If you study at a university with an agreement with Plexim, you can request a free, fully functional PLECS student license. This guide covers what that license entitles you to, how to get one, and how to fix the problems that come up most often.
The primary purpose of this guide is to assist individual students getting their own license to install on their personal computer. Universities and labs sometimes use a different kind of license, called a concurrent or network license. That license works differently and is managed by IT staff, not by individual students. If that sounds like your situation, skip ahead to the chapter near the end written for administrators.
What is a PLECS student license
A PLECS student license is free. It is only available if your university has an agreement with Plexim.
The license is personal. It should be installed on your own computer, and it is meant for study and research purposes only.
The license supports PLECS Standalone, PLECS Blockset, and PLECS Coder. You do not need to choose between them.
The license is valid for one year from the date it is issued. After that, it needs to be renewed.
The license is locked to your login name and your computer’s Host ID. A Host ID is a unique identifier used to lock licenses to a specific computer. If the license file does not match the current login name or Host ID then PLECS will not run. Keep this in mind as you read the rest of this guide. Most activation errors and issues with moving to a new computer trace back to this detail.
Getting a license
To request a license, you need a code from your course or a professor at your academic institution. With that code you can request your license by following the instructions at the Student License Request page.
A student license is only available if your university has an agreement with Plexim already in place. If your university does not have one, the request cannot be processed, no matter how the form is filled out. If you are unsure whether your university qualifies, check with your course instructor or professor first. If your university does not have an agreement in place, your instructor should contact info@plexim.com who can introduce the academic licensing agreement and provide a code to distribute to students.
You must request your license using an email address issued by your academic institution, not a personal email address. If the email cannot be verified as belonging to your university, or if any other information in the request looks incorrect, processing will be delayed until it is resolved, and the request may be rejected outright.
A common issue is simply waiting. If you have not heard back after a few days, it is reasonable to follow up, but a short delay on its own is not a sign that something went wrong. Be sure to check any spam or junk folders first.
If your university does not have an agreement yet, and you would like to try PLECS, a 30-day trial license is available directly from Plexim. It is a separate option and does not require a university agreement or a code from your institution.
Getting the license to activate
Your license file arrives as a .lic file, sent to your university email address. To install it, open PLECS and go to Help, then License, then Manage license files…. Click Install and select the downloaded file. Then restart PLECS.
Refer to the installation instructions for additional guidance and links to installation videos.
Error: Invalid host and Host ID mismatch
The most common failure at this stage is an “Invalid host” or “Host ID mismatch” error. This almost always comes back to the login name and Host ID mentioned earlier. If either one was entered incorrectly when the license was requested or does not match the information of the current PLECS session, then PLECS will refuse to run even though the license itself is valid.
To check your computer’s Host ID, go to Help, then PLECS License Manager, then Get Host ID. Compare it to what you submitted with your request. If they do not match, you will need a corrected license file rather than trying to work around the error locally.
Renewing an expiring or expired license
Because a student license is valid for one year, renewal comes up regularly, especially at the start of a new academic term. If your course code has changed or your original code is no longer valid, you will need a new one from your instructor rather than reusing the old one. Your instructor will get an automatic email if their previous code expires. They can contact info@plexim.com if they need assistance finding their current code.
Renewal follows the same process as the original license request.
Moving to a new computer, or recovering a lost license
Since the license is tied to a specific computer’s Host ID, a new laptop or a reinstalled operating system means your existing license file will no longer work. This is because the license is tied to your hardware. Reinstalling your operating system or replacing major hardware, such as your network card, can also change your Host ID even on the same physical computer.
You can request a new license file through the student license form. You will be able to provide your new Host ID.
When you request the new license, mention your previous license and the reason for the change. This helps support process the request faster.
What your license does and does not cover
A student license covers PLECS Standalone, PLECS Blockset, and PLECS Coder for study purposes.
It is meant for personal use on your own computer. It is not intended for shared lab computers, remote servers, or commercial work.
PLECS Spice is not part of the sponsored student bundle. If you need PLECS Spice, check the academic pricing page or contact the sales team at info@plexim.com. If you mention your university, they can look into whether an academic arrangement is possible.
A student license is by default tied to one computer at a time. If you need to use PLECS on a second machine that is not something the existing license file will support on its own. You can request a license for a second machine with a different Host ID by contacting info@plexim.com. In your message include the Host ID’s of all relevant devices.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| PLECS Standalone | Included by default |
| PLECS Blockset | Included by default, works with MATLAB / Simulink |
| PLECS Coder | Included by default, with separately installed target support packages |
| PLECS Spice | Not part of the sponsored student bundle. |
Support while using PLECS
Academic users should post their support questions to the PLECS Forum. It’s actively monitored, searchable, and the fastest way to get help. If your question turns out to need deeper troubleshooting, the team may follow up directly, but the forum is always the right place to start.
For bug reports please write to bugreport@plexim.com.
For institutional and lab administrators
If your department or research group runs PLECS on shared infrastructure, you are likely dealing with a concurrent or network license rather than a student license. This is a different product, licensed to an institution rather than an individual, and it is administered through a license server rather than a single login and computer.
Setting up and maintaining that server is a distinct task from anything covered above. Plexim maintains dedicated documentation for it, including how to troubleshoot connection problems between client computers and the license server, how to set up a floating license through a firewall, and which license manager software is required. The license manager application and complete technical documentation is available on the Plexim website. You can find additional guidance on the Plexim License Manager support page.
If your server’s Host ID changes, for example after a hardware migration, contact info@plexim.com with the new Host ID, your institution name, and details of the previous license.
Quick reference
I applied for a license and haven’t heard back. What now?
Give it a few days, since requests are checked against university agreements. If it has been longer than that, follow up with your course instructor or with Plexim support via info@plexim.com.
Why was my request delayed or rejected?
The most common reason is using a personal email address instead of one associated with your university. Always request your license with your university email and provide accurate personal information.
My license says invalid host or Host ID mismatch. What’s wrong?
Your login name or Host ID does not match what was submitted with the request. Confirm both, then request a corrected license file.
How do I find my Host ID?
In PLECS, go to Help, then PLECS License Manager., then Get HostID….
I got a new laptop. Do I need a new license?
Yes. Submit your new login name and Host ID through the student license form to get an updated license file.
My license expired. What do I do?
Renew it using the same process as your original request. Get a fresh code from your instructor if your original one is no longer valid.
Can I use my student license on two computers?
A student license is by default tied to one computer. You can request a license for a second machine with a different Host ID by contacting info@plexim.com. In your message include the Host ID’s of all relevant devices.
Can I use my student license for freelance or company work?
No. It is licensed for personal, study-related use only.
Does my student license include PLECS Coder?
Yes, by default, along with the target support packages needed for code generation.
Can I get PLECS Spice as a student?
Not through the sponsored student bundle. Check the academic pricing page or contact info@plexim.com, mentioning your university. You can also request a trial for PLECS Spice by contacting sales.