Why isn't my floating cloud license returned to the pool automatically?

Issue description

You sign out of your account or close Archicad, but the Floating Cloud License does not immediately become available in the pool for other team members to use. The license remains assigned to you even though you are no longer actively using it, preventing other users from accessing the available license.

Solution

The validity end date of the floating license is continuously updated as long as the user uses Archicad. The license is reserved for the client for 30 minutes after the update. It means that e.g. if the user exits Archicad 1 minute before the update, the license will be available to another user (or to the original user on another machine) within 1 minute. If the user closes Archicad immediately after the update, it will take 29 minutes for the license to be released.

The availability of the license can be accelerated on the License Management portal: the user who used the license or the GSID company Administrator/Contract Manager can release the license ahead of time.

Once the max. 30-minute period expires with no activity, your floating license automatically returns to the pool and becomes available for other group members to reserve.

How the 30-minute license release works

1. The licensing system checks your license consumption once every 30 minutes (so-called validity check). If a floating license is assigned to your account at the time of this check, it will remain assigned to your account for another 30 minutes, regardless of whether you are actively using it during that period
2. If you close Archicad or sign out of your Graphisoft ID account, the floating license will remain assigned to your account until the next validity check.
3. Until the next validity update, which can occur up to 30 minutes after closing Archicad, you can sign in on a different device with the same account and use the same floating license, as it will remain assigned to you.
4. If no activity occurs until the next validity update, the license automatically returns to the group pool and other group members can then reserve the license.
5. The floating license reservation is automatic; if several users are in the queue, there is no guarantee which one will get the freshly available floating license (can be the same user, or any other user who already launched Archicad with an account that is a member of the floating license user pool).

Transferring a license between devices

If you need to use your Floating Cloud License on another device before the 30-minute period expires:

1. Sign in to Archicad on the second device using your Graphisoft ID.
2. Archicad will recognize your license is in use and prompt you to transfer it.
3. Confirm the transfer in the dialog that appears.
4. The license is released immediately from the first device and becomes active on the second device.

When another team member needs the license

If a colleague requires access to a floating cloud license that is currently reserved by you, you or your Graphisoft ID Company Administrator/Contract Manager can revoke the license from your account through the License Management portal. After user release or admin revocation, the license returns to the pool immediately.

Note that you can only release licenses assigned to your account; only the Company Administrator or Contract Manager can release floating licenses in use by other users.

The release function is available only on the License Management portal, it cannot be done from Archicad.