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Every Collabase installation runs the same software. A licence key decides which edition is active: with a valid Enterprise key, the features listed under What the licence unlocks are switched on, without a new installation or a restart. This page shows how to activate a key, how many seats it covers, and what happens when it expires. Who can do this?

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Before you begin

  • Open Settings → Collabase License → License. The page is called License & System.
  • Have the System ID / Machine ID of this installation at hand if you need a new key. A key is issued for one installation and works only there.
  • Make sure no environment variable sets the key for your deployment. When the key comes from the deployment, the page refuses every change, see Troubleshooting.

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The License & System page

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Activate or change the licence key

1

Open the licence page

Go to Settings → Collabase License → License.
2

Open the key field

On an installation without a key, the Enterprise Upgrade card is already open. On a licensed installation, click Change license key under License Details.
3

Paste the key

Paste the complete key into Activate license key. Keys start with HC-.
4

Activate

Click Activate. Collabase checks the signature, the installation the key was issued for, and the end date.
Checkpoint. The message License successfully activated! appears, Edition shows Enterprise Edition and License Details shows Active with the end date. The activation is recorded in the audit log. If a red message appears instead, look it up in Troubleshooting.
A new key takes effect at once. The Enterprise features start working on the next request, and nobody has to sign in again. There is no button to remove a key: to replace one, activate the new key.

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What the licence unlocks

The licence controls a fixed set of features. Everything else, including all apps, Spaces, projects and AI settings, works the same on every installation. A locked page stays visible but blurred, with the notice … is an Enterprise Feature and the button Upgrade to Enterprise.

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How seats are counted

A seat is an internal person who can sign in: an active account with the role Admin or User. These do not take a seat:
  • guests;
  • locked and anonymized accounts;
  • the accounts Collabase uses for its own work.
When every seat is taken, Collabase refuses new accounts and reactivations, whether they come from the Users page, single sign-on or SCIM. Lock or anonymize accounts you no longer need to free seats, see Users and groups.

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Expiry and the grace period

A key with an end date runs through three states. The grace period is fixed at 14 days and cannot be changed. The diagram shows the licence states and what moves a licence from one to the next.
Activate the new key during the grace period. Once the licence has expired, the interface is read-only for everyone, including administrators, so the key can no longer be entered on the licence page.

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Best practices

  • Put the end date in your calendar a month ahead. Getting a new key needs the System ID and a reply from your supplier, and the grace period is only 14 days.
  • Keep a seat or two free. A provisioning run that finds no free seat turns people away until a seat is freed.
  • Copy the System ID before you move to new hardware. Note it with your licence papers, so a key can be reissued quickly if the installation has to be rebuilt without its database.

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Troubleshooting

Identity providers

Sign-in with SAML, external providers and LDAP, all part of the Enterprise licence.

User provisioning

SCIM provisioning and how seats limit it.

Users and groups

Lock, unlock and anonymize accounts to free seats.

App Store

Install the apps bundled with your Collabase version.
Last modified on October 13, 2026