Table of Contents
Performing an offline activation (legacy)
How to perform an offline activation of Fotoware software in environments where the server or client does not have internet access.
25. June 2026
Table of Contents
Note
The Fotoware Application Activation Wizard has been superseded by the fwlicensetool for managing activations. For information on how to obtain this tool and use it to manage software activation from the command prompt, see Command line activation of Fotoware applications using fwlicensetool.
Offline activation procedure
Fotoware software uses an activation system that requires an active internet connection to function properly. However, if your system is behind a restrictive firewall or has limited connectivity for other reasons, there is a manual activation procedure to allow you to activate and run the software even in such environments.
Tip: To manually start the activation wizard, go to Start, run fwappactwiz, and select Enter.
Steps to perform an offline activation
The offline activation procedure only becomes available if the Fotoware Activation Assistant fails to connect to the internet. When this happens, you can manually activate offline.
From a technical standpoint, the manual activation procedure works exactly like the online one.
- Create an activation request file. This file contains a binary “fingerprint” of the computer you want to activate the software on.
This file is created when you select Create Request File in the Activation Assistant. The file must then be copied to a computer with a working internet connection, for example, using a USB memory stick.
- Using a computer with an Internet connection, go to https://licenses.fotoware.com/offline-activation (external link).
- Log in to the Customer Portal to access the activation reset tool.
- Select Browse to locate the activation request file and select Submit.
- Fotoware will process the file and return the Activation Response File directly in your browser. This file is only valid for activating the software on the machine where you originally created the fingerprint file.
.PNG)
- Copy the Activation Response file to the machine where the software should be activated. From here, the procedure differs based on whether you have a Windows or a Mac system.
Note
The activation response file (file extension .fwar) should be 2KB or more in size. If it's only 1KB, it typically means that the offline activation request failed. In that case, repeat steps 2-5 until you get a response file back that is larger. A 1KB activation response file will fail to activate the software when proceeding to point 6 above.
Windows
After copying the file to, for example, the desktop, double-click it to activate the software..PNG)
Mac
- Open the Applications folder.
- Right-click the Fotostation application icon, then choose Show Package Contents.
- Expand the Contents folder and then expand the MacOS folder.
- Start the Terminal application.
- Drag the Fotoware-Activation-Assistant into the Terminal window.
- Drag the Activation Response file from Fotoware into the terminal.
This should produce this syntax in the Terminal window: (The path to and name of the Activation Response file may differ based on where you have stored it):
/Applications/FotoStation.app/Contents/MacOS/FotoWare-Activation-Assistant /Users/oaf/Desktop/Activation-response.fwar
- Press Enter / Return to execute the command and activate the software.
If, when following the above procedure for Mac, you receive an error message saying that the file is already open, perform the offline activation as follows:
- Start the Terminal application.
- Enter
cd /Applications/FotoStation.app/Contents/MacOS/
- Press Enter
- Type
./FotoWare-Activation-Assistant /Users/username/Response.fwar
(replace /Users/username/response.fwar with the path and filename of the activation response file) and select Enter.
This should complete the activation and allow you to run your Fotoware software.