Deactivation Settings

The Deactivation Settings workspace is about flexibility and trust. By allowing users to deactivate their software, you enable a seamless license transfer experience when they upgrade their computers, significantly reducing your manual support burden. Learn more in the Deactivation Feature guide.

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Modern users expect to move their software as they upgrade hardware. Enabling deactivation turns a rigid license into a mobile asset:

• Self-Service Transfers: When enabled, users can trigger a deactivation through your UI. This wipes the license from their local machine and generates a cryptographically signed Deactivation Certificate.
• Proof of Removal: The certificate serves as definitive proof that the software is no longer usable on the previous machine, allowing you to confidently issue a new key for their new hardware.
• Security Integrity: Once a license is deactivated, it is permanently neutralized on that specific computer.

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The deactivation process follows a secure, step-by-step lifecycle:

1. Request: The user initiates deactivation via the API (e.g., VBAPL_ShowDeactivation).
2. Neutralize: VBA Padlock scrubs the activation data from the registry or local license file.
3. Certify: The application generates a unique, signed string (the certificate).
4. Verify: You receive this string and use the Test Deactivation Certificate tool to confirm its authenticity.
5. Re-Issue: Once validated, you generate a new key for the user’s new Hardware ID.

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VBA Padlock Studio includes a built-in validator to ensure certificates haven’t been tampered with.

• Integrity Check: Paste any certificate into the Test Deactivation Certificate tool.
• Immediate Feedback: The Studio will confirm whether the string is a valid, authentic proof of deactivation for your specific project.

When the certificate is valid, VBA Padlock Studio displays a confirmation message with the details of the deactivated license:

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The manual certificate workflow described above works well for small-scale operations, but as your customer base grows, reviewing certificates by hand can become a bottleneck. Consider setting up Online Deactivation to automate the entire process:

• 24/7 Self-Service: Your customers can deactivate their license at any time — no need to wait for you to be available.
• Automatic Server Notification: The deactivation is reported to your activation server in real time, so your license database is always up to date.
• Instant Re-Activation: Combined with Online Activation, users can deactivate on their old machine and re-activate on a new one without any manual intervention from you.

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