Install Your Plesk License

This guide shows how to activate Plesk by downloading your license key file from the PowerPanel. You then copy the .xml key file to the server and install it on the command line – uploading via the Plesk interface is no longer possible.

1. Download License Key

First, you need to retrieve your Plesk license key file from your PowerPanel account.

✓Log in to your PowerPanel

✓Navigate to Hardware → Server Management

✓Select Details for your specific server

✓Download the license key file (.xml) to your computer

2. Copy and Install the License via SSH

First copy the downloaded .xml file from your computer to the server, then install it with the Plesk command line tool. In the examples, replace YOUR_SERVER_IP with the IP address of your server.

Adjust the file name: license.xml is only a placeholder. The file downloaded from the PowerPanel has its own name. Replace license.xml in all commands with the exact name of your file – otherwise the command will not find the file. Tip: on Linux, type the first letters and press the Tab key to complete the file name.

Step 1: Copy the file to a Linux server

From a Mac or Linux computer (Terminal)

Open the Terminal and copy the file from your Downloads folder to the home directory of root on the server:

Mac / Linux

scp ~/Downloads/license.xml root@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/root/

From a Windows PC (PowerShell)

Windows 10 and 11 include an SSH client. Open PowerShell and run:

Windows PowerShell

scp $env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\license.xml root@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/root/

Alternatively, use a graphical SFTP program such as WinSCP or FileZilla: connect via SFTP (port 22) as root and drag the file into /root/.

You will be asked for the root password of your server. Afterwards the file is located at /root/license.xml.

Step 1: Copy the file to a Windows server

Connect to the server via Remote Desktop (RDP). Copy the file on your computer (Ctrl+C) and paste it in the RDP window, e.g. into C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads (Ctrl+V). If pasting does not work, enable Clipboard under Local Resources in the Remote Desktop connection settings.

Step 2: Install the license

Linux server (SSH, as root)

Linux

plesk bin license --install /root/license.xml

Windows server (command prompt as administrator)

Windows

plesk bin license --install "C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads\license.xml"

Step 3: Check the license

Display the installed license to make sure the activation was successful:

Check license

plesk bin keyinfo --list

Afterwards you can delete the copied file from the server.

Uploading the license key via the Plesk interface is no longer possible. Install the key on the command line as described above.

Need further help with Plesk?

For details on all features, consult the official Plesk documentation. If you encounter technical issues with your license activation, open a ticket in the PowerPanel to contact our 24/7 support.

Plesk Documentation