Installation & Licensing Center
HOW TO - Borrow, Roam & Return an Ansys License
Authored by Caleb Scharf
October 25th, 2026
17098 views
3 likes
KB956039
Description
Borrowing, or "Roaming" as Shared Web Licensing calls it, checks an Ansys license out to your computer, so you can keep using Ansys when it can't reach your license server. For example, you might take a laptop to a remote site, or work from home without a VPN.
This article covers borrowing and returning a license for each license server type. Return the license when you're back, so others can use it.
Solution
FlexNet License Server
Before You Borrow
- You can only borrow a borrowable license. Check your license file for the word "borrowable" after the product bundle name. If it isn't there, ask your SimuTech account manager to add it.
- You can borrow each license for up to 30 days at a time, and 90 days in a calendar year. These limits are per license, not per user.
- You can't borrow single-core HPC licenses, but you can borrow one HPC pack (8 cores) at a time.
- While you have a license borrowed, no one else can use it. Borrow it for the shortest time you need.
- After borrowing a license, if your computer can still reach the license server, Ansys uses the server's licenses, not your borrowed ones.
Borrow & Return on the Office Network (Not VPN)
Borrowing over a VPN or Wi-Fi can leave a license stuck, so you can't return or use it. Return it over the same connection you borrowed it on (Ansys treats Wi-Fi, Ethernet and VPN as different connections). More info: ERROR - Cannot return a borrowed license.
Borrow or Return a License
Upgrade Your License Server First
We highly recommend upgrading your license server to the latest version. It fixes many bugs with borrowing licenses over Wi-Fi and VPN. Check your version with HOW TO - Check Ansys License Server Version, then upgrade using the Ansys Download & Installation Guide.
2021 R1 & Later
- Connect to the same network as your license server. To return a license, use the same connection you borrowed it on.
- Search Windows for Ansys Client Licensing Settings and open it.
Note: For Ansys Electronics, open File Explorer and runC:\Program Files\AnsysEM\v231\Win64\licensingclient\winx64\LicensingSettingsUtility\LicensingSettingsUtilityWindows.exeinstead. Replacev231with your version's folder. - In the left menu, click Borrow.
- Borrow or return:
- To borrow: select the increments from the drop-down menu, set the return date, then click Borrow in the lower right.
- To return: click Return All in the upper right.
- Check the Borrowed Increments list: borrowed increments appear there, and it's empty after a return. Then close the utility.
2020 R2 & Prior
- Connect to the same network as your license server. To return a license, use the same connection you borrowed it on.
- Search Windows for Client ANSLIC_ADMIN Utility and open it.
- Click Run Borrow Utility on the left.
- Borrow or return:
- To borrow: on the Borrow tab, under Borrow Criteria, choose the version and enter a return date and time. Under Select Feature(s) to Borrow, select the features (the list can take a while to load), then click Borrow at the bottom.
- To return: select the Return tab, then click Return All at the bottom.
- When it finishes, close the ANSYS Borrow Utility and the Client ANSLIC_ADMIN Utility.
If Something Goes Wrong
See ERROR - Cannot Borrow a License or ERROR - Cannot return a borrowed license.
Shared Web License Server
Shared Web Licensing calls borrowing roaming.
- Search Windows for Ansys Licensing Settings and open it.
- Click Shared, then Roaming.
- Check out the licenses you need.
Note: To return a license, open the same screen and check it in.
I'm not sure...
Shared Web Licensing - Standard option, license server hosted by Ansys, where one or more users share a pool of licenses.
FlexNet - Classic, self-hosted license server where one or more users share a pool of licenses.
Elastic Web Licensing - License server hosted by Ansys, using their flexible pay-per-use licensing model based on AECs.
For more information, see INFO - Understanding Ansys License Server Types.
