You may have already tried running the (LAW.exe) repeatedly. That fails. You may have tried reinstalling SPSS. That also fails. Why? Because uninstalling SPSS does NOT remove the corrupted lservrc file or reset the Windows Registry keys that hold the broken hash.
Ensure you are logged in as an Admin user. If it fails, you may need to use the sudo command via Terminal (see below). 2. Delete the Existing "lservrc" File
: You are running the License Authorization Wizard (LAW) without administrator rights. Missing License File
| Task | Command | |------|---------| | Show license status | spssutil -showlic | | Activate new license | licenseactivator.exe <code> | | Clear license cache (Windows) | del /s /q "%APPDATA%\IBM\SPSS\Statistics\29\license\*" | | Find MAC address | getmac /v | You may have already tried running the (LAW
Once it says "License exchange terminal successfully," restart SPSS. 2. The "Lock Code" Mismatch (Common on macOS)
Some universities, like Queen's University, have documented that users must be connected to the Campus network (ethernet or secured Wi-Fi) or their specific VPN solution prior to launching SPSS for concurrent licensing to work properly [13†L25-L32].
On macOS, permissions issues can prevent SPSS from reading the license, as noted in the VCU knowledge base . Open Terminal. That also fails
If you are on a Mac and your "Lock Code" starts with 10- , SPSS may fail to recognize the license .
it typically means the software cannot find, read, or write the local license file ( ) on your machine.
On macOS, security permissions regularly prevent the user profile from writing into the system’s shared resources folder where SPSS saves activation files. Ensure you are logged in as an Admin user
(as Administrator) to generate a fresh, working license file. Hearne Software 3. Manual Activation via Terminal (Mac)
To ensure subcode 18 never returns:
→ EMPTY/INVALID → Corrupted license file . Delete lservrc and re-run LAW as administrator. → VALID → Proceed to step 6 (advanced troubleshooting) .
SPSS FAQs and Troubleshooting - University of Guelph IT Help
For users who upgraded to macOS Sonoma (Version 14) and found SPSS 29 no longer works, additional steps are required.