I bought 2 new M4 Macs. I want to move my PL activations to these new machines. I couldn’t find the procedure to do this online so I contacted support. I’m in touch with someone called Riley who seems to on a mission to make this simple request impossible. I’m told that I need to provide the names of the old machines and the exact version of macOS that they were running.
For those that have successfully managed to move a PL activation to a new Mac can you tell me what information you were required to provide please?
This support person is worse than useless and seems to be deliberatly not helping me. Moving the activations with Adobe was a breeze of course.
I’m a customer who has bought all their software I & can’t believe I’m being treated this way. My support experience seems to be a case study in “how to alienate your customer”
DxO is wasting a lot of energy, their customer’s and their own, with license management and Riley certainly doesn’t act up, but follows some guidance set up by DxO management.
Somehow, DxO needs to make sure that they reset the counter of your license and not anybody else’s. Activations seem to register some computer ID and config data which is in line with the license that allows activations on 2 or 3 devices.
I really do hope that DxO will introduce activation management by the user, be it implemented like Adobe’s or at least with a feature that allows the deactivation of a device with a menu item in their own software.
Meanwhile, I’d deliver the lates version numbers, assuming that you’ve always updated your OS. I suppose that the version number is registered when the activation is checked (every thirtysomething days) and if that isn’t accepted, I’d check time machine backups.
The current system has a file that says it all:
MacHD > System > Library > CoreServices > SystemVersion.plist
Whether that file is saved, I cannot say, my current backup disk is quite new.
BTW, I’d edit the thread title to something like “Moving licenses to new Macs” or “Support situation with moving licenses to new Macs”
“Riley certainly doesn’t act up, but follows some guidance set up by DxO management.” Well the last response from him/her was "we are still trying to determine the issue " what does even mean in this context? I also see I’m not the only person in this forum with complaints about this person.
The guidance is just a list of things that they have to ask (the annoying part) or do (which can help) and sometimes, they seem “difficult” (which might be due to the guidance, lack of instruction, a feeling that they have to pay with their own money etc.)
Yes, that is weird. Your request is to reset the activation counter. This only becomes an issue for you if DxO denies to do so. Riley might have tried to reset the counter but didn’t succeed, so the answer means “I tried, but it didn’t work and I don’t know why”. Maybe you can find out what they actually did and what the answers mean.
We may be honest, loyal, paying customers, but the world these days is filled with bad actors. Anyone who has ever had a job involving direct customer interaction, especially in Returns and Adjustments (aka Loss Management), which is what this looks like to a company, is hard-pressed to avoid a skeptical attitude. I suggest we give them a break and keep calm. 
That must be known by them. Being part of the unique identifying number. Otherwise it’s of no importance.
George
If you are speaking about German support could be the same person which did not want to help me either.
But in general, I have the impression that this approach is deliberate on the part of management.
Yes, and they want to hear it in order to identify the caller.
What’s wrong with logging in? Email and password.
George
Unfortunately the old version of infinite validity licensing demanded a support staff managed reset while the new one with 37 day epoch license with automatic release causes some other headaches.
Something in between with u ser controlled activation and a deactivation would have made the world far more convenient. A bit like Blackmagic’s solution.
Although they do have their own problems like fraudulent second hand sales and misuse of keys when the owner have lost their control of them in some way.
Pros and cons.
Pick your poison. 
It seems to me that only companies in the EU have this problem.
Blackmagic is an Australian company.
Everyone with a usable product has the problem.
It’s a matter of wheteher things are communicated or not.
Yesterday I opened PL8 Elite for a time sensitive job and it simply refused to let me continue, because it couldn’t “verify” me. I have owned this program since November of 2024, and it’s only on 2 of my machines. This is totally unacceptable overreach from DxO, worse than Adobe. I immediately reached out and they still haven’t responded!
I completely understand your frustration over this requirement. If you were connected to the internet when the message popped up it it usually corrects itself within a few seconds. Did that not happen?
Mark
Some with the unreachable problem is helped when changing the dns to 9.9.9.9 or 1.1.1.1
Give it a try.
Siiigh.
Changing the DNS doesn’t fix it. How very annoying! It’s been working fine since I bought it right after launch, even on two different laptops.
That sounds particularly frustrating.
I haven’t had that problem yet, but I recent “factory reset” my Mac before sale, after saving the particulars in a TimeMachine backup. Does anyone know where I would find the required information in the Time Machine path? Thanks.
I filed a support request and have had a couple of replies already. The first only 40 minutes after I submitted it. So far it’s only been about me gathering more information.
Are you looking for these?
~/Library/Application Support/DxO/Licenses/
~/Library/Application Support/DxO Labs/
~/Library/Application Support/DxO PhotoLab v8/