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+---
+stage: Fulfillment
+group: License
+info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
+---
+
+# Activate GitLab EE with a license file or key
+
+If you receive a license file from GitLab (for example, for a trial), you can
+upload it to your instance or add it during installation. The license file is
+a base64-encoded ASCII text file with a `.gitlab-license` extension.
+
+The first time you sign in to your GitLab instance, a note with a
+link to the **Add license** page should be displayed.
+
+Otherwise, to add your license:
+
+1. Sign in to GitLab as an administrator.
+1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
+1. On the left sidebar, select **Settings > General**.
+1. In the **License file** area, select **Add a license**.
+1. Add a license by either uploading the file or pasting the key.
+1. Select the **Terms of Service** checkbox.
+1. Select **Add license**.
+
+## Add your license during installation
+
+You can import a license file when you install GitLab.
+
+- **For installations from source**
+  - Place the `Gitlab.gitlab-license` file in the `config/` directory.
+  - To specify a custom location and filename for the license, set the
+    `GITLAB_LICENSE_FILE` environment variable with the path to the file:
+
+    ```shell
+    export GITLAB_LICENSE_FILE="/path/to/license/file"
+    ```
+
+- **For Omnibus package**
+  - Place the `Gitlab.gitlab-license` file in the `/etc/gitlab/` directory.
+  - To specify a custom location and filename for the license, add this entry to `gitlab.rb`:
+
+    ```ruby
+    gitlab_rails['initial_license_file'] = "/path/to/license/file"
+    ```
+
+WARNING:
+These methods only add a license at the time of installation. To renew or upgrade
+a license, add the license in the **Admin Area** in the web user interface.
+
+## What happens when your license expires
+
+Fifteen days before the license expires, a notification banner with the upcoming expiration
+date displays to GitLab administrators.
+
+When your license expires, GitLab locks features, like Git pushes
+and issue creation. Your instance becomes read-only and
+an expiration message displays to all administrators. You have a 14-day grace period
+before this occurs.
+
+To resume functionality, activate a new subscription.
+
+To go back to Free features, [delete all expired licenses](#remove-a-license).
+
+## Remove a license
+
+To remove a license from a self-managed instance:
+
+1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
+1. On the left sidebar, select **Subscription**.
+1. Select **Remove license**.
+
+Repeat these steps to remove all licenses, including those applied in the past.
+
+## View license details and history
+
+To view your license details:
+
+1. On the top bar, select **Menu > Admin**.
+1. On the left sidebar, select **Subscription**.
+
+You can add and view more than one license, but only the latest license in
+the current date range is the active license.
+
+When you add a future-dated license, it doesn't take effect until its applicable date.
+You can view all active subscriptions in the **Subscription history** table.
+
+You can also [export](../../subscriptions/self_managed/index.md) your license usage information to a CSV file.
+
+NOTE:
+In GitLab 13.6 and earlier, a banner about an expiring license may continue to display
+when you add a new license. This happens when the start date of the new license
+is in the future and the expiring one is still active.
+The banner disappears after the new license becomes active.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### No Subscription area in the Admin Area
+
+You cannot add your license because there is no **Subscription** area.
+This issue might occur if:
+
+- You're running GitLab Community Edition. Before you add your license, you
+  must [upgrade to Enterprise Edition](../../update/index.md#community-to-enterprise-edition).
+- You're using GitLab.com. You cannot add a self-managed license to GitLab.com.
+  To use paid features on GitLab.com, [purchase a separate subscription](../../subscriptions/gitlab_com/index.md).
+
+### Users exceed license limit upon renewal
+
+GitLab displays a message prompting you to purchase
+additional users. This issue occurs if you add a license that does not have enough
+users to cover the number of users in your instance.
+
+To fix this issue, purchase additional seats to cover those users.
+For more information, read the [licensing FAQ](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/licensing-faq/).
+
+In GitLab 14.2 and later, for instances that use a license file, the following
+rules apply:
+
+- If the users over license are less than or equal to 10% of the users in the license
+  file, the license is applied and you pay the overage in the next renewal.
+- If the users over license are more than 10% of the users in the license file,
+  you cannot apply the license without purchasing more users.
+
+For example, if you purchase a license for 100 users, you can have 110 users when you add
+your license. However, if you have 111 users, you must purchase more users before you can add
+the license.