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Activation FAQs

Using an older MYOB product?

If you're using an older MYOB product, like AccountRight v19 or AccountEdge, there's a new way to activate and confirm your company files. For all the details see Activating and confirming older MYOB products.



Activation protects against software piracy and reassures you that you're using an authentic product that can be trusted with your business data. You'll need to activate new company files or files upgraded from pre-2003 versions.

Activation authenticates your AccountRight serial number (which is stored in your company file) against the MYOB software database, and also records how many company files you’ve activated using that serial number.

Here are some common activation questions. If you're experiencing an activation issue, see activation and confirmation errors.

How often do I need to activate my company file?
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You only need to activate each new company file or upgraded company file once.

You need to do this within 30 days of creating or upgrading a file.

After you activate your company file, you'll need to periodically confirm that you are the registered user of that company file. Learn more about confirmation.



How many company files can I activate?
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The number of company files you can activate depends on your software licence.

If you're using...

You can activate...

AccountRight Basics, Standard or Plus

One company file

AccountRight Premier

Two company files

You can buy additional company files to use with AccountRight. For pricing details, check our website (click the FAQs tab here: Australia | New Zealand).

To buy additional company files or add online services to another company file, Contact us



I can't activate or confirm online - what do I do?
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If you can't confirm online, you can either:

  • ask MOCA  on any help page, and if MOCA can't help, you'll be guided to our other support options, including live chat, or

  • submit a support request via My Account (log in at myaccount.myob.com and click Contact support).

Our support team will then provide you with a licence file. Once they do, repeat the steps to activate or confirm and choose Offline (Contact Support) as your activation/confirmation option, click Next and follow the prompts to load the licence file.



Can I activate or confirm by phone?
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You can no longer activate or confirm by phone, so if your AccountRight version shows this option, update to the latest AccountRight version and try activating or confirming online.

If you still can't activate or confirm online, you can do it by:

  • asking MOCA  on any help page, and if MOCA can't help, you'll be guided to our other support options, including live chat, or

  • submitting a support request via My Account (log in at myaccount.myob.com and click Contact support).

Our support team will then provide you with a licence file. Once they do, repeat the steps above and choose Offline (Contact Support) as your activation/confirmation option, click Next and follow the prompts to load the licence file.

Do I need to activate a company file I have upgraded?
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You will only be prompted to activate an upgraded file if the file was created in a pre-2003 software version, eg MYOB Accounting v13, or Premier v7. You only need to activate the upgraded file if you want to continue entering data.

If you upgrade the company file, but you don’t need to record new data in it using the new software version, select the option I only need to view information in this company file (Read-only access) in the Activation window.



What happens if I don’t activate my company file within the required period?
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You have 30 days to activate a file from the date you created or upgraded it. Each time you open a company file that hasn't been activated, the Activation window will appear, prompting you to activate. It will also display how many days you have left to activate your file.

After the 30 days has lapsed, the Activation window will show you have zero days left to activate your file. You need to activate the file immediately if you want to continue entering transactions. If you don't activate the file at this time, it will become read-only.



Do I need to activate a company file if I only want to view information?
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No. You can open the file in read-only mode, which allows you to access the file and view all information, print reports and export data. Select the  I only need to view information in this company file (Read-only access)  option in the Activation window. You cannot add new data or make changes to a read-only file.

Should my accountant activate the company file?
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No. An accountant or consultant can create a company file on your behalf and provide it to you. However, the accountant or consultant must not activate the company file using the serial number from their software version. Activation needs to be done using your software serial number.

File activation can be performed up to 30 days from the date the file was created, so there is plenty of time for your accountant to provide you with the file to activate yourself.



Which company files do I need to activate?
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You only need to activate the company files you currently use to record or edit transactions and data.

You need to activate a file if:

  • you are entering or editing transactions or information in the file

  • you have restored the file and intend using it to enter transactions

  • your accountant needs to enter or edit transactions in the file.

You don't need to activate a file if:

  • you only want to view, print or export information from the file

  • you created the file for evaluation or training purposes

  • you intend to use the file for less than 30 days

  • you have restored it to view information or print reports.

You can also defer company file activation by selecting the Activate Later option in the Activation window. The number of days you can defer activation is shown in the Activation window.

How do I find my serial number?
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Depending on your scenario, there's a few ways to find your serial number.

If you...

you'll find your serial number...

purchased a point-of-sale activation (POSA) card or voucher from a retail store

in the email we send you (after redeeming your redemption code at myob.com/redeem).Redemption codes are not the same as a serial number and have a different format (15 characters with a mix of letters and numbers, instead of a serial number's 12 digits).

purchased an AccountRight software CD

on the base of the product box

purchased or upgraded AccountRight from the MYOB website

in the email confirming your purchase

downloaded a trial version

in the email confirming your download

You can also check which serial numbers you’ve registered by logging into my.MYOB: Australia | New Zealand.

Can't find your answer?

See activation and confirmation errors for more details or ask MOCA  on any help page. If MOCA can't help, you'll be guided to our other support options, including live chat. You can also submit a support request to get help from our support team.