--- title: "License, Purchase Retrieval & Updates" description: "Universal Display Magnet costs $9.99 once; one license covers three Macs. Find your key again, move to a new Mac, see what the license check sends and update." url: https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/support/license-and-updates lang: en --- # Your license and updates One purchase, three Macs, and everything you need to find it again. ## The short answer - **Price:** $9.99, a one-time purchase. Tax is added at checkout where applicable. - **Macs:** one license covers three Macs. - **Your purchase:** the ZIP and your license key are in the Polar customer portal. Sign in with the email address you bought with. - **New Mac:** deactivate the old one first, in the app or in the portal. Removing the app doesn't free its activation. - **Updates:** the app checks for a new version once a day. **Download** opens the download page; replace the app in Applications. ## What you pay Universal Display Magnet costs $9.99, paid once. Tax is added at checkout where applicable. Polar, the payment provider, handles the checkout; your card details never reach the developer. The purchase gives you the app download and one license key for three Macs. The price and terms shown at checkout are the ones that apply. For any question about your order, email support@clevermechanisms.dev. ## Find your purchase again Everything you bought is in the Polar customer portal: - **The ZIP**, to download the app again. - **Your license key**, to copy. - **Your activations**, one for each Mac you've activated. Sign in to the portal with the email address you used at checkout. The [download page](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/download) links to it. In the app, the link labelled **Manage Subscription**, in **About** and under **Settings → License**, opens the same customer portal, even though this is a one-time purchase and not a subscription. On a Mac that's already activated, you can also see the key under **Settings → License**: choose **Show License Key** or **Copy**. ## Three Macs Your license allows three active installations, one for each Mac. Each activation shows in the portal with a label such as "Mac · 1a2b3c4d", made from a random ID, never your Mac's name. Updating or reopening the app on the same Mac keeps its activation. A fourth Mac can't be activated until you deactivate one of the others. The app then says Polar couldn't activate the license and asks you to deactivate an installation in the Polar customer portal, then try again. ## Move to a new Mac Free an activation first, then activate the new Mac with the same key. There are two ways: - **In the app, on the old Mac.** Open **Settings → License**, choose **Deactivate This Installation**, then **Deactivate**. You'd need to activate again to use that copy. - **In the portal.** Remove the old Mac's activation. Use this if the old Mac is gone, erased or won't start. A copy still running there locks at its next license check. Removing the app, or erasing the Mac, doesn't free its activation on its own. Only these two steps do. ## What the license check sends The app checks your license with Polar's license service. It sends: - your license key, - the activation ID, - a random installation ID, created at the first activation, with no hardware identifiers and not your Mac's name. It checks when you activate, each time the app launches, when the app becomes active, and every 15 minutes while it runs. Nothing about your displays, windows or workspaces is sent. The key and activation are kept in this Mac's Keychain and are not synced to your other Macs. The [privacy policy](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/privacy) lists every connection the app makes. ## Offline use Activation needs an internet connection. After that, if Polar can't be reached, the app keeps working for up to seven days after its last successful license check. Reconnect within that time and it carries on as before. These seven days are not a trial. They only apply to a copy that's already activated. If the seven days run out, or Polar refuses the license, the app stops working on your Mac until it's activated again. Its shortcuts and snapping stop, Scrolling Windows turns off and brings your windows back on screen, sync stops and automatic snapshots pause. Your saved arrangements and workspaces stay on your Mac. ## Updates - **The daily check.** Once a day the app reads the latest version number from universaldisplaymagnet.app/version. The request sends nothing about you. - **When a new version is out,** a banner offers **Download**, **Later** and **Skip This Version**. **Download** opens the [download page](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/download) on this website. - **To install it,** unzip the new version and replace the app in your **Applications** folder. Your activation, arrangements and workspaces stay. - **To check now,** choose **Universal Display Magnet → Check for Updates…**, or **Check Now** under **Settings → Updates**. - **To stop the daily check,** turn off **Settings → Updates → Check Automatically**. If you use several Macs, update each one. Sync works best when they all run the same version, and **Macs & Sync** tells you when they differ. See what changed in each release in the [changelog](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/changelog). ## Questions, answered ### Is it a subscription? No. It's a one-time purchase of $9.99, plus tax at checkout where applicable. The app's **Manage Subscription** link just opens the Polar customer portal. ### How many Macs can I use it on? Three at a time. To use it on a fourth Mac, deactivate one of the others in the app or in the Polar customer portal. ### I lost my license key. Where is it? In the Polar customer portal: sign in with the email address you bought with. On a Mac that's already activated, it's also under **Settings → License**. ### Does it work offline? Yes, for up to seven days after its last successful license check. Activating needs an internet connection. The seven days are not a trial. ### I reinstalled macOS and now activation fails. Why? The old installation probably still holds an activation. Remove it in the Polar customer portal, then activate again. ## Read next - [Buy and download for Mac](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/download) - [Release notes](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/changelog) - [Privacy and network connections](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/privacy) - [Getting started](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/support/getting-started) **Buy for $9.99:** https://buy.polar.sh/polar_cl_Eun4k8w0lqOhFoU3xI4NvwdweeUAlVw0lkte145VZ95 --- Universal Display Magnet is independent software by [Clever Mechanisms](https://clevermechanisms.dev). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Apple Inc. Apple, Mac, macOS, Mac Studio, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, Safari and Finder are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. Email support: support@clevermechanisms.dev