I paid, but NoteOwl Pro isn't active
Last updated Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0
If you've paid but NoteOwl Pro isn't on, open License…, sign in with the email address you bought with and click Activate this Mac. If NoteOwl Pro still isn't on, NoteOwl shows a message that says why. Work through the checks below in order.
Why isn't NoteOwl Pro active after I paid?
NoteOwl turns Pro on only when it can match your payment to this Mac. It can't if it stopped checking before the payment arrived, you're signed in with another email address, the payment is still on its way, the licence is active on another Mac, or you're offline.
You'll know NoteOwl Pro is on when the bottom of the sidebar shows NOTEOWL PRO. NOTEOWL (FREE) means it isn't, and a line starting TRIAL — means you're on the trial.
Activate this Mac
Do this in License…. It's the screen that shows exactly what went wrong and the buttons to fix it. Your Mac needs an internet connection.
- Click … next to your name at the bottom of the sidebar and choose License….
- If you're not signed in, type the email address you bought NoteOwl Pro with in the Your email field and click Continue, then type the code NoteOwl emails you in the Code from your email field and click Verify.
- Check the email address shown under Licence. If it isn't the one you bought with, see the first check below.
- Click Activate this Mac.
- If NoteOwl says NoteOwl Pro is active on this Mac., you're done. If it says Please sign in again., click Sign out if it's shown, sign in again and click Activate this Mac. For any other message, find it in the checks below.
Are you signed in with the email you bought with?
Your purchase belongs to the email address you were signed in to NoteOwl with when you clicked Buy NoteOwl Pro. With any other address, Activate this Mac says We couldn’t find a purchase for this email yet.
To switch addresses:
- In License…, click Sign out. NoteOwl says Signed out. Your licence on this Mac is untouched.
- Sign in with the email address you bought with, and click Activate this Mac again.
If you're not sure which address you used, try each one you might have signed in with.
Has the payment reached NoteOwl yet?
It can take a moment. If Activate this Mac says We couldn’t find a purchase for this email yet. with the right address, or We’re still confirming your purchase. This usually takes a moment., wait a minute and click Activate this Mac again.
After you click Buy, NoteOwl looks for the payment on its own for up to 15 minutes, and again when you switch back to NoteOwl, but only while the screen you clicked Buy on stays open. If you closed it, or the payment took longer, Activate this Mac is how NoteOwl finds it.
If NoteOwl still says We’re still confirming your purchase. after a while, contact support: see still not active.
Is your licence active on another Mac?
A NoteOwl Pro licence activates one Mac. If yours is already active on another Mac, Activate this Mac says This Mac can no longer use its saved activation., even on a Mac that was never activated, and offers Replace a broken or lost Mac.
- If the other Mac is broken, lost or stolen, click Replace a broken or lost Mac to move the licence to this Mac. It's free once in any rolling twelve months, and NoteOwl confirms with This Mac is now the activated one. For every step, see move NoteOwl Pro to a replacement Mac.
- If you want NoteOwl Pro on both Macs, buy a second licence on this one: click Buy NoteOwl Pro — $79 in License…, pay, then click Activate this Mac if NoteOwl Pro isn't on yet.
- If you moved to this Mac with Migration Assistant, NoteOwl may say This activation belongs to your previous Mac. Click Replace a broken or lost Mac there.
If the replacement has already been used, NoteOwl says Your complimentary replacement has already been used in the last 12 months. and offers Contact Support and Purchase another licence.
Are you offline?
Activating needs an internet connection. Offline, Activate this Mac says noteOwl could not reach the activation service. with a Retry button. Connect to the internet, then click Retry.
If signing in fails the same way, NoteOwl says noteOwl could not reach the activation service. Free capture and export are unaffected. Connect and try again. Once this Mac is activated, NoteOwl Pro works offline: see use NoteOwl offline.
What do NoteOwl's other licence messages mean?
These are less common. Where NoteOwl shows a button beside the message, it does the next step for you.
| NoteOwl says | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Activation did not finish. No licence was used. | An earlier attempt to activate this Mac didn't finish, and no licence was used up | Click Retry, or Activate this Mac, while you're connected |
| This Mac couldn’t prove its identity. Try again. | NoteOwl couldn't complete the check that ties the licence to this Mac | Click Activate this Mac again |
| This purchase is no longer active. | The payment was refunded, reversed or disputed | Click Contact Support |
| Please sign in again. | NoteOwl's licensing service no longer accepts this Mac's sign-in | Click Sign out if it's shown, sign in with your email address and the code NoteOwl emails you, then click Activate this Mac |
Still not active?
Email support@noteowl.ai with the email address you bought NoteOwl Pro with and the message NoteOwl shows. Contact Support in NoteOwl opens the support page in your browser.
Messages that come with buttons also offer Copy diagnostic code. Click it and paste the code into your email. It includes the app and macOS versions and what went wrong, and no email address, payment details or anything you've recorded.
Common questions
I paid for NoteOwl Pro but NoteOwl still says NOTEOWL (FREE). What do I do?
Click … next to your name at the bottom of the sidebar, choose License…, sign in with the email address you bought with and click Activate this Mac. NoteOwl looks up your purchase and turns NoteOwl Pro on for this Mac.
Why does NoteOwl say it couldn't find a purchase for my email?
Either you're signed in with a different email address from the one you bought with, or the payment hasn't reached NoteOwl yet. Check the address shown in License…, and if it's the right one, wait a minute and click Activate this Mac again.
Can clicking Activate this Mac charge me again?
No. Activate this Mac never charges anything. It only looks up a purchase you've already made, and if an activation is interrupted, trying again finishes that same activation instead of using up another licence.
Can I activate NoteOwl Pro without an internet connection?
No. Activating a Mac goes through NoteOwl's licensing service, so connect to the internet first. Once the Mac is activated, NoteOwl Pro keeps working offline.
Calendar or Contacts prompt doesn't appear
macOS asks about Calendar or Contacts only when you click Connect or Grant in NoteOwl. If you said no before, turn access on in System Settings instead.
NoteOwl keyboard shortcuts
Every NoteOwl keyboard shortcut. fn dictates, ⌥Space records a meeting, ⌥X rewrites selected text, ⌥Z asks your memory, and ⌘K jumps to search.