License Management

License Management

Version Info

RouterOS 7.16 | Min: v6.0+ | ⏱️ 5 minutes | 🟢 Beginner

Tested on: 7.16 7.14

Version-specific notes

• v7.8: Demo licenses no longer perpetual; limited to evaluation period
• v7.0: CHR minimum RAM requirement increased to 256MB base

TL;DR (Quick Start)

For the impatient: check your license status.

/system/license/print

RouterBOARD devices: Pre-licensed, no action needed.

CHR (Cloud Hosted Router): Activate a paid license after purchase:

/system/license/renew

Overview

What this does: RouterOS licensing controls feature availability and, for CHR, throughput limits. RouterBOARD hardware comes pre-licensed. x86 and CHR installations require license management.

When to use this:

• Checking your current license level and features
• Activating a purchased CHR license
• Upgrading from trial to paid license
• Troubleshooting license renewal issues

Prerequisites:

• MikroTik account at mikrotik.com (for CHR and x86 purchases)
• Internet connectivity to licence.mikrotik.com (for CHR renewal)

License Types

RouterBOARD Hardware

All RouterBOARD devices ship with a permanent license pre-installed:

License Level	Included With	Key Features
Level 4 (WISP)	Home/SOHO routers	200 PPP tunnels, 200 HotSpot users
Level 5 (WISP)	Professional devices	500 PPP tunnels, 500 HotSpot users
Level 6 (Controller)	Enterprise/CCR	Unlimited tunnels and users

No action required - the license is bound to the device’s storage.

Cloud Hosted Router (CHR)

CHR uses a different licensing model based on throughput:

License	Speed Limit	Price	Notes
Free	1 Mbps upload/interface	$0	Unlimited duration
P1	1 Gbps upload/interface	$45	Perpetual
P10	10 Gbps upload/interface	$95	Perpetual
P-Unlimited	No limit	$250	Perpetual

All paid licenses are perpetual (buy once, use forever).

x86 RouterOS

Standard RouterOS on x86 hardware uses traditional license levels:

Level	Price	PPP Tunnels	HotSpot Users	Wireless AP
0 (Trial)	Free	Limited	Limited	24 hours
1 (Demo)	Free	1 each	1	No
3 (CPE)	N/A	200 each	1	Station only
4 (WISP)	$45	200 each	200	Yes
5 (WISP)	$95	500 each	500	Yes
6 (Controller)	$250	Unlimited	Unlimited	Yes

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Check Current License

View your license status:

/system/license/print

RouterBOARD output:

     software-id: XXXX-XXXX
           level: 6
        features:

CHR output:

      system-id: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
          level: free
        features:
 next-renewal-at: jan/20/2026 12:00:00
     deadline-at: feb/20/2026 12:00:00

Step 2: Activate CHR License (After Purchase)

After purchasing a CHR license on mikrotik.com:

1. Assign the license to your CHR in the MikroTik client portal
2. Renew from the router:

   /system/license/renew

3. Verify activation:

   /system/license/print

Step 3: Request CHR Trial (Optional)

Test paid license levels for 60 days:

/system/license/renew level=p1

You’ll be prompted for your MikroTik account credentials.

Common Scenarios

Scenario: View License on RouterBOARD

/system/license/print

RouterBOARD licenses show level (4, 5, or 6) and software-id bound to the device.

Scenario: Generate New System ID (CHR)

For cloud providers where VMs may share IDs (e.g., Linode), generate a unique ID before requesting a trial:

/system/license/generate-new-id

Only use this command on CHR instances running the free license tier. Using it on paid licenses may cause issues.

Scenario: Check CHR Renewal Status

/system/license/print

Key fields:

• next-renewal-at: When the router will contact the license server
• deadline-at: Final date to renew before upgrade restrictions apply

Scenario: Apply x86 License Key

After receiving a license key via email or from your MikroTik account:

1. Copy the entire license block (including -----BEGIN... and -----END...)
2. Paste into terminal or WinBox License dialog
3. Reboot the router:

   /system/reboot

Scenario: Upgrade License Level

Licenses can be upgraded (never downgraded):

• x86: Purchase upgrade at mikrotik.com, apply new key
• CHR: Purchase higher tier, assign in portal, run /system/license/renew

Scenario: Check Available Features

View feature limits for your license:

/system/license/print

Or check specific limits:

/ppp/secret/print count-only
/ip/hotspot/user/print count-only

Verification

Confirm your license is properly configured:

Check 1: Verify License Level

/system/license/print

Expected: Correct level displayed (4/5/6 for RouterBOARD, free/p1/p10/p-unlimited for CHR).

Check 2: Verify CHR Renewal (CHR Only)

/system/license/print

Expected: deadline-at in the future; no “limited upgrades” message.

Check 3: Test Upgrade Capability (CHR)

/system/package/update/check-for-updates

Expected: Able to check for updates without “limited upgrades” error.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Solution
”Limited upgrades” on CHR	License renewal failed	Ensure internet access to licence.mikrotik.com; run /system/license/renew
CHR shows “free” after purchase	License not renewed on router	Run /system/license/renew after purchasing
Purchased license not in account	Trial expired >60 days ago	Create new CHR instance; purchase within trial period
License key not accepted (x86)	Wrong software-id or corrupted key	Verify software-id matches; re-copy key from email
RouterBOARD shows no license	Storage formatted incorrectly	Contact MikroTik support; $10 replacement fee
CHR system-id conflict	Cloned VM with duplicate ID	Run /system/license/generate-new-id on free tier
Renewal fails with network error	DNS or firewall blocking	Verify DNS works; allow outbound to licence.mikrotik.com
Wrong time causes renewal failure	System clock incorrect	Fix NTP configuration before renewing

Debug: Check License Server Connectivity

/tool/fetch url="https://licence.mikrotik.com" mode=https

If this fails, check DNS and firewall rules.

Debug: View License Renewal Logs

/log/print where topics~"system"

Look for license-related messages.

Common Mistakes

• Not running /system/license/renew after CHR purchase - The router doesn’t automatically detect the purchase
• Formatting RouterBOARD storage with non-MikroTik tools - Destroys the license permanently
• Letting CHR trial expire without purchase - After 60 days post-trial, the device disappears from your account
• Cloning CHR VMs without generating new ID - Causes system-id conflicts; generate new ID on free tier first
• Blocking licence.mikrotik.com - CHR needs periodic access for renewal verification

Community Tips

CHR License Monitoring: Set up a scheduler to log license status:

/system/scheduler/add name=license-check interval=7d \
    on-event="/log info message=[/system/license/get deadline-at]"

Prepaid Keys: If you’re not sure which device needs a license, buy a Prepaid Key. You can assign it to any device later using its software-id.

Trial Strategy: Start your 60-day CHR trial only when you’re ready to evaluate performance. The timer starts immediately upon activation.

Deadline Date Explained: The deadline-at date doesn’t mean your license expires. It’s when the router will verify the license is still valid. As long as it can reach the license server, the deadline extends automatically.

License Level Comparison

RouterBOARD / x86 Levels

Feature	L3 (CPE)	L4 (WISP)	L5 (WISP)	L6 (Controller)
Wireless AP	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
PPP Tunnels	200	200	500	Unlimited
HotSpot Users	1	200	500	Unlimited
EoIP Tunnels	200	200	500	Unlimited
VLAN Interfaces	200	200	Unlimited	Unlimited
OVPN Tunnels	200	200	Unlimited	Unlimited
User Manager	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

CHR Levels

Feature	Free	P1	P10	P-Unlimited
Speed Limit	1 Mbps	1 Gbps	10 Gbps	None
All RouterOS Features	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
IP Cloud	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Perpetual	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Related Topics

System Management

• RouterBOARD - hardware and firmware management
• Resources - view system information
• Package Installation - software package management

Cloud Services

• IP Cloud - DDNS service (requires paid CHR license)
• System Backup - cloud backup features

Related Topics

• User Management - license affects features
• Logging - view license-related messages

Reference

• MikroTik License Keys Documentation
• MikroTik CHR Documentation
• MikroTik Client Portal - License management

Key Commands Reference

Command	Description
/system/license/print	View current license status
/system/license/renew	Activate or renew CHR license
/system/license/generate-new-id	Generate new system-id (CHR free tier only)

License Properties

Property	Type	Description
software-id	string	Device identifier (RouterBOARD/x86)
system-id	UUID	Device identifier (CHR)
level	string/integer	License level or tier name
features	string	Additional licensed features
next-renewal-at	datetime	Next scheduled renewal check (CHR)
deadline-at	datetime	Final renewal deadline (CHR)

Important URLs

URL	Purpose
licence.mikrotik.com	License verification server
www.mikrotik.com/client/	Customer portal for purchases
www.mikrotik.com/download	RouterOS and CHR downloads