License keys are for products that need activation, WordPress plugins and themes, desktop apps, or anything you limit to a number of sites. If you only sell files that people download and use offline (ebooks, graphics, audio), you usually do not need license keys at all.
Enable Licenses On A Product
- Edit the product.
- Open License Settings.
- Check Enable License Keys. The description explains that site activations come from the pricing matrix license quantity (use 0 for unlimited sites), that one-time purchases receive lifetime keys, and that subscription licenses expire at the end of each billing period and renew when the subscription renews.
- In Pricing, set license quantities that match your plans (1 site, 5 sites, unlimited, and so on).
- Update the product.
When a customer purchases, the plugin generates a unique key for that order line, emails it (if the License Key email is enabled), and shows it in My Account.
Key Format
Under Settings → Product licenses → License Key Format you control the pattern of new keys. Use X for random characters and hyphens as separators. The default is XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.
Changing the format only affects keys generated after you save. Existing keys stay as they are.
What Customers See
In My Account:
License Keys
Their keys, with a way to copy each key.
Installations
Each activated site or domain and when it was activated. Customers can deactivate an installation they no longer use, which frees a slot for another site.
Point customers here when they ask “where is my key?” or “how do I move to a new site?”
Subscriptions And Licenses
If the product is a subscription and has licenses enabled, the key works while the subscription is active. When the subscription ends or access is revoked, license checks fail. Developers integrating software should validate periodically; see Licensing Integration Guide.
If You Revoke Access
Revoking an order or customer (Access Control) deactivates related licenses immediately. Software that checks your store’s API will see the key as invalid.
License Settings That Affect Developers
Settings → Product Licenses also includes:
API Rate Limit (per hour)
Maximum license API requests per hour per IP (default 100). This protects your store if many sites check in at once.
Generic API Error Messages
When enabled (default), the public license API returns generic failure messages instead of detailed reasons. That reduces the chance of attackers probing for valid keys.
Store owners who do not sell activatable software can ignore these two settings.
For Software Developers
If you sell a plugin, theme, or app that must check licenses on the customer’s site, start with:
- Licensing Integration Guide — add a license field to your product and call the API
- License Rest Api — request and response reference