This version of eM Client is newer than what your current license permits

Have you installed a new major update of eM Client but your license allows only older versions of the app? In this article, we are going to focus on this issue and help you solve it so you can jump back into eM Client.

There are specific scenarios that can lead you to this situation and there are three different outcomes.

• What to do if you see the message "This version of eM Client is newer than what your current license permits." or "The application cannot start because the database on this computer was modified by a newer version of this application." after the update.

  
  

  • Proceed or Exit: "This version of eM Client is newer than what your current license permits."

    In case you have been met with one of the messages depicted below after installing the eM Client update here's what you can do.

    Alert for eM Client 9.1 and newer
    
    
    Alert for eM Client 9.0 and older
    
    
    Important note: Clicking "Proceed" will update eM Client's database files to be compatible with the newest version you have just installed. Once the database is updated by clicking "Proceed", it will no longer work with the eM Client version you have previously used.
    To preserve your data without keeping the latest version you will have to downgrade and restore from a backup (assuming that you have one in Documents/eM Client), or manually export the data via Menu > File > Export. To keep the latest eM Client you will need to update the license.

    If you do not want to upgrade your license, click on "Exit" to avoid upgrading the database which would complicate the downgrade process and may lead to data loss. At this point, you can still go back to the previous version without losing any data or settings simply by uninstalling the current version and installing an older one from our Release history.

  
  
  

  • Update Now: "The application cannot start because the database on this computer was modified by a newer version of this application."

    
    
    Alert after database has been upgraded by a new version of eM Client
    
    

    If you have installed the newest eM Client, launched it (which upgrades the database), and then wanted to go back, you most likely ran into the message above. To work around this alert, please follow the steps below:

    Since the databases are not backward compatible, the updated database will not work with the older eM Client versions so you will need to get rid of the database modified by the newer version or replace it with the database backup made with older version. Before you start uninstalling eM Client check which version you need to downgrade to. It can be seen in the alerts like the ones you can see above (for example if your license is valid up to 7.9.0.0, you need to download the most recent version of eM Client 7).

    
    

    • First, start with eM Client uninstall and during the uninstall process you will see the prompt asking whether you wish to remove your database. Since your database is no longer usable with older versions, confirm the database deletion.

    • Once the eM Client is uninstalled and the database has been removed, you should be free to install the older eM Client version.

    • In case you have already downgraded eM Client and you need to locate and delete your database manually, you can find the database in the following locations:

    Windows: Copy and paste this path into the Windows Explorer navigation bar C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\eM Client or you can press Windows key+R and paste the path into the "Run" window.

    macOS: In the Finder window press Command + Shift + . (Dot key) to display hidden folders, then navigate to /Users/User Name/Library/Application Support/eM Client using “Go” menu in Finder toolbar.

    Regardless of which platform you are using eM Client on, it is important to remove the contents of the database folder completely or rename the containing folder. After you have deleted the database it is time to install the older eM Client version.

    To find older releases for download please visit eM Client release history. As was mentioned previously, make sure to pick the version equal to or lower than the one displayed in the license incompatibility warning.

• Renew License or Work offline: "This version of eM Client is newer than what your current license permits."

  
  
  Activating an older license on new version

  The message you can see above means that the eM Client requires an upgrade of license to work online but you can still launch eM Client in offline mode to read your emails or export settings and offline data. You will most likely encounter this if you installed newest version from our website first and then tried to activate your old license.

  You can either downgrade to an older version of eM Client and export your local data as was already covered in previous parts of this article or you can upgrade the license.

  • Export of the local data is also possible for emails, events, tasks and contacts, so you can just use Menu > File > Export and select all you want to export. Do not export eM Client settings as due to the differences in versions importing settings into older versions will not be possible.

  • To downgrade, uninstall the currently installed eM Client version and confirm the database removal.

  • If you skipped or rejected the database removal, please locate your database and delete all of its files or the entire "eM Client" folder that contains database files. If the database will remain in its place, older eM Client version will not be able to work.

  • Here is how to locate your database on different platforms:

    Windows: Copy and paste this path into the Windows Explorer navigation bar C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\eM Client or you can press Windows key + R and paste the path into the "Run" window.

    macOS: In the Finder window press Command + Shift + . (Dot key) to display hidden folders, then navigate to /Users/User Name/Library/Application Support/eM Client

  • Visit eM Client release history and download the older version that is compatible with your database.

  • When you obtain the installer file, launch it and proceed with the installation.

  • Upon installing eM Client you can either restore from a backup (Menu > File > Restore) and regain access to all the data and email accounts you had before, or you can set up your accounts anew and then import any missing local data by importing them back in, if you exported in the first step (Menu > File > Import).

  If you would like to switch to the newer version instead of downgrading, please visit the license upgrade page

  To force license refresh after you have purchased the upgrade go to Menu > Check for update.

  In case you experience any difficulties, don't hesitate to contact [email protected].