As I was preparing to get on a flight to Tahiti, I kept telling myself to remember to pack my iLok so I can run Pro Tools and still work on the go. Sure enough, I forgot the iLok at home. I was only planning to take it as a backup plan because I remember transferring the Pro Tools subscription key to iLok Cloud. If you haven’t heard of iLok Cloud, it’s worth looking into! iLok Cloud is a way for you to activate licenses through the iLok license manager and does not require the iLok USB stick! Want to activate your license on iLok Cloud? Go here!

So, I get to my secluded island, Le Taha’a in French Polynesia and I don’t have my iLok USB stick. I reach out to Avid Customer Support by phone and got to speak with a representative to explain my issue. I asked that they escalate the ticket, if possible. A few hours later, I received an email from a Technical representative who said I could not activate a Pro Tools license on my laptop and could only do this through an iLok key or the iLok Cloud. I wrote back immediately and asked if I could remove the license from my lonely iLok at home and activate it on the iLok Cloud system. Apparently, this cannot be done either. Instead, Avid support provided me with a temporary “rental” license for two weeks straight to my iLok Cloud account. I did not know this was possible so I wanted to share it with you all.

If you ever need to activate a license to your iLok cloud account in the situation where you left your iLok somewhere, reach out to the company that provides the license as they can provide a temporary solution for you just like how Avid did with me. Most of my other licenses are already on iLok cloud, so I am able to work on sessions I started back at home. Another good option is to move all your compatible licenses over to iLok cloud right away!

If you have any other tips for managing iLok licenses, comment below!