For more information, refer to the Server Command list.

  1. Save the license file to your local machine.

  2. Open Command Prompt or Terminal as an administrator.

  3. Navigate to the server-command directory. Default paths include:

    • Windows: C:\Program Files\PaperCut MF\server\bin\win\
    • macOS: /Applications/PaperCut/server/bin/mac/server-command
    • Linux: [app-path]/server/bin/linux-x64/server-command

  4. Apply the license using the install-license command with the following syntax:

    server-command install-license "<path to license file including file name>"

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