Invalid License Errors

Problem

While attempting to log in to the Admin Area, you see the following error:

License Invalid

If you see an error about invalid licenses and are a HostGator customer, see Invalid Licenses on HostGator.
If you see this error while working with the API, see Invalid License API Errors.

Cause

This error may indicate that you entered an invalid license key or moved the WHMCS installation without updating the license.

Troubleshooting

This troubleshooting information only applies to self-hosted WHMCS installations.

To confirm the cause, complete the following steps:

Open the configuration.php file in the root directory of your WHMCS installation.
Locate the $license line and compare its value to the license key in the WHMCS Member Area at Services > My Licenses, or the key your hosting provider issued you.
Confirm the value doesn’t contain extra spaces, line breaks, or quotation marks beyond the surrounding PHP string syntax.
If you recently moved your WHMCS installation to a new server or domain, confirm whether you reissued the license key for the new location.

For more information, see The configuration.php File, Move WHMCS to a New Server, and Move WHMCS to a New Subdomain.

Solution

If the key in configuration.php doesn’t match your issued license, or you moved your installation without reissuing the key, reissue the license key:

If you purchase your license from WHMCS directly, log in to the WHMCS Member Area, go to Services > My Licenses, select your license key, and click Reissue.
If you purchase your license from your hosting provider, contact them to reissue the license.
If you moved your WHMCS installation to a new hosting provider, you will require a new license key.

After you reissue the key, update the $license value in configuration.php with the new key.

Last modified: 2026 September 16