User Guides

If you have a question about a topic that is not covered here or in our FAQ, then please contact us.

Command Line: Installation and Activation

How can I use the command line to install and manage SnapGene licenses?

SnapGene Installation (Windows)

Unattended installation of SnapGene on Windows is possible via the command-line by passing the /S (silent mode) switch to the SnapGene installer.

By default the SnapGene Installer installs to C:\Program Files\SnapGene.

To install to an alternate location run the SnapGene installer use the /S (silent mode) and /D= switches.

snapgene_X.X.X_win.exe /S /D=X:\installation\directory

SnapGene Activation

Once installed, SnapGene version 4.2 and later support activation via the command-line.

Command line flags allow for a streamlined silent install. All flags can be listed with --help:

/path/to/SnapGene --help
 ...
 --about Print installation info.
 --accept-eula Accept the End-User License Agreement.
 --group-name <NAME> License group name.
 --register Activate license.
 --registration-code <CODE> License registration code.
 --unregister Deactivate the current license.
 ...

Register and Accept the EULA

Use the following combination of flags to accept the End User License Agreement (EULA) and activate your copy of SnapGene:

(Note that -- dashes, while allowed, are not required when specifying the registration code.)

/path/to/SnapGene --accept-eula --register --group-name "YOUR GROUP NAME" --registration-code "YOUR REGISTRATION CODE"

Unregister a Computer (Windows)

To unregister SnapGene and free up the license for use on another computer, use the --unregister flag:

"C:\Program Files\SnapGene\Snapgene.exe" --unregister

Unregister a Computer (macOS)

To unregister SnapGene, run the Terminal Application and use the --unregister flag with the SnapGene executable located in the application bundle.

/Applications/SnapGene.app/Contents/MacOS/SnapGene --unregister

View License Information (Windows)

To see information about a current installation, even while a user is currently running SnapGene, use the --about flag:

"C:\Program Files\SnapGene\Snapgene.exe" --about

Your group name, registration code, other license, and installation information will then be shown.

View License Information (macOS)

To see information about a current installation, run the Terminal Application and use the --about flag with the SnapGene executable located in the application bundle.

/Applications/SnapGene.app/Contents/MacOS/SnapGene --about

Example output:

 Application Name: SnapGene
 Application Version: 5.2.3
 OS Name: macOS Catalina
 OS Version: 10.15
 Computer Name: imac
 User UUID: {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}
 User Name: Joe User
 License Type: Subscription
 Group Name: Fly Lab
 Registration Code: YOUR-REG-CODE
 License UUID: {11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111}
 Updates Until: May 2, 2022
 Application Data Directory: /Users/joe/Library/Application Support/SnapGene
 Temporary Files Directory: /Users/joe/Library/Caches/SnapGene
 Documents Directory: /Users/joe/Documents
 Host Name: imac
 Domain Name:
 Local Host Name: imac
 Interfaces:
 0A:0B:0C:0D:0E:0F
 External IP address: 11.111.11.111