---
title: "Check licence key status"
description: "See whether a key is unused, assigned, or spent, and which order it went to."
url: https://help.filemonk.io/check-licence-key-status/
section: "Licence keys"
last_updated: 2026-09-08
---

# Check licence key status

> See whether a key is unused, assigned, or spent, and which order it went to.

Every key carries a status. Checking it answers the two questions that come up in support: has this customer been given a key, and has this key been used before.

## Check a key in the app

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. Open the tag, then search for the key.

Each key shows:

| Column | Tells you |
|---|---|
| **Status** | **Pending**, **Assigned**, or **Used** |
| **Order linked** | Which order it went to, if any |
| **Type** | Whether it came from a pool or was autogenerated |
| **Tags linked** | Which pools it belongs to |
| **Added at** | When it entered the pool |

## Check a key from an order

Open the order in **Orders** and look at its files. Keys assigned to that order are listed alongside them, with the option to unassign or reassign. See [Assign new keys to an order](https://help.filemonk.io/assign-new-keys-to-an-order/).

## Check a key programmatically

Autogenerated keys can be verified through Filemonk's API, which is how licensing software checks a key at activation time. See [Get your API key and use the Filemonk API](https://help.filemonk.io/api-key-and-api-access/).

## Troubleshooting

### A key shows as assigned but the customer says they never got it

Open the linked order and check the download page with **Visit Download page**. If the key is there, the customer is looking in the wrong place, often at the email rather than the download page. If it is not, reassign a key to the order.

### A customer's key doesn't work in my software

Filemonk stores and hands out keys, it does not validate them against your licensing system. Check the key against your own system: if the key is fine there, the problem is delivery, not the key.

### Two customers report the same key

Duplicates in the pool, or duplicate handling was set to allow. Clean up duplicates and issue one of them a new key. See [Manage licence keys](https://help.filemonk.io/manage-licence-keys/).

### A key is marked used but linked to no order

Usually a key unassigned from an order and marked as used rather than returned to the pool. That is the expected outcome of that choice.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between assigned and used?

Assigned means it belongs to an order and has been handed to a customer. Used means it is spent and will not be issued again, which is also where a key lands if you unassign it and choose to mark it used.

### Can a key be reused after a refund?

Only if you unassign it and return it to the pool. It does not happen automatically. See [Assign new keys to an order](https://help.filemonk.io/assign-new-keys-to-an-order/).

### Can customers check their own key?

They see it on their download page and in their email. Any validation beyond that is your software's job.

### How do I see how many are left?

The tag list shows **Remaining** per tag. See [Manage licence keys](https://help.filemonk.io/manage-licence-keys/).

## Related guides

- [Manage licence keys](https://help.filemonk.io/manage-licence-keys/), for the pools behind the keys.
- [Assign new keys to an order](https://help.filemonk.io/assign-new-keys-to-an-order/), to fix one customer.
- [Handle orders without licence keys](https://help.filemonk.io/orders-without-licence-keys/), for orders still waiting.