Can't Activate Cubase 10 Trial on Offline Computer

I have Cubase 9.5 and it activated without issue on my offline computer.

With Cubase 10 Trial, I attempt to activate, but it tries to get me to download the license.

The procedure I am using is as follows:

  1. Download and install C10.0.
  2. Launch ELicenser Control Panel.
  3. Select my USB-elicenser in the left pane.
  4. Click “Enter Activation Code”.
  5. I paste in the activation code that was emailed to me.
  6. In the box below where I pasted the activation code, it now says, “Cubase Pro 10 Trial”
  7. I click “Continue”.
  8. A new box prompts me to select “the elicenser I want” and to “download” the license.
  9. This process inevitably fails because I am not connected to the internet.

On the Steinberg support page, there are instructions for activating a license offline. I thought I was following those instructions.

What am I missing?

The fact is, you need to be connected to the internet - the only why to get a license onto your key is by downloading it in the elicenser. That’s how it works.

Please post a link to the instructions you referenced.

Hi Steve,

Here is the link to the instructions for activating offline:

https://www.steinberg.net/nc/en/support/knowledgebase_new/show_details/kb_show/activating-a-program-on-a-computer-without-internet-access-offline-activation.html

Are you sure that Cubase now requires an internet connection? Because that’s pretty big news. And also incredibly stupid.

Of course not. Getting the license onto the key requires being online, which is all I said, and is what the page you linked to says as well.

Don’t know why you thought there was a way to activate and d/l a license without the USB key being plugged into an online computer.

Clearly, I read too fast. But in fairness, it would be helpful if the instructions explicitly said, “To activate Cubase on an offline computer, you must FIRST plug the USB-elicenser into an online computer and then download the license. Once done, you simply remove the USB-elicenser from the online computer and plug it in to the offline computer.”

Or something like that. The instructions eventually say the same thing, but never do they clearly convey the big picture concept. This is instructional writing 101. First you say, “Here’s what you have to do.” Then you say, “Here’s how you do it.”

But I should have read more carefully so thanks for the assist.