Account

How licensing works.

You need a free account, and one machine can be licensed at a time. The licence is checked when LMX opens, so a show carries on if the internet drops. This page covers activation, offline use and moving between machines.

Manage your licences Create a free account

Getting started

Sign up, then activate the machine you'll run the show on.

A free lmxlighting.com account is all you need. Create one at lmxlighting.com/sign-up. From there, activating LMX on a machine takes one of two forms:

Most people

Activate with a browser

Use this when the computer running LMX has internet access.

  1. 1 Open LMX. It asks you to activate this device.
  2. 2 Click "Activate with browser" and your browser opens lmxlighting.com.
  3. 3 Sign in, or create a free account.
  4. 4 Switch back to LMX. It finishes opening on its own.
No internet on this machine

Activate with a code

Use this for a show computer that never goes online.

  1. 1 In LMX, choose Licence → Enter Offline Activation Code… and it shows a short device code.
  2. 2 On any other device with internet, sign in at lmxlighting.com/offline-key.
  3. 3 Type in the device code shown in LMX.
  4. 4 Copy the activation code the site gives you back into LMX, and click Activate.

While you work

When the licence is checked

LMX confirms your licence when it opens, and never interrupts a running show to re-check. If the machine has internet, that check happens in the background. If it doesn't, LMX falls back to the last licence it confirmed, for a while:

Runs normally
Notice at launch
Needs reconnecting
Day 0 ~3 weeks ~1 month

Even past that point, LMX gives you one "Continue anyway" the first time it happens, so a show is never cut off by a licence check. Reconnect once and the clock resets.

Frequently asked

Common questions about licences

Do I need an account to use LMX?

Yes, a free one. The beta is handed out through a free lmxlighting.com account, which takes about a minute to create and costs nothing. Using LMX in production on a Pro licence, once Pro is available, will also need an active licence on that account.

How many computers can I run LMX on?

One at a time, by default. You can move to a different computer whenever you like (see below). You just can't have two machines licensed at once.

I got a new laptop. How do I move my licence over?

Activate LMX on the new machine the normal way. Since you are already at your one-machine limit, LMX asks "This will deactivate your other device. Continue?" Confirm, and the new machine takes over. The old machine keeps running until you next open it there, at which point it asks to be activated again.

I just switched machines. Can I switch back right away?

Yes. You can switch back to a machine you have activated before at any time. The limit is on bringing in a brand-new machine too soon after a switch, which is capped at roughly once a week to stop a licence being passed around between computers.

Does my licence expire?

Beta licences don't currently expire on their own. If that changes for your account, LMX tells you the date well before it matters.

What happens if I lose internet mid-show?

Nothing. LMX checks your licence when it starts up, never while it is running. It also keeps working offline for a while after its last successful check, currently about a month, before it needs to reconnect.

It's been a while since I was online. What happens?

As the offline window gets close to running out, LMX shows a notice when it opens but keeps running normally. If the window runs out, it asks you to reconnect briefly or enter a new offline code. The first time that happens you can still choose "Continue anyway" and keep working.

Where do I manage which machines are activated?

On the Licences page in your account. It lists every machine currently activated, and you can deactivate one to free the slot ahead of time.

Managing activated machines

Your licences page lists the machines currently activated on your account, and lets you free one up.

Go to your licences