LicenseManagerPro — User Guide
All your software licenses in one place: keys, invoices, expiry dates, account details and downloads — plus notifications before something runs out, import from other programs, backups and sync across your devices via iCloud. This guide describes everything the app can do, in the order you usually need it. It covers Mac, iPad and iPhone; differences are pointed out where they matter.
1 — Getting started
On first launch a short setup takes you through the main decisions. It has four steps:
| Step | What it is about |
|---|---|
| Welcome | A short introduction to what the app keeps track of. |
| How should licenses look? | Decides which fields are available when you add a license: several license keys, custom fields, freeware management, link to the installer file. |
| Be reminded in time | Notifications before a license expires and before updates & support end. When you move on, the system asks once for permission. |
| Bring your data along | A pointer to importing CSV and JSON files, for example from another program or a password manager. |
You can end the setup with Skip. Everything in it can be changed later in the settings.
The free version manages a limited number of licenses. The full version removes that limit and unlocks iCloud sync. See chapter 18. One purchase covers Mac, iPad and iPhone.
2 — How the window is laid out
On Mac and iPad
The window has three columns:
- The sidebar on the left — with the overview (Dashboard, All Licenses, Uncategorized, Recently Viewed, Expiring Soon, Expired, Updates Expired), then your categories, and at the bottom Manage Categories, Import / Export and Settings.
- The list in the middle — the licenses of the selected area, with the search field and sorting above it.
- The license view on the right — everything stored for the selected license.
On iPhone
There a bar along the bottom leads through the app: Licenses, Dashboard, Categories, Import/Export and Settings. Next to them sits a bell with the number of unread notifications. Tapping a row opens the license view; the form opens as a sheet above the list.
The dashboard
The dashboard shows the collection at a glance: number of licenses, total value, how many are active, expiring soon or expired, plus the distribution by category, license type and currency, and the next expirations.
3 — Adding a license
New licenses are created with New License, on the
Mac also with ⌘ N. The form is divided into sections: basic
information, license information, price information, user information,
links, and attachment and notes.
Taking details from an app
With Select app… the program fills in name, version, manufacturer and icon for you. There are two sources:
- From installed app… — reads the details from a
program on your device. On the Mac the dialog opens in
/Applications. - Search the App Store… — you type a name and pick from the results.
This can be switched off under Settings › General.
The icon
You can drop an icon onto the placeholder or click it and choose one — on
the Mac from a file, on iPad and iPhone also from your photo library. In
the license view you can drag an .app file onto the icon to
replace it. Missing icons can be fetched for all licenses at once, see
Settings › Icons.
Required entries
- The software name must not be empty.
- There must be either a license key or a license file. Exceptions are the license types Mac App Store, iOS App Store, No License Key and Freeware.
- An expiry date must lie in the future, with years between 1990 and 2100.
4 — The fields in detail
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Software Name | Name of the program. Required. |
| Version | The version you bought, for example 5.1. |
| Manufacturer | Who makes the software. |
| Operating System | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web or multiplatform. |
| Category | How the license is filed, see chapter 7. New categories can be created straight from the form. |
| License Type | Lifetime, yearly, monthly, trial, subscription, Mac App Store, iOS App Store, no license key, or freeware. |
| License Key | The key itself. With multiple keys switched on, up to four per license. |
| License File | A file from the vendor, for example .lic, .key or .license. |
| Purchase Date | The day of purchase. |
| Expiration Date | Only with Has expiration date switched on. Otherwise the license counts as lifetime. |
| Updates & Support | Lifetime or limited; if limited, with the date Updates until. |
| Currency and Purchase Price | 16 currencies are available. A default currency can be set in the settings. |
| Recurring | Monthly or yearly — for subscriptions. |
| Activations | How many devices the key allows. |
| Order Number | The number of the invoice or order. |
| Username, Password, Email | Your account details with the vendor. The password is masked and can be revealed. |
| Support Email | Address for questions to the vendor. |
| Manufacturer Website, Download Link | Addresses you can open straight from the license view. |
| Installation File | Mac only, and only with the setting switched on: points to a file you keep, for example .dmg or .pkg. A click shows it in the Finder. |
| Attachment | A PDF or image, for example the invoice. |
| Notes | Free text. |
Custom fields
If the built-in fields are not enough, add your own — a reseller or an invoice number, say. Switch them on under Settings › General; the form then shows the section Custom Fields. Each field has a name and a type: text, number, date, yes/no, password, URL or attachment. You can make the content copyable, change the order and delete a field again. The number per license is limited; when the limit is reached, the app says so.
Under Settings › General you can allow up to four keys and license files per license — useful for family or multi-seat licenses. This does not apply to the App Store types or to No License Key.
5 — The license view
The view only shows sections that actually contain something. Small buttons sit next to the values:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Copy | Puts the value on the clipboard, the license key for instance. |
| Open | Opens an address in the browser or a file in its default app. |
| Export | Saves the license file or the attachment as a file. |
| Write email | Starts a new message to the support address. |
At the bottom you find Edit, Share and Delete. Sharing passes the license on as a JSON file. Deleting asks first and cannot be undone.
The status light
A coloured dot can sit at the top of the view: green, yellow when expiry is approaching, red from the due date on. Yellow and red only appear if the matching notification is switched on. The expiry date takes precedence over updates. The status light can also be shown in the license list, see Settings › Appearance.
6 — Searching and sorting
The search field
The search field sits above the list; on the Mac ⌘ F jumps
into it. The search covers the licenses of the selected area.
Advanced search
The funnel opens the advanced search. There you search by individual fields, for example manufacturer, category, license type, Expiration until or Updates until. A set of criteria can be kept with Save as profile and used again later through Apply profile. Saved profiles can be deleted.
Sorting
You can sort by name ascending or descending, by purchase date or by creation date. On request the app remembers the last order until the next launch — Settings › Appearance.
7 — Categories
Categories bring order to the collection. Six come with the app: development, design, productivity, security, utilities and other. Each category has a name and a colour.
You reach the management through Manage Categories in the sidebar, on iPhone through the bottom bar. There you create new ones, change name and colour, reorder them and see how many licenses each holds. Deleting a category keeps its licenses; they then appear under Uncategorized.
Under Settings › Advanced the categories can be reset to the six defaults. The licenses remain, but lose their assignment. If the reset fails, the app stops and says so, so that no half-finished assignment is left behind.
8 — Freeware
Besides paid software you can keep track of freeware. With freeware management switched on, the sidebar shows a switch between Licenses and Freeware. The two stay separate: search, list and counts always refer to the selected one.
Freeware is recorded with fewer fields. Icon, name, version, manufacturer, operating system and category are always there; which further fields appear is set under Settings › Freeware. There is also the field Installation Date.
9 — Several licenses at once
In the list you can mark several entries. You then have:
- Select all and None.
- Category — assigns all marked licenses to one category.
- Delete — removes them for good after a confirmation.
10 — Notifications and status light
The app tells you before a license expires and before updates & support end. This is set under Settings › Notifications:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Notify on expiration | Switches on notifications for the expiry date. |
| Notification before expiration | Lead time: 7, 14, 30, 60 or 90 days. |
| Notification mode | Due date only notifies once, Always at every launch while the license is within the period or expired. |
| Notify when updates expire | The same for updates & support. |
| Send test notification | Checks that notifications arrive. |
Below the setting the app shows how many licenses currently fall within the notification period.
The notification centre
The bell opens the list of notifications. An entry can be opened with Show — the app jumps to the license concerned. Delete all clears the list.
11 — Import and export
You reach this through Import / Export in the sidebar, on iPhone through the bottom bar.
Export
- Export CSV — a table that opens in any spreadsheet program. Custom fields and the link to the installer file are not included.
- Export JSON — the complete export, also suitable for restoring.
Attachments can be included — Settings › Import/Export. They are encoded on the way and make the file considerably larger. After the export the message states how many licenses and how much freeware it contains.
The export folder
Under Settings › Import/Export you can pick a fixed folder. If Ask for location when saving is switched off as well, exports go straight there.
Import
CSV and JSON files can be read in. The formats of BundleHunt and KeyKeeper are recognised automatically. If the file contains licenses you already have, the app asks: Skip duplicates or Overwrite duplicates.
Mapping unknown CSV files
If the app does not recognise the structure of a CSV file, the field mapping opens. Each column of the file is on the left; on the right you pick the matching field or -- ignore --. At least software name or license key has to be assigned. A preview shows the result before anything is read in.
There are three switches:
- First row contains column names — switch off if the file starts with data right away. Otherwise the first license is read as the column names and is lost.
- Derive manufacturer from download address — only used if no manufacturer column is assigned.
- Store addresses in the key field as a link — some vendors supply a link to the license file instead of a key. It then ends up in the notes.
With Remember mapping the app keeps the assignment. Files with the same columns are then recognised automatically. The stored mappings are listed under Settings › Import/Export, where they can be renamed and deleted.
If the import reports that no license was found, the format was not recognised. For a CSV file, assign the columns by hand and it will work.
12 — Backup
Under Settings › Backup you pick a folder for your backups. If it sits in iCloud Drive, the backups are available on all your Macs.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Automatic backup | Backs up on its own, daily, weekly or monthly. |
| Keep backups | How many copies are kept; older ones are removed. |
| Show backup reminder | Reminds you after the set number of days without a backup. |
| Create backup now | Backs up right away. |
| Available backups | The list of copies, each with Restore. |
Restoring reads the licenses from the chosen copy. Existing licenses are not overwritten.
13 — iCloud sync
With sync switched on, the app keeps your licenses the same on all your devices — Mac, iPad and iPhone. Changes are transferred continuously. Switch it on under Settings › iCloud Sync. All devices need to use the same Apple account. Sync is part of the full version.
Switching it off leaves your data on the device; it is simply no longer synchronised.
Diagnostics
If syncing gets stuck, Run diagnostics helps. The report states:
| Value | What it answers |
|---|---|
| iCloud account | Whether the device is signed in. |
| Account identifier in iCloud | The same on all devices of one account. If two devices differ, they are two different accounts. |
| Stock on this device and Stock in iCloud | Licenses, freeware and categories. Differing numbers show in which direction the transfer is stuck. |
| Last upload / Last download | When something was last transferred up or down. |
| Last error message | The most recent message from iCloud; a dash means there is none. |
All values can be selected and sent along with a support request.
14 — Password protection
Under Settings › Security the app can be protected with a password. It is at least four characters long and is stored in the system keychain.
- Auto-lock after — 5, 15 or 30 minutes, 1 hour, or never.
- Unlocking also works with Touch ID, Face ID or Optic ID, depending on the device.
- Forgot password? — on the Mac you reset it with your macOS password, on iPad and iPhone with the device passcode. Password protection is switched off in the process; your data stays.
15 — Settings at a glance
The settings are divided into areas. You pick the area on the left and see its switches on the right; on iPhone a list leads there.
General
- Default currency — new licenses start with this currency, optionally also when editing existing ones.
- License status — status light for expiry date and updates, optionally in the license list as well.
- Multiple license keys — up to four keys per license.
- Custom fields — allow your own fields.
- Take app info automatically — name, version, manufacturer and icon from an app.
- Link to the installer file — Mac only.
Appearance
- Appearance — automatic, light or dark.
- Accent colour — twelve colours for buttons and highlights.
- Sidebar — show or hide expired, expiring and recently viewed licenses.
- Compact list view — single-line entries, on the Mac also a smaller row height.
- Show links compactly — a button instead of the full address.
- Remember last sort order — keeps the sorting beyond the app launch.
Language
The language changes immediately after you pick it, without a restart.
Icons
- Look for icons automatically when saving new licenses.
- Look for icons when importing CSV and JSON.
- Import all missing icons now — fetches icons
for every license that has none. The search covers
/Applicationsand/System/Applications.
History
Reset “Recently Viewed” clears that list on the device you are using.
Advanced
Show debug information, reset settings, the path of the database, reset categories.
About
Version, highlights, a link to the product page and the button Show what's new, which opens the window with the changes of the current version.
16 — The log
Under Settings › Logging the app can record what happens in the background — above all iCloud sync, imports and backups. It is switched off by default.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Write to log file | Switches recording on. |
| Level | Errors only; errors and warnings; plus notices; or debug with everything. Debug produces a great many lines. |
| Record routine iCloud sync | Records every completed import and export. These lines arrive every few minutes. Errors, the stock comparison and the account state are always recorded regardless. |
| Show | Opens the file inside the app, where it can be read, filtered, refreshed and sent. |
| Show in Finder | Mac only. |
| Clear | Empties the file. |
The lines are in English so that they read the same everywhere. For a support request it is enough to open the file through Show and send it along.
On the Mac logging can be switched on without going through the settings, from Terminal:
open "/Applications/LicenseManagerPro.app" --args -logLevel debug
Instead of debug you can use error,
warning or info. The setting applies to that
launch only.
17 — Keyboard shortcuts
These shortcuts are available on the Mac:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
⌘ N | Create a new license |
⌘ F | Focus the search |
⌘ , | Open the settings |
⌘ ß | Show the keyboard shortcuts |
⌘ E | Edit the selected license |
⌘ ⇧ E | Export the selected license |
⌘ ⌫ | Delete the selected license |
↑ ↓ | Move through the list |
The same overview is shown by the Keyboard Shortcuts window, which you reach from the sidebar. Further shortcuts are in the menu bar.
18 — Full version
The free version manages a limited number of licenses. Once the limit is reached, the app says so when you add a license and when you import. An import then only reads in as many licenses as there is room for, and the app tells you beforehand how many that is.
You buy the full version under Settings › Full Version. It unlocks unlimited licenses, unlimited import and export, and iCloud sync. The purchase covers Mac, iPad and iPhone. On a further device Restore purchase is enough.
19 — Frequently asked questions
A license will not save.
The software name must not be empty, and there has to be a license key or a license file. This does not apply to the App Store types, to No License Key or to freeware. An expiry date has to lie in the future.
After an import the first license is missing.
Then the CSV file has no header row. Switch off First row contains column names in the field mapping and read the file in again.
Syncing between two devices is stuck.
Run the diagnostics on both devices, see chapter 13. Does the account identifier match? Does the count on the device differ from the count in iCloud? Is there an error message? Those three answers usually settle the case.
An icon is missing.
Drag the .app file onto the icon in the license view, or fetch
the missing icons in one go through Settings ›
Icons.
Where is my data kept?
In a database inside the app. Settings › Advanced shows the path. For copies of your own use the JSON export or a backup.
How do I get the “What's New” window back?
Through Settings › About, button Show what's new.
What happens to my licenses if I do not buy?
They stay and remain readable. Without the full version only new licenses beyond the limit and iCloud sync are blocked.