When should I deactivate Smaart?

Created by Liz Paglione, Modified on Fri, 31 Oct at 1:06 PM by Liz Paglione

Smaart's licensing system has a deactivation feature that allows you to discontinue an unused computer without requiring an additional license seat (with the exception of Smaart SPL; see the note below).

However, incorrect use of Smaart's deactivation feature can result in problems re-activating that require intervention from Rational Acoustics Support in order to use the software again.

When to deactivate Smaart:

If you will be discontinuing a computer
If the computer will be formatted / wiped / reset without restoring or migrating data

The deactivation feature is not intended for "bouncing" between several machines. For example, if you have two license seats and are frequently deactivating and re-activating because you have three computers, then we encourage you to purchase an additional license seat for the third computer to avoid activation errors.

Do not deactivate Smaart...

...Prior to an operating system update (macOS Software Update, Windows Update)
...If you intend to use Time Machine, Migration Assistant, Windows System Restore or any other process or software that will reset the computer but preserve files
...Prior to uninstalling and reinstalling the software, or for Smaart updates
...To troubleshoot problems. If you are experiencing a software error, please contact us. Deactivating the software will often complicate the issue and make it more difficult for our team to resolve your problem quickly

For more information on deactivating Smaart, please see this article. We also have a guide on using Smaart with Time Machine and other imaging and migration tools here.

If you do find your license in a tangle and you cannot re-activate the software after deactivating, please submit a ticket and we will be happy to help you get Smaart up and running again.

A note about Smaart SPL:

Smaart SPL is considered a "single-install" license and cannot be deactivated. It is not possible to move an SPL activation from one computer to another. Instead, the licensing model is structured to provide affordable scaling, with each standard license allowing a single installation with the option to purchase additional activations through your license management account.

If you have an SPL license that is no longer accessible, such as cases where the computer has been lost or stolen, please contact support.