Manage activated machines

For: everyone with an active license.

Your license is bound to a number of machines. The Standard plan allows up to 3 Macs activated at once. The Lifetime plan allows the same. When you need to free a slot — selling a Mac, getting a new one, leaving a job — you deactivate the old machine.

See activated machines

Settings → License → Activated Machines. The list shows every Mac currently using your license:

The Mac you're currently on has a "This Mac" tag next to its name.

Deactivate a machine

Click Deactivate next to the row of the Mac you want to remove. A confirmation sheet appears.

Confirm. The license server removes that fingerprint from your license. The next time QueryDeck launches on that machine, it loses access — the cached license is invalidated within minutes.

The slot is freed immediately. You can activate a different Mac with the same key right after.

Deactivate the current Mac

You can deactivate the machine you're on. The flow is:

1. Settings → License → Activated Machines → Click Deactivate on the row tagged "This Mac".
2. Confirm.
3. QueryDeck switches to read-only mode immediately (you're now an unlicensed user on this Mac).

To re-activate later, enter the license key again. Each activation cycle counts against your activation history.

Activate a new Mac

If you have a slot available (you've used fewer machines than your plan allows):

1. Install QueryDeck on the new Mac.
2. Open Settings → License.
3. Enter your key and email.
4. Click Activate.

If you're out of slots, the activation fails with "machine limit reached". Deactivate an unused Mac from any other licensed machine, then retry.

What counts as a "machine"

The license server fingerprints each Mac using its IOPlatformUUID. This is a hardware identifier that:

• Survives macOS reinstalls.
• Survives moving the drive to a different enclosure on the same Mac.
• Changes when the logic board is replaced (an Apple repair may issue a new ID).
• Changes for new Macs (obviously).

In practice: most users have one fingerprint per Mac for the life of the Mac. The exception is post-repair, where Apple sometimes issues a new ID — file feedback if you hit this and we'll reset the slot.

Renaming a machine

Default machine names come from hostname and the Mac model. To give a machine a friendly name (so you remember which slot is which when looking at the list):

1. Settings → License → Activated Machines.
2. Click Rename next to the row.
3. Type a new name (max 50 characters).
4. Save.

The name is stored on the license server and visible from every Mac that uses the license.

Activation history

For audit purposes, the License tab has a "Show full history" link that lists every activation and deactivation event with timestamps. Useful when:

• You forgot which Mac you activated on.
• You're checking how many slots a teammate has used (for team licenses, not yet shipped).
• You need to provide a record for an expense report.

Forgetting your license key

If you've lost the key:

1. Check the original purchase email. It comes from licenses@querydeck.app with subject "Your QueryDeck license".
2. If the email is gone, write to us via the in-app feedback button with your purchase order ID. We'll resend.

We never deactivate or revoke a license without your explicit request.

Sharing across a team

The Standard and Lifetime plans are per-user, not per-team. The license can be activated on any Macs you personally use. It cannot be split among multiple people.

If your team needs centralized licensing (one key, multiple people), email us — we're working on a Team plan and would love to learn about your use case while we build it.

Refunds and cancellation

If you bought QueryDeck and changed your mind within 14 days:

1. Email us with your order ID.
2. We refund through the original payment processor.
3. The license is deactivated on the server.
4. The next launch on any activated machine moves QueryDeck to read-only mode.

After 14 days, refunds are case-by-case. Tell us what's wrong via feedback — we'd rather understand and fix than refund and lose you.

What's next

• Trial details for what you get during the trial
• Activate a license for the first-time activation flow