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Research Guides

ChemDraw Installation and Renewal

A how-to guide on installing the latest version of ChemDraw and how to renew each year in November.

Renewal instructions

The UofT ChemDraw site license is renewed each October, meaning that you will need to renew your software each year by following the instructions below.

The new activation code for 2022 is the same as last year. This means that you may not need to do anything to renew, but instead your software will automatically be updated to reflect the new expiry date.

Our license supports the previous 2 versions  - we do recommend that you upgrade at some point though you do not need to do it immediately. If you are using version 16 or lower, you must upgrade.

Renewal instructions for ChemDraw for both Mac and PC users

During October/November:

1. To renew your subscription, open Chemdraw.  

You may get a message saying your subscription needs to be renewed.

Just close the window with the X - do not click on OK!  Your ChemDraw window should then appear.  

2. Go to "Help" on the toolbar on PCs and the ChemDraw tab on Macs

3. Choose "Activate ChemDraw Professional"

4. The activate window should open with all the fields filled except for Organization (optional). Leave this screen open while you retrieve the activation code from the PerkinElmer Flexnet site.

5. Next you will need to log in to the PerkinElmer Download Centre (where you downloaded the software originally). Please note: PerkinElmer recently updated their login system. If you already have a PerkinElmer Download Centre account associated with your UofT email address, you may need to sign up again as a new user. Visit the login page, click the Sign Up tab and then enter the username and password you previously used to log in.

6, Once logged in, the newest renewal will be listed first on the homepage. Copy the Product Activation Code on the right-hand side.

8. Go back to your ChemDraw screen, enter the activation code and click Activate. This will renew your access for another year.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter an issue when renewing the software, contact Madeline Gerbig at maddy.gerbig@utoronto.ca (or Sarah Guay, sarah.guay@utoronto.ca if you are affiliated with UTSC) for assistance stating your operating system and your ChemDraw version (screen shots are very useful!).

Special Instructions for Mac Users

In recent years, some Mac users have experienced problems with renewing their ChemDraw licenses.

If you are a Mac user and you receive the message Activation succeeded but no new license was obtained when entering the activation code to renew your license, please follow the instructions below:

  1. Navigate to ChemDraw > Activate ChemDraw from the menu along the top of your screen.
  2. Click the Deactivate button at the bottom of the Activate ChemDraw window to deactivate your software
  3. Re-enter the activation code and click the Activate button to reactivate your software.

ChemDraw Renewal Video Tutorial

This video tutorial provides a brief demonstration of how to renew your ChemDraw Licence.

Acknowledgement: Thank you to our student employee Nuro Khasanzoda, Library Assistant, for creating and recording this video.