September 11, 2026
It’s one of the most requested changes in EVS’s history, retiring the physical dongle and the local license server. Starting with the next release of Earth Volumetric Studio, licensing moves online, tied to your C Tech account instead of a piece of hardware. That release will require it. Dongles and license servers won’t work with it, and the first time you launch it you’ll sign in with your C Tech account, the same one you use on ctech.com, and your license will be ready. Here’s what’s changing, why it’s better for you, and what you’ll need to do before you upgrade.
First, What’s a C Tech Account?
If this is the first you’re hearing of it, C Tech recently introduced online accounts. Your C Tech account is what you’ll use to sign in on ctech.com, and now it’s also what will license your copy of EVS. If you don’t have one yet, don’t worry, we’ll be reaching out with details before you need one.
No More Dongles, No More License Servers
Today, running EVS means keeping track of a physical USB dongle or standing up a license server on your network, and hoping neither one is unplugged, lost, or forgotten when you travel. It also means your IT team is patching, backing up, and troubleshooting a server whose only job is telling EVS it’s allowed to run.
Online licensing replaces both. Your license lives with your C Tech account. Sign in to EVS the same way you sign in on ctech.com, and you’re licensed, no dongle to plug in or ship between offices, no server to install or maintain, no license updates to apply.
Built for How You Actually Work
This isn’t a straight swap of one lock for another. Online licensing is meaningfully more flexible than what it replaces.
Work from your laptop or your desktop — Register your license to up to two devices and move between them freely, no calls to support to transfer a dongle.
Keep working offline — Once activated, EVS stays licensed for extended stretches without an internet connection, so fieldwork and travel aren’t a problem.
Manage seats yourself — Company administrators assign and reassign licenses to their team from a web portal, in minutes, without waiting on us.
Single sign-on for enterprise IT — Organizations using company-wide sign-in can extend it to EVS licensing, one less credential for your team to manage.
No manual updates — No dongle drivers to update, no license files to reinstall. Your license stays current on its own.
Skip the IT ticket — Moving a seat, adding a user, or renewing no longer means scheduling IT to touch a dongle or a server. It happens online, instantly.
Set Up Your Organization Today
Your current dongle or license server will keep working with the EVS version you’re on today. Nothing changes until you install the new release, so there’s no disruption to your current work. Getting your organization set up now, though, is what makes the transition seamless. When the next EVS release comes out, your team signs in and keeps working.
You can have more than one administrator. Larger teams often split the responsibility across a couple of people, and administrators can add others later from the portal.
Once your administrator is set up, we’ll walk them through inviting the rest of your users.
Why decide on single sign-on up front? Tying EVS licensing into your existing SSO makes onboarding new users much easier (no separate C Tech credentials to hand out), simplifies logins for everyone (one less password to remember), and keeps license access governed by your own IT authentication policies. SSO is configured first, before your administrator’s account or anyone else’s is created; setting it up afterward means untangling separate logins. Companies with a larger IT staff are the usual fit. For Enterprise customers in particular, SSO eliminates the onboarding burden entirely. New users are provisioned the moment they’re added to your identity provider, no separate C Tech account creation or invite step for each one. Feel free to forward your IT department our SSO setup guide directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s a C Tech account? It’s an online account you use to sign in on ctech.com and, starting with the next EVS release, to license your software. If you already use ctech.com to download software or manage your company’s licenses, you may already have one. If not, we’ll walk you through setting one up before you need to upgrade.
Do I need to do anything right now? No. Your existing dongle or license server continues to work with your current version of EVS. Online licensing only applies once you plan to migrate to the next version of EVS.
What happens to my existing dongle? It keeps working with the EVS version you have installed today. Once you upgrade to the release that requires online licensing, the dongle is no longer used for that installation, you’ll sign in with your C Tech account instead. We’ll share more specifics on the migration process as necessary as your upgrade gets closer.
Do I need an internet connection to run EVS? Depends on your license type. Fixed and Enterprise licenses stay licensed for extended stretches while offline once activated, so field work, secure networks, and travel are not a problem, you’ll just need to reconnect periodically. Floating licenses check out a seat from the pool each session, so those do require an internet connection to run.
How many computers can I use? Depends on your license type. Fixed licenses can be registered to up to two devices, so moving between a desktop and a laptop doesn’t require contacting support. Floating licenses have no device restriction, only a limit on how many seats are in concurrent use at once. Enterprise licenses are unrestricted.
Can I still run older versions of EVS after switching to online licensing? Yes. Enterprise and Floating license users will have a direct mechanism that lets online licensing work with older releases, not just the newest one. Fixed license users who need to keep running an older release have the option of staying on a dongle instead of switching to online licensing.
I’m a company administrator. How do I manage licenses for my team? Company administrators can assign and reassign seats to their users from the C Tech account portal at any time, without waiting on us to make the change.
Does this work with our company’s single sign-on? Yes. Organizations with enterprise SSO configured can extend it to EVS licensing.
I work in an air-gapped environment and can’t be online. What are my options? Fixed licenses will still be available on a dongle specifically for users who cannot connect to the internet at all. This exception is for Fixed licenses only, Floating and Enterprise licenses will require online licensing regardless of connectivity. Reach out to us at support@ctech.com and let us know about your environment, we’ll make sure you stay on dongle-based licensing.
What if I run into trouble during the switch or have more questions? Email support@ctech.com and we’ll help you get set up before you need to upgrade.