Question
When attempting to activate MATLAB I am prompted to select my license file. When I click on "browse" I am able to find my license file but I am unable to select it. Why am I unable to select my license file that I downloaded from MathWorks.com.
Expert Answer
John Williams
PhD Expert
Answered Aug 23, 2026
The full name of a license file downloaded from our website is license.lic. Sometimes, depending on your computer's settings, the file extension (.lic) will be changed following the download. The MATLAB activation client will only recognize two file extension types, .lic and .dat; when the activation client is unable to recognize a license file it is because the file extension is not a recognized extension.
To change the file extension back to .lic:
Windows 7
- Open Windows explorer and navigate to the license file.
- Right click on the license file and select properties.
- At the top of the general tab you will see the full name of the license file.
- Change the name to license.lic then select apply and then ok.
Mac
- Open a finder window.
- Navigate to where the license file (license.lic.txt) is located.
- Right click or control click on the license file and select get info.
- Open the "names and extensions" drop down.
- Remove the .txt extension at the end of the license file name.
- Close the get info Window and select use .lic
Once completed the activation client should be able to recognize the license file.
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