Unless activated, dbForge Schema Compare for MySQL works on the trial basis for 30 days. When this time period expires, dbForge Schema Compare for MySQL must be activated with the purchased activation key.
dbForge Schema Compare for MySQL can be activated, online, offline and via the command line.
This activation method requires an active Internet connection.
1. If you have not purchased dbForge Schema Compare for MySQL, click Buy Now… on the pop-up window that appears at the start of dbForge Schema Compare for MySQL. If you already have your activation key, click Activate…
Alternatively, click **Activate Product** on the **Help** menu.
2. The Activation window opens. Copy your activation key from the e-mail that was sent to you after your purchase, and paste it into the edit box.
The activation key looks like a long sequence of letters and digits.
>**Note**
>
> If you do not see the e-mail with the activation key, be advised to check your Junk/ Spam/Bulk folders.
> You can always retrieve your activation key at your [Customer Portal page](https://secure.devart.com/).
3. Click Activate.
Offline activation allows activating dbForge Schema Compare for MySQL right at the Devart web site. This activation method helps activating the product when the online activation fails.
1. Click the Manual Activation button on the Activation window. It opens when online activation fails.
2. Copy the activation request text with the Copy to Clipboard button, or save it to a text file with the Save to File… button.
3. Open the Manual Product Activation page of the Devart web site, and paste the copied text in the text box. Click Download license. The license file with the .lic extension is downloaded to your computer.
4. Return back to the Activation window of dbForge Schema Compare for MySQL and click the Load license… button. Specify the location of the downloaded .lic file and click Open.
It is possible to activate the tool using the command line:
schemacompare.com /activate /key:
Note:
You need to enter your activation key after the colon symbol.
In case of successful installation, you will see the following: