Add licence keys

If you sell software, plugins, or anything that unlocks with a code, Filemonk can deliver a licence key with your digital products. You can add your own keys, by pasting them in or importing a CSV file, or have Filemonk generate a unique key for each order automatically.

Once keys are added, link them to a product so customers receive a key when they buy it. See Assign licence keys to a product.

Before you begin

• Keys are grouped by tag, and tag names must be lowercase. The tag is how you link a pool to a product, so name it after the product, for example software-v2.
• Decide how duplicates should be handled before you paste a big list.

Choose your setup

Use	When
Paste keys	You have a list of keys for one tag, or a small number of keys.
Import a CSV file	You have hundreds of keys, or keys for several tags at once.
Auto-generated keys	You don’t need keys in a specific format and don’t want to manage a stock of keys.

Set it up: paste keys

1. Click Filemonk in the left menu of your Shopify admin.

2. Click Content library in the app’s menu, then open the Licence keys tab. You’ll see your tags with how many keys are Used, Remaining and in Total.

3. Click Add licence keys.

   

4. In Licence Keys, paste your keys with one key on each line. Keys can be in any format your software uses.

5. In Tags, type a tag name and press Enter. Use commas to add more than one tag.

6. In Handle duplicate keys, choose one option:

   1. Ignore duplicates: repeated keys in your list are removed before saving.
   2. Allow duplicates: every line is saved, including repeats.
   3. Raise error on duplicates: nothing is saved if your list has repeated keys, or if a key already exists under the same tag.

7. Click Save.

   

If any orders are waiting for licence keys, Filemonk assigns the new keys to them automatically.

Set it up: import a CSV file

Create a CSV file with exactly two columns, headed Tag and Licence Key:

Tag	Licence Key
example-tag	ABC123DEF456
another-tag	XYZ789GHI012

Your column names don’t have to match: any CSV with a column of licence keys works, and you match its columns to Filemonk’s fields after you upload it.

• Each row is one key. Only the key is required.
• Tag names are converted to lowercase. If a tag doesn’t exist yet, Filemonk creates it.
• To put a key in several tags, separate the tags with commas in one cell.
• To add a key without a tag, enter No Tag or - in the tag column. To add every key without a tag, ignore the tag column when you map it.
• An optional status column skips rows marked Assigned or Used, so keys that were already sold aren’t added again.
• A file exported from Filemonk, including one from another store, can be imported as it is.
• Empty rows are ignored. Files separated by semicolons work too.
• The file must be smaller than 5 MB. Split larger lists into several files.

Then upload it:

1. Click Filemonk in the left menu of your Shopify admin.

2. Click Content library in the app’s menu, then open the Licence keys tab.

3. Click More, then click Import in bulk.

4. In the Import licence keys window, under Select CSV file, click Add files and choose your file. Only .csv is accepted. The Preview & map screen opens once Filemonk has read the file.

   

5. Map your columns:

   1. Check the columns Filemonk matched automatically. Columns named like Licence Key, Key, Tag, Tags linked or Status are matched for you.
   2. For any field that’s blank or wrong, open Select source column and choose the right column. Licence key is required.
   3. For Tag or Status columns your file doesn’t have, tick Ignore column.
   4. Use the first 5 rows shown on screen to check the values line up.

6. Click Start import. To pick a different file instead, click Change file, or click Cancel to go back.

Filemonk shows how many keys were imported and how many were skipped. A key that already exists in Filemonk, under any tag, is skipped and isn’t changed. If there’s a problem, Filemonk lists each error with its row number. Fix the file and upload it again. Keys imported before the error are skipped on the next upload, so you won’t get duplicates.

As with pasted keys, any orders waiting for licence keys receive the new keys automatically.

Set it up: auto-generated keys

With auto-generated keys, Filemonk creates a unique key for every order, so you never run out.

1. Click Filemonk in the left menu of your Shopify admin.

2. Click Digital products in the app’s menu, then open an existing product, or click Add product to set up a new one.

3. In the files section of the product, click Add licence key.

4. Select Autogenerated.

5. Optionally, enter a Licence Key Name, for example “Activation code”. Customers see this name next to their key.

   

6. Click Create.

Auto-generated keys are 26-character codes, for example 01J8Z3K6QK8R2V4M7N9P0A1B2C. You can check a key using the Filemonk API. See Get your API key and use the Filemonk API.

To deliver keys you’ve uploaded instead, select Specific tag and pick a Licence Key Tag, or select No tag to use keys that have no tag.

Get an email before you run out

Filemonk can email you when uploaded keys are running low.

1. Click Filemonk in the left menu of your Shopify admin.

2. Click Settings in the app’s menu, then open the Other tab.

3. In the Notifications section, tick Send email when licence keys are about to be exhausted. A Threshold field appears below it, set to 80% by default.

   

4. Click Save.

Check your setup

Open the Licence keys tab. Your tag should be listed with its Total, Used and Remaining counts. Then place a test order for a product linked to that tag and confirm the customer receives a key. See Create a test order.

Troubleshooting

Tag names cannot contain uppercase letters

The tag has a capital letter. Use only lowercase letters in the tag name.

You haven't added any licence keys

Licence Keys is empty. Paste at least one key, one on each line.

Duplicate keys are present in your licence keys collection

Raise error on duplicates is selected and your list has repeated keys. Remove the repeats, or select Ignore duplicates.

One or more lines are too long to be a licence key

Several keys were pasted on one line, separated by commas or spaces. Put each key on its own line.

Start import is greyed out

Licence key isn’t mapped, or two fields point at the same column. Open Select source column for Licence key and pick the column that holds your keys. Each field needs its own column.

Licence Key cannot be empty or Tag cannot be empty on a row

That row has no key, or its tag cell is blank. Fill in or delete the row, or enter - for a key with no tag, then upload again.

File size must be less than 5MB

The CSV file is too large. Split the keys into several smaller files.

The import says keys were skipped

Keys that already exist in Filemonk aren’t imported twice, and rows marked Assigned or Used in a status column are skipped. Nothing to do.

Customers aren't receiving keys

The tag has no remaining keys, or the product is linked to a different tag. Check Remaining on the Licence keys tab, add keys, and check the tag linked to the product. See Handle orders without licence keys.

FAQ

What happens when I run out of uploaded keys?

New orders wait for a key. When you add more keys with the matching tag, Filemonk assigns them to the waiting orders automatically.

Can I import keys for several tags in one CSV file?

Yes. Put the tag for each key in the Tag column. Filemonk creates any tags that don’t exist yet.

Does the CSV import overwrite keys I've already added?

No. Keys that already exist are skipped and stay as they are, including their tag and status.

Can I move my keys from another Filemonk store?

Yes. In the other store, open the Licence keys tab and click More, then Export all keys. Filemonk emails you the CSV. Import that file here as it is: keys keep their tags, and keys marked Assigned or Used are skipped so sold keys aren’t handed out again.

Can I use a spreadsheet file instead of CSV?

Export or save it as a CSV file first. Only CSV files can be imported.

Can several products share the same tag?

Yes. Link the same tag to each product and they all draw keys from the same pool.

Are auto-generated keys unique?

Yes. Every auto-generated key is unique, so no two orders get the same key.

How do I edit, move or delete keys after adding them?

Open the tag on the Licence keys tab. See Manage licence keys.

Related guides

• Assign licence keys to a product, the step that connects the pool.
• Manage licence keys, to organise what you have added.
• Handle orders without licence keys, for when the pool runs dry.
• Emails and reports Filemonk sends you, including the low-key warning.