Keep every product your team uses in one place: the licenses bought for it, how many seats each has, who or what holds a seat, and when each license renews.

Overview

The Software page lists each product with its publisher, category, Seats used (such as "12 of 25") and Next renewal. A product with more seats given out than it owns shows its seat count in red.

Open a product to see its licenses. Each license records:

• Seats go to: Per user (seats go to employees), Per device (seats go to equipment) or Site or unlimited (no seat count).
• Seats: how many it owns. Leave it empty for unlimited.
• Bought from, Order number, Purchased, Term (Month, Year, 2 years, 3 years or Perpetual), Expires or renews, Renews automatically and Cost.
• Key or account: the license key, or the account it is tied to. It is stored encrypted and shown masked until someone reveals it.
• Status: Active or Canceled.

A license that expires or renews shows a badge such as "Renews in 12 days". Perpetual and canceled licenses show none.

Requirements

• Role: See software, licenses and seats to view (every built in role by default). Add and edit them, give out seats and reveal keys to make changes (Admin, Manager and Technician by default).

Step 1: Add a product

1. In the sidebar, open Software and renewals, then Software.
2. Click Add software.
3. Enter the Name (for example, Microsoft 365), and optionally the Publisher, Category and Notes.
4. Save. The product's page opens.

Step 2: Add a license

1. On the product's page, click Add license.
2. Give it a Name if you buy the product more than once (for example, "Business Premium, 2026 batch"). Without one, the license is named after its kind.
3. Choose Seats go to, then enter Seats (leave it empty for unlimited).
4. Fill in what you know of Bought from, Order number, Purchased, Term, Expires or renews, Renews automatically and Cost.
5. Paste the key or account into Key or account.
6. Save.

You are put on the new license's reminder list automatically. See Reminders.

Step 3: Give out seats

1. Under the license, next to Seats, click Give a seat.
2. Pick the Employee (for a per user or site license) or the Equipment (for a per device license). Only current employees and active equipment are offered.
3. Add a Note if it helps, and save.

You can also give a seat from the other side: an employee's page and an equipment page each have a Software section with its own Give a seat button.

To take a seat back, click the Take back icon next to it and confirm.

Step 4: Reveal a key

Next to a masked key, click Show. Every reveal is recorded in the activity log.

Notes

Note: Giving out more seats than a license owns is allowed, so you can record what is really in use. TekStacks warns you with "This license now has more seats given out than it owns." and shows the count in red.

Note: A seat held by an employee who has left shows Left, reclaim it. When an offboarding checklist lists the employee's equipment, it also adds a step to take back each of their seats. See Onboarding and offboarding checklists.

Note: A license that ended is better marked Canceled than deleted, so its history stays readable. Delete is for a license recorded by mistake, and its seats go with it.

Note: When your company manages clients, each client has its own software. Pick a client in the switcher before you click Add software; the button is hidden while you view all clients.

Troubleshooting

"They already have a seat" That employee or piece of equipment already holds a seat on this license. Nothing was added.

The employee I want is not in the list. Only current employees are offered. Someone marked as left cannot be given a seat. See Employees.

There is no Show button next to the key. Revealing keys needs Add and edit them, give out seats and reveal keys. Ask an Admin to check your role.

FAQ

Can I record a license with no key? Yes. Every field except the kind and status is optional.

When does a license appear on the renewals calendar? When it is active, not perpetual, and has an Expires or renews date. See Renewals calendar.

How do I record that a license renewed? Edit the license and change Expires or renews, or use Record renewal on the Renewals calendar, which fills in the date one term later.