# Licence: machine limit reached > Scalpel says your licence is already active on two machines: free one on your scalpeltrade.com account page, then activate the computer you are on. Source: https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-licence-machine-limit Guide 13.8, Troubleshooting. Beginner, 4 min read. Checked with Scalpel 1.12.8 on 2026-10-15. By Scalpel Team. **In short:** Each Scalpel licence runs on two computers at once. When a third asks, the licence screen says the licence is already active on 2 machines. Sign in at scalpeltrade.com/account, click **Free this machine** next to a computer you no longer use, then click **Try again** in Scalpel. You can free 3 machines every 30 days. This is not a fault and nothing is wrong with your key. Scalpel counts a computer as soon as it activates, and keeps counting it until you free it on your account page, even if you wiped it or sold it. ## This licence is already active on 2 machines. Free one at scalpeltrade.com/account. That is the exact message, in orange under the title **Scalpel is not licensed on this computer**. The cockpit stays hidden and no order key works until this computer has a licence. If anything is still open from an earlier session, the screen shows it with a **Flatten all** button, so a licence problem never traps you in a position. *Screenshot: The licence screen when both slots are taken: the message (1), **Find my key**, which opens your account page (2), and **Try again** (3). Demo data.* Scalpel keeps your key when this happens, so once a slot is free you only need to click **Try again**. You do not paste the key again. ## Free a machine and activate this one ### 1. Quit Scalpel on the computer you are giving up If the old computer is still running Scalpel, close it first. A running copy checks its licence at every start and every 12 hours, and if a slot is free at that moment it takes it back. ### 2. Open your account page Click **Find my key** (2) on the licence screen, or go to scalpeltrade.com/account and sign in with the email you bought with. ### 3. Find the computer to free The **Lifetime licence** panel lists **Machines 2 of 2**. Each row shows the computer's name (its Windows computer name, or the Mac's name in System Settings), when it was last seen in UTC and the version it ran. The old one is usually the row with the oldest **Last seen** date. *Screenshot: The licence panel on the account page: two machines, each with Free this machine. Simplified. Demo data.* ### 4. Click Free this machine The page confirms: "Machine freed. Quit Scalpel on that computer: if it is still running with a slot free, it takes the slot back at its next check." The panel now reads **Machines 1 of 2**. ### 5. Click Try again in Scalpel Back on the licence screen, click **Try again** (3). Scalpel takes the free slot and opens the cockpit. **Settings > About** then reads, for example, "Licensed (SCLP-\*\*\*\*-\*\*\*\*-\*\*\*\*-W8RB). Active on 2 of 2 computers." ## You can free 3 machines every 30 days. Contact support if you need more. That is the account page's message once you have freed three machines in 30 days. The limit counts per licence. If you are mid-move and hit it, ask on Discord ([guide 12.6](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/discord-support)) or email hello@scalpeltrade.com with the computer names, and we will sort it out. ## Why a computer you still own counts twice Scalpel tells computers apart by an ID from the operating system (on Windows, the machine GUID Windows creates at install). So: - **Reinstalling Windows or macOS** gives the computer a new ID. It counts as a new machine, and the old entry stays until you free it. The name on both rows may be the same. - **Renaming the computer** does not change the ID. The account page shows the new name after its next check. - **Copying the Scalpel folder** to another computer does not move the licence. The licence belongs to the computer, not the file. For a planned move, free the old computer first: [guide 12.1](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/move-licence-new-computer) walks through it. ## What can go wrong - **The old computer takes the slot back.** It was still running Scalpel and rechecked before the new one did. Quit it, free it again, then click **Try again** on the new computer straight away. - **The licence screen says the key was not found.** That is a different problem: the key was mistyped or is from another account. Copy it from your account page and paste it again ([guide 1.3](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/activate-licence)). - **"Scalpel could not read this computer's ID, which the licence is tied to: ..."** Scalpel could not read the operating system's ID, so it cannot tell which slot is this computer. This is rare: it usually means security software or a locked-down work computer blocks the read. Run Scalpel on a computer you control, or ask on Discord with the text after the colon. - **"This licence is no longer active (refunded or disputed)."** The licence was refunded or its payment disputed. Freeing machines does not help; contact support. ## Questions **How many computers can one Scalpel licence use?** Two at a time. Free one on scalpeltrade.com/account to use a third. **Do I need to paste my key again after freeing a machine?** No. Scalpel keeps the key when the machine limit refuses it. Click Try again on the licence screen. **Does freeing a machine stop Scalpel on that computer straight away?** No. A running copy is never locked in the middle of a session. It shows a banner at its next check and asks for a licence at its next start. **How often can I free a machine?** Three times every 30 days per licence. Ask support if you need more. **I reinstalled Windows and now Scalpel says 2 machines. Why?** A reinstall gives the computer a new ID, so the account page shows it twice. Free the older row.