For admins: How concurrent license seats are allocated

Who this article is for

Anyone using or managing an ATLAS.ti multi-user or campus license who wants to understand how license seats are shared among users. Please note, the only ATLAS.ti licenses that cannot be shared are student licenses and ATLAS.ti Web-only licenses.  

How license seats work in ATLAS.ti

ATLAS.ti Desktop and Web licenses use a concurrent use model. This means:

• You can install ATLAS.ti on multiple devices and invite multiple users to a license
• The number of users specified in the license refers only to how many users can use ATLAS.ti at the same time
• A license seat is occupied when a user is logged into ATLAS.ti (Windows, Mac, or Web).
• The seat remains in use while the application is open and is automatically released when the user:
  • Logs out from ATLAS.ti
  • Click "Free up My Seat" at my.atlasti.com
• All licenses can be shared except:
  • Student licenses
  • ATLAS.ti Web-only licenses

Example 1 – How seats are allocated across multiple users

You're invited 8 users to a multi user license 5 users:

• When the first user logs in, 1 seat is occupied and 4 remain available.
• When a second user logs in, 2 seats are occupied and 3 remain.
• This pattern continues until the fifth user logs in, at which point all seats are in use.
• At that stage, a sixth user cannot use the license.
• To make a seat available, one of the current users must either log out or manually free up their seat via my.atlasti.com. Once a seat is released, it becomes available for another user.

Example 2 – How seats are allocated with one user on multiple computers

Each active session counts as one seat, even if it is the same user:

• User A logs in on Windows, occupying 1 seat.
• When the same user opens ATLAS.ti Web, an additional seat is used, bringing the total to 2.
• User B then logs in on Mac, increasing the count to 3 seats, followed by User C on Mac (4 seats), and User D on Windows (5 seats).
• In this case:
  • All 5 seats are occupied
  • Although there are only 4 users, one user is using multiple sessions, which occupies more than one seat

Combining multiple licenses into one pool 

If an administrator activates multiple licenses of the same type under the same account, their seats are combined into a single license pool. 

For example: 

• Two licenses with 1 seat each → 2 seats available in the pool 
• One 5-seat license → 5 seats available in the pool 

All invited users share seats from this combined pool. 

Common issues and mistakes

• I cannot use ATLAS.ti even though I was invited
  • All seats may currently be in use. Try again later or ask another user to log out.
• I am using ATLAS.ti on multiple devices
  • Each session uses a separate seat. Close unused sessions or use “Free up my seats” in my.atlasti.com to release them.
• I thought seats are assigned per user
  • Seats are assigned per active session, not per user, platform, nor computer.
• A seat appears to still be in use
  • The application may still be open on another device or session.

When to contact support

Contact ATLAS.ti Support if:

• Seats appear to remain occupied even after users have logged out or closed the application
• You cannot start ATLAS.ti even though seats should be available
• License usage behaves unexpectedly or does not match what you see in your account

When contacting support, please include:

• The email address associated with your ATLAS.ti account
• A description of the issue
• Screenshots of the license status, if available