Autodesk | No Activation Codes for Older Versions

Archive notice: This article was originally published on June 27, 2019. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.

Unfortunately not an April Fool’s joke this time: With a new change, Autodesk is discontinuing the issue of activation codes for older software that does not fall under the Technical Support Lifecycle Policy. This means that, as a rule, you will no longer receive activation codes for 3 editions before the current release. This regulation affects all Autodesk tools that can be found on this list – including Maya, 3ds Max, MotionBuilder, Softimage, Mudbox, AutoCAD and more. Naturally, the tears of joy are coming.

First Change from the End of August

The first change takes effect on August 31, 2019: You will no longer receive activation codes for all editions from 2010 or earlier. From March 2021, the larger wave will then arrive: From then on, this will also affect all other editions. According to current information, codes can only be issued for the following versions from that point onward:

• Maya & Maya LT 2016, 2017, 2018
• 3ds Max Design 2014, Design 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019
• Mudbox 2016, 2017, 2018
• MotionBuilder 2016, 2017, 2018

You can find the complete list of all tools here

According to Autodesk’s FAQ, this change is primarily related to the code generators. The exact wording is: “The majority of our activation code generators are built on aging technology, some of which are no longer supported by the vendors that built them. Aligning product activation practices allows us to retire many of the unsupported generators which reduces risk and ensures that we provide the help you need.”

What About My Perpetual License?

If you have a corresponding “perpetual” license for an Autodesk product and have to carry out a new installation, for example due to a change of computer or hardware, the software will then no longer be usable without an activation code. According to Autodesk, however, it is possible to request a code early now in order to use it in a future case. However, Autodesk “cannot guarantee that these will also work.”

Further information: Go to the official Autodesk FAQ page