# How do the trial, license key and updates work? > The 30-day Pro trial, what stays free, entering and moving a license key, renewals, refunds and how One Clear Reader checks for updates. Source: https://oneclearreader.com/help/licence-and-updates · Updated 28 September 2026 · One Clear Reader (Northlight Group Pty Ltd) > [!answer] One Clear Reader gives you every Pro feature free for 30 days from first launch, with no card. After that, reading, search and Markdown editing stay free forever. To unlock Pro, choose `One Clear Reader › Enter Licence Key…`, paste your 16-character key and click **Activate**. One key works on up to 3 Macs, and Pro keeps working offline. ## How does the One Clear Reader free trial work? The One Clear Reader Pro trial starts the first time you open the app and runs for 30 days. During it you have every Pro feature. There's no sign-up, no account and no card. To see how many days are left, open `One Clear Reader › Enter Licence Key…`. The **Your licence** sheet says something like "Pro trial, 12 days left." When the 30 days are up, One Clear Reader moves to Free by itself. You don't lose your files, notes or reading position. ## What stays free in One Clear Reader after the trial? Everything you need to read, find and fix files stays free in One Clear Reader. This table shows what Free and Pro include. | | Free | Pro | |---|---|---| | Open all 7 file types, search, paste a path, Latest from your AI | Yes | Yes | | Outline, Find, Full view, zoom, text size, width | Yes | Yes | | Reading profiles | Default, Large Print, Compact, Neuro-friendly, Paragraph Focus | Plus Custom and saved profiles | | Themes | Auto, Paper, Night, Mist | All 22 | | Adjust colours, My themes, your own accent color, Quiet | No | Yes | | Tabs open at once | 3 | 10 | | Edit Markdown and text | Source editor | Plus Edit like a document | | Version history you can see | Newest 3 | Up to 25 | | Word files | Edit a copy as Markdown | Plus edit the Word file itself | | Review notes | 3 per document | Unlimited | | Copy as prompt, notes file, Copy feedback | Yes | Yes | | Changed since your last visit | The count | The changes marked | | Save as PDF, client PDF, Save as Word | No | Yes | | Copy as rich text, table copy, diagram Expand and Copy SVG | No | Yes | When Pro ends, Pro-only settings switch back to their free versions. Custom goes back to a free profile, a Pro theme goes back to a free one, and Quiet turns off. Notes over the free limit stay. You just can't add more until you're under 3. Everything comes back when you activate Pro. ## How much does One Clear Reader Pro cost? One Clear Reader Pro is $19.99 a year. There's also Lifetime, one payment of $59 for Pro with no end date, with a launch price of $29 for the first 500 buyers. See [pricing](/#pricing) for the current offer. ## How do I enter my One Clear Reader license key? Your One Clear Reader license key is on the thank-you page after you buy, and in your receipt email. 1. In the app, choose `One Clear Reader › Enter Licence Key…`, or press ⌘K and choose **Enter licence key…**. 2. The **Your licence** sheet opens. Paste your key into **Licence key**. 3. Click **Activate**. You see "Pro is unlocked on this Mac. Thank you." The sheet now shows "Pro, key ending" and the last characters of your key. Keys are 16 letters and numbers, shown as `XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX`. Capitals and dashes don't matter, so a key pasted in lower case or without dashes works too. Activating needs an internet connection, once. After that, Pro works offline. One Clear Reader keeps a signed record of your license on your Mac and checks it there. > [!note] If you see "Couldn't reach the licence server", check your internet connection and click **Activate** again. Nothing is lost by retrying. ## How many Macs can use one One Clear Reader license key? One One Clear Reader license key works on three Macs at the same time. The license is personal, for Macs you own or control. ## How do I move One Clear Reader Pro to a new Mac? To move One Clear Reader Pro to a new Mac, free up the key on the old Mac, then activate it on the new one. 1. On the old Mac, open `One Clear Reader › Enter Licence Key…`. 2. Click **Remove from this Mac**. It changes to "Remove it? Pro stops on this Mac". Click it again to confirm. 3. You see "This Mac's licence is removed. You can use the key on another Mac now." 4. On the new Mac, enter the same key and click **Activate**. Removing needs an internet connection, so the license server can free the slot. If you're offline, the key stays on the Mac and you can try again later. If the old Mac is lost or broken and you can't remove the key, contact hello@oneclearreader.com. ## How does One Clear Reader Pro renewal work? One Clear Reader Lifetime keys never expire, so there's nothing to do. Yearly Pro renews automatically until you cancel. When fewer than 5 days of your paid year are left, One Clear Reader quietly refreshes your license the next time it's online. You don't need to do anything. If you're offline for the whole of those last days, Pro pauses when the year runs out and comes back once the app can refresh while you're online. If you cancel, you keep Pro until the end of the period you paid for. After that, or after a refund, One Clear Reader drops back to Free at its next license check. ## Can I get a refund for One Clear Reader? Yes. If One Clear Reader isn't right for you, email hello@oneclearreader.com within 30 days of paying for a full refund. This is on top of your rights under Australian Consumer Law. The Terms of Service page on the website has the full wording. ## How do One Clear Reader updates work? One Clear Reader checks for a new version once a day. It's on by default, and it never installs anything by itself. When there's a new version, a bar appears: "Version X is ready". It has three buttons: - **Download** opens the download page on oneclearreader.com in your browser. - **Skip this version** stops the daily check offering that version again. **Check for Updates…** still shows it. - **×** hides the bar for now. To install, download the new app and drag it into your Applications folder to replace the old one. Your settings, themes and notes stay. To check right now, choose `One Clear Reader › Check for Updates…`. You'll see "You're up to date" or the update bar. To stop the daily check, press ⌘K and choose **Turn off automatic update checks**. The same place has **Turn on automatic update checks** to switch it back. > [!scribble] you choose when. nothing installs itself. ## What does One Clear Reader send over the internet? One Clear Reader sends very little over the internet, and never your files. This table lists every connection. | When | What is sent | To | |---|---|---| | You activate, remove, or the app renews a key | Your key, a random ID made for this Mac, and the label "Mac" | licences.oneclearreader.com | | Once a day, if update checks are on | A plain request for a small file listing the latest version | oneclearreader.com | | You click Buy or Download | Your browser opens the page | oneclearreader.com | The random ID says nothing about you or your Mac. One Clear Reader doesn't send your Mac's name, which often contains a person's name. There's no account and no analytics. Reading, converting, editing, searching, and making PDFs and Word files all happen on your Mac. ## Questions ### Do I need a card for the One Clear Reader free trial? No. The One Clear Reader 30-day trial starts when you first open the app and needs no card, no account and no sign-up. ### Does One Clear Reader Pro work without internet? Yes. After you activate once, One Clear Reader Pro works offline. A yearly key refreshes itself when you're online near the end of the year. ### What happens to my notes when the One Clear Reader trial ends? When the trial ends, your notes, files and reading positions stay. Pro-only settings like Custom, Pro themes and Quiet switch back to free ones until you activate Pro. ### Does One Clear Reader update itself? No. One Clear Reader checks once a day and shows a bar when a new version is ready. You choose when to download and install it. ### Can I share my One Clear Reader key with a colleague? No. A One Clear Reader key is a personal license for up to 3 of your own Macs. Your colleague can start their own free trial, or your team can buy Pro for teams. ### How does One Clear Reader Pro for teams work? Pro for teams is $15 per person a year, for 3 or more people. The buyer gets one licence key per person in a single email. Each person enters their own key and can use it on up to 3 of their Macs. When someone leaves, they choose Remove from this Mac and the key can go to the next person. Related: [getting started](/help/getting-started), [keyboard shortcuts](/help/shortcuts).