For admins: How concurrent license seats are allocated

How exactly does the concurrent license model work?

Who this article is for

This article is for ATLAS.ti users and administrators working with multi-user or campus licenses who want to understand how license seats are shared among users.

What are seats and how they are used

ATLAS.ti multi-user licenses operate with a concurrent seat model. This means your license provides a certain number of seats, and each seat can be used by one person at a time.

For example, a 1-user license provides 1 seat, while a 5-user license provides 5 seats. At any given moment, only that many users can actively run ATLAS.ti.

When a user opens ATLAS.ti for Windows, Mac, or Web, the software connects to the license server and validates the license. At that moment, one license seat is occupied. The seat remains occupied for as long as the user is actively using the software.

When the user closes the application, logs out, or frees the seat, the seat is automatically released and returned to the shared pool. Another user can then start ATLAS.ti and use that seat. Concurrent usage simply means how many people are using the software at the same time.

A Single User License is still a Multi-User License, it is simply a license that provides one seat. This works within the same system as other multi-user licenses and can be shared with others if desired, but only one person can use the software at a time.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of the concurrent license model, please refer to the video tutorial below.

License Pools

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.

Managing Licenses

Administrators can manage users, monitor seat usage, and control license access from the ATLAS.ti account management portal: https://my.atlasti.com. From this page, administrators can invite users, manage licenses, and view how seats are being used.

When to Contact Support

Contact ATLAS.ti Support if:

• Seats appear to remain occupied even after all users have closed ATLAS.ti and logged out.
• Users cannot start ATLAS.ti even though the account portal shows that seats should be available.
• The license behaves inconsistently across devices or platforms (Windows, Mac, or Web) in ways that cannot be explained by normal seat usage.
• Administrators notice unusual or unexplained license activity in the account management portal.

If you encounter situations like these and the behavior cannot be resolved through normal seat management, the support team can help investigate further.