Dorico 5 not opening (Steinberg Activation Manager error)

Dorico
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1

Hi all,

I have been experiencing a recurring issue with Dorico 5 refusing to open, displaying the following message:

“Launching Steinberg Activation Manager
To activate Dorico, switch to Steinberg Activation Manager and follow the prompts. If Steinberg Activation Manager is not running, click Relaunch. If you cannot activate Dorico now, click Quit.”

When I try to open the Steinberg Activation Manager, it shows this error:

“Steinberg License Not Working
An unknown error occurred while connecting to the Steinberg License Engine.
Please restart your computer and try again.”

This has happened twice before, and restarting my computer temporarily resolved it. However, I would prefer not to have to reboot every time the issue occurs. Is there a way to prevent this or maintain a stable connection between Dorico and the licensing engine?

For reference:

  • Device: M1 MacBook Pro

  • Connection: Stable internet signal

  • License: Dorico 5 activated for over a year

Any guidance on how to resolve this permanently would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

2

Here is the diagnostics .zip file.

Steinberg-Activation-Manager-Diagnostics_20251007T150654.zip (1.1 MB)

3

Firstly, you’re not on the most recent version of SAM, so I would upgrade that Steinberg Activation Manager | Steinberg

From looking at the logs I also wonder if you’re trying to run Dorico 5 and Dorico 6 at the same time - or, possibly, Dorico 6 hasn’t quit properly before you start Dorico 5. You can’t run both versions at the same time.

4

Thanks Richard. I’ll update my SAM and see if that resolves it. I remember reading on the forum around Dorico 6’s release that Dorico 5 and 6 shouldn’t be run simultaneously, so l’ve been careful to avoid that, even though both are installed on my machine. I’II report back after the update.

5

After the SAM update, it is opening. Thank you.

6

Great, glad to hear it.