About specifying your license

To install and use the software, you specify your license for Claris Pro or FileMaker Pro differently.

Claris Pro and your Claris ID

When you license the Claris platform, you must create a Claris ID account or use your existing one. The first time you start Claris Pro, you sign in with your Claris ID account name and password. If your account is valid, Claris Pro starts and you can use it according to the license agreement. Periodically, when you start Claris Pro, you will be asked to sign in again, so keep your account name and password at hand.

The Claris ID account that you use to sign in to Claris Pro is also used to authenticate you when you open a Claris Pro file. See About accounts, privilege sets, and extended privileges.

FileMaker Pro and your license certificate file or license key

Depending on how you purchased FileMaker Pro software, you received either a license certificate file or a license key.

  • License certificate (.fmcert) file: This file is available for you to download, depending on how you purchased the software.

    • If you purchased a site or volume license for FileMaker software as a download from the Claris Store website, you received an email with a link to your Electronic Software Download page. Your license certificate file is available from that page.

      Note  You also may have received a license key to install earlier versions of the software. Use the license key only for the versions indicated. Recent versions use only a license certificate.

    • If you signed up for a FileMaker Cloud subscription or free trial, this file is available from the Subscription page in Claris Customer Console.

  • License key: If you purchased FileMaker Pro as a single license for download from the Claris Store website, your unique, 35-character license key is available on your Electronic Software Download page. If you purchased a boxed version of FileMaker Pro, your license key is in the box.

You must have a valid license certificate file or license key to install the software. Otherwise, you can install the software only as a trial. Don't lose your license certificate file or license key; keep it in a safe place in case you need to reinstall the software.

To replace the current license certificate file or license key in your FileMaker Pro installation with a different one, see Help.