Article

License or sign-in error

"Trial," "Unlicensed," "Subscription Required," "Sign in to continue," or constant password prompts on a desktop app are almost always one of three things: the wrong account is signed in, the assignment changed, or a recent password or multi-factor sign-in change has not propagated. These checks are fast and rarely make anything worse.

Step One

Check which account is signed in

Look for the account email at the top right

Most apps (AutoCAD, Revit, Outlook, Word, Bluebeam, Adobe, Bentley) show the signed-in email near the top right. Confirm it is the work email your company expects, not a personal one and not an old email.

Confirm with another app from the same vendor

If Word and Excel are happy with your work account but Outlook says "Unlicensed," it is usually a state issue, not an actual license loss. If every Microsoft 365 app reports the same problem, the license itself may be the issue.

Check the browser version of the same service

Open Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com), AutoCAD Web (web.autocad.com), Bluebeam Studio in a browser, ArcGIS Online (arcgis.com), or your Adobe account at adobe.com. If the browser version works fine, the desktop app's local saved sign-in data is the problem, not the actual license.

Step Two

Sign out and sign back in cleanly

Sign out from inside the app

Most apps have a Sign out option under the account icon, profile menu, or File > Office Account. Use that, then close the app fully (not just the window - make sure no background process remains).

Restart the computer

Skip this step at your peril. A restart clears the in-memory tokens and saved local data so the next sign-in is genuinely fresh, not an out-of-date sign-in state.

Sign in with the exact work email

Type the email rather than picking a saved choice - saved choices sometimes use the wrong account. Complete any multi-factor sign-in prompts on your phone or authenticator app fully.

Step Three

Common patterns and fixes

You recently switched phones and approval prompts do not arrive

The work account is fine but Microsoft Authenticator, Duo Mobile, or Okta Verify is not active on the new phone. See the article "Getting a new phone without losing multi-factor sign-in," or contact IT for a multi-factor sign-in reset.

You recently changed your password

Some desktop apps kept the old password saved until you sign out and back in. Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive desktop are common offenders. Do that sign-out / sign-in dance after a password change.

The app says Trial when it should not

Trial usually means the app cannot validate your assigned license. The actual license is most likely fine in the account portal. Confirm the right account is signed in and you have internet access; if both are good and Trial persists, that is an IT ticket.

You see two account icons or two profiles

Adobe, Autodesk, and Microsoft can show personal and work accounts at the same time. Make sure you select the work or enterprise profile, not the personal one. Sign out of the personal one if it keeps stealing focus.

Slow Down

Do not do this yet

Do not uninstall to "fix licensing"

Uninstalling does not free a seat in most cases. The seat is controlled in the account portal (Microsoft 365, Autodesk Account, Adobe account setup page, etc.) and survives a local uninstall.

Do not click "Buy" or "Start trial"

If the app offers to start a trial or buy a subscription, do not accept. That can attach a personal trial to your account and confuse licensing further.

Do not reset your password without IT

Resetting your password mid-troubleshooting can lock you out of the very tools you need to sign in to. If you think your password is wrong, contact IT.

If You Need IT

What to send support

The exact message and a screenshot

"It says I am not licensed" is hard to act on. A screenshot of "Subscription Required - your Acrobat Pro subscription has expired" gives IT exactly what they need to look up.

The work account email shown in the app

Without this, IT cannot tell which account the app is using. Copy it directly from the app's account screen.

Whether the same account works in the browser

"Outlook on the web works fine with the same account" is gold for IT - it tells them the issue is local to the desktop app.

What changed recently

Password change, new computer, new phone, recent update - anything that lines up with the start of the problem.

CAD / AEC Notes

Common vendor-specific license clues

Autodesk

Named-user Autodesk access depends on the exact Autodesk account, product assignment, and product year. If AutoCAD works but Revit does not, include both product names and years instead of saying "Autodesk is broken."

Bentley and ProjectWise

Bentley sign-in may be valid while the ProjectWise data source, project permission, or CONNECTION Client state is wrong. Send the data source name and whether MicroStation or ProjectWise Explorer opens.

Bluebeam, Adobe, ArcGIS, and Microsoft 365

Bluebeam depends on the Bluebeam ID and subscription, Adobe may ask you to pick the work profile, ArcGIS depends on the organization and license type, and Microsoft desktop apps depend on the work account plus assigned service plan.

Reading license & activation errors

Plain-English explanations of "trial," "unlicensed," and similar messages.

Open article

Getting a new phone without losing multi-factor sign-in

If sign-in prompts arrive but your phone never approves them, start here.