Use this guide when an existing Floating License Server installation prevents you from installing or reinstalling the server.

⚠️ Use this procedure only when a normal installation or reinstallation does not work, or when instructed by Materialise Support.

This procedure removes the License Server service and its local licensing data. If the server currently contains active licenses, contact Materialise Support before continuing.

The License Server Manager is a separate application and is not removed by this procedure.

Before you begin

You need:

• Administrator rights on the License Server computer.
• Access to the License Server installation folder.

Close the License Server Manager before continuing.

Step 1: Find and stop the License Server service

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Enter services.msc and press Enter.
3. Find the License Server service.

Depending on how the server was installed, it may be named:

• FNLS_material
• FlexNet Embedded Local License Server

The service name may also have been changed during installation.

4. Double-click the service to open its properties.
5. Record:
   • Service name
   • Path to executable
6. Select Stop.

Use the exact value shown under Service name, not only the display name shown in the Services list.

Step 2: Remove the Windows service

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run the following command, replacing <service name> with the exact service name recorded in Step 1:

sc.exe delete "<service name>"

For example:

sc.exe delete "FlexNet Embedded Local License Server"

A confirmation message should indicate that the service was marked for deletion.

If Windows cannot find the service

1. Reopen the service properties.
2. Copy the exact value shown under Service name.
3. Make sure the command uses quotation marks if the name contains spaces.
4. Run the command again.

Do not enter the service name based only on how it appears in the Services list.

Step 3: Remove the License Server files

1. Use the Path to executable recorded in Step 1 to locate the License Server installation folder.
2. Delete the folder containing the License Server files.

Only remove the License Server folder. Do not delete unrelated parent folders or files from other Materialise applications.

Step 4: Remove the trusted storage

Trusted storage contains the local licensing data used by the License Server.

In the same Administrator Command Prompt, run:

rmdir /s /q "C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\flexnetls\material"

The folder may already be absent if it was removed during an earlier cleanup attempt.

⚠️ Removing trusted storage cannot be undone. If you are unsure whether the server still contains active licenses, stop and contact Materialise Support.

Step 5: Verify the cleanup

Confirm that:

• The License Server service no longer appears in Windows Services.
• The License Server installation folder has been removed.
• C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\flexnetls\material no longer exists.

You may need to refresh the Services window or restart the computer before the deleted service disappears.

✅ Done — the previous License Server installation has been removed.

Next

Reinstall the server using the latest installation package:

• Ready to reinstall? See Install the Floating License Server.

Something not working?

• Still stuck — contact Materialise Support.