This action forces the application to read the new license certificate and rebuild its licensing data.
Maintain a spreadsheet or asset database that tracks which version of FileMaker is installed on which machine and which corresponding .fmcert hash was used. When an upgrade window opens, ensure the new certificate is distributed the user attempts to open the new version.
Unlike a physical box that arrives in the mail, the .fmcert file is distributed digitally. You cannot simply create this file; it must be generated by Claris and tied specifically to your purchase order.
Here is a comprehensive guide on how to use it, where to put it, and how to fix it if things go wrong. 1. Where to Get Your Certificate
Traditionally, this system relies on a plain-text (often ending in .dat or .lic ). This file contains the FEATURE or INCREMENT lines defining how many seats of a product are available, encoded with a vendor-specific encryption key. licensecert.fmcert
This proprietary file contains embedded, encrypted data regarding your organization's subscription tier, user counts, and expiration dates. Without it, the FileMaker platform defaults to a restricted trial mode or blocks multi-user connections entirely.
She checked the server logs. The last successful signing was at 11:58 PM. After that… nothing. No errors, no crashes.
This is the most common scenario for individual users or small IT teams.
: Subscribers can download their certificate from the Subscription > Downloads tab within the Claris Customer Console . Technical Characteristics This action forces the application to read the
All 847 certificates were simultaneously "expired."
If the license certificate is not found, you will receive an error alert: "The license certificate was not found" . Best Practices for Managing License Certificates
: The filename must remain exactly as LicenseCert.fmcert for the installer to recognize it.
Alternatively, on macOS, you can quit FileMaker Pro and simply drag the new LicenseCert.fmcert file onto the FileMaker Pro.app icon. A more drastic, though sometimes necessary, approach is to uninstall and reinstall the software entirely, specifying the new license certificate during the reinstallation process. Unlike a physical box that arrives in the mail, the
IT staff using tools like Jamf Pro to deploy FileMaker Pro often face challenges with automating license activation. According to a discussion on the Jamf Community, the Jamf App Store does not automatically apply the license certificate, even if it is present on the Mac, as the installer "wouldn't know where to look for the cert." The recommended best practice is to create a customized installer as described above, which packages the .fmcert file directly into the deployment package to ensure silent, automated activation.
The file must be named LicenseCert.fmcert . Do not change the extension.
You can rename the file for organizational purposes (e.g., Production_Server.fmcert ), provided you keep the .fmcert extension. 3. Troubleshooting "License Import Failed"
The way you obtain your LicenseCert.fmcert file depends on how you purchased the software: