Citrix licensing is undergoing a fundamental change, with the introduction of License Activation Service (LAS). Citrix is moving away from traditional file-based and standalone license server models to a cloud-based license activation and entitlement validation approach.

From 15^th April 2026, LAS becomes the mandatory licensing mechanism for most Citrix products, including environments that remain fully on-premises.

What Is Citrix License Activation Service (LAS)?

Citrix License Activation Service (LAS) is a cloud-based system for activating, validating, and managing licenses through Citrix Cloud instead of traditional license files. Unlike traditional licensing, where customers manually downloaded and uploaded licence files to an on-prem license server, LAS introduces a secure, automated activation model.

It will look after:

• License activation
• Entitlement validation
• Subscription awareness

Important to know

• LAS does not move your workloads to the cloud.
• Your Citrix infrastructure (CVAD, WEM, XenMobile, NetScaler) can remain on-prem.
• Only the license activation and entitlement validation moves to Citrix Cloud.

Why Did Citrix Introduce LAS?

Citrix are introducing the License Activation Service (LAS) to modernise and simplify how Citrix licenses are activated, managed, secured and ultimately it is more suited to subscription-based products. Its aim is to solve long-standing challenges by:

1. Simplifying License Management

• No more manual license file handling
• No emergency license re-uploads during renewals
• Centralised entitlement visibility

2. Improving Compliance and Accuracy

• Real-time entitlement validation
• Reduced risk of expired or misapplied licenses
• Cleaner audits and renewals

3. Increasing Platform Consistency

• Aligns licensing across on-prem and cloud products
• Supports future subscription-based models
• Reduces dependency on ageing license server logic

Which Citrix Products Require LAS?

This change only applies to on-premises Citrix deployments. If you’re solely using Citrix’s cloud-based solutions (such as Citrix Cloud, DaaS, or Gateway Service), LAS will not impact you.

Products that require LAS to be enabled:

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD – On-Prem)

CVAD continues to use an on-prem License Server. That License Server must now:

• Be upgraded
• Register with LAS in Citrix Cloud
• License consumption remains local; entitlement validation is cloud-based

Mandatory requirement:

• Citrix License Server 11.17.2 build 51000 or later
• Must have outbound HTTPS (TCP 443) access to specific Citrix Cloud URLs from your Lic Server

Workspace Environment Management (WEM – On-Prem)

• WEM licensing is now cloud-backed
• Older WEM and License Server versions will not support LAS

Mandatory requirement:

• Upgrade WEM and License Server to LAS-supported versions

Endpoint Management / XenMobile (On-Prem)

Legacy XenMobile licensing is being retired. LAS support is available from:

• 10.16 Rolling Patch 7
• 10.15 Rolling Patch 13

Mandatory requirement:

• Supported XenMobile version
• License Server upgraded and registered with LAS

NetScaler ADC / Gateway (Mandatory for modern licensing)

NetScaler licensing is handled differently but still aligns with LAS. Two supported approaches:

1. Direct LAS activation from the ADC
2. Citrix ADM acting as a Global License Server

Mandatory requirements:

• LAS-capable ADC firmware
• ADM Console upgraded (if used)
• ADM Agent upgraded and compatible

Mandatory Infrastructure Changes for LAS

Citrix License Activation Service (LAS) is not just a configuration change. It requires specific upgrades and connectivity.

1. Upgrade On-Prem Components (Mandatory)

Component	Requirement
License Server	11.17.2 build 51000+
WEM	LAS-supported version
XenMobile	10.16 RP7 / 10.15 RP13+
ADM Console	LAS-capable version
ADM Agent	Customer-managed upgrade

2. Network & Firewall Requirements (Mandatory)

To activate and maintain licenses, the following systems must have outbound HTTPS (TCP 443) access to Citrix Cloud:

• Citrix License Server
• Citrix ADM Console (if used)
• NetScaler ADC (if activating directly)

This connectivity is required for:

• Initial registration
• Entitlement validation
• Ongoing license synchronisation

Without this access, License Activation Service (LAS) will not function.

How LAS Works (Simple Flow)

1. Customer upgrades License Server / ADM
2. Component registers with Citrix Cloud
3. LAS validates entitlements
4. Licenses activate automatically
5. Products continue operating locally

CVAD, WEM, and XenMobile do not talk to Citrix Cloud directly — the License Server does this on their behalf.

What happens if you don’t act?

From 15 April, customers who continue to use legacy licensing will face significant risks, that include:

• License activation failure
• Expired or invalid entitlements
• Product functionality degradation
• Emergency remediation close to renewal dates
• Increased support complexity

In many cases, the issue will not appear until renewal or upgrade time, making it harder to resolve under pressure.

Act Early

We strongly recommend Citrix users that are affected to:

Assess

1. Identify all Citrix products in use
2. Check versions and license server level

Prepare

1. Upgrade License Server / ADM
2. Validate firewall connectivity
3. Confirm Citrix Cloud OrgID access

Activate

1. Register with LAS
2. Validate license visibility
3. Monitor stability

Standardise

1. Remove dependency on legacy license files
2. Align future renewals with LAS

Citrix is not forcing customers to move workloads to the cloud, but licensing is now cloud-activated.

License Activation Service (LAS) should be treated as:

• Licensing modernisation
• Renewal readiness
• Risk reduction

Organisations that plan early for the Citrix License Activation Service (LAS) change will experience minimal disruption. Those that delay risk last-minute upgrades, firewall changes, and renewal pressure. If you have questions regarding this change you can schedule a call with our licencing experts by emailing us at asktheexpert@enterprise-solutions.ie.

Keep an eye on our Blog page to stay up to date with Citrix updates and best practices!