# 9. Mac - "Invalid mph.license" message

<span dir="ltr">If you get a message on the left bottom corner of the MP Host that the license is invalid it means that the **mph.license** file was not generated for that computer.</span>

<span dir="ltr">You can use the License Manager application (recommended) to create a new license. Download it from the user portal.</span>

<p class="callout info"><span dir="ltr">The hardware.id file is a digital signature of your computer and your mp controller combined, so it is passed to our user portal to generate a license.</span></p>

<span dir="ltr">Alternatively, if you have copied the **hardware.id** and/or the **mph.license** file from another computer (perhaps using the Mac Time Machine) [delete ](https://kb.mpmidi.com/books/mp-controller-documentation/page/3-mp-host-properties-and-config-files)both the **mph.license** and **hardware.id** files and run the MP Host in the DAW to create a new **hardware.id** file.</span>

<span dir="ltr">Unload any instances of the MP Host and then load one MP Host in the DAW. It will create the hardware.id file automatically.</span>

<span dir="ltr">Then, log on your [user portal](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11dFAhWMQkr65AkyxNweT92F7MG87MP08B30MgXvg7-o/edit?slide=id.g34cbf9b63e7_6_0#slide=id.g34cbf9b63e7_6_0) account (see email when you purchased the MP Controller) and upload the **hardware.id** file to generate a new **mph.license** and download it. Then place it in the /MP/Host folder as shown below:</span>

<p class="callout warning">The **hardware.id** and **mph.license** files should have these 2 exact names.</p>

<span dir="ltr">![](https://kb.mpmidi.com/storage/uploads/images/gallery/2025-04/1745653921-3swwJr4fbGVGDnvP.jpg)</span>

<span dir="ltr">**Related articles:**</span>  
<span dir="ltr">[Activating the MP Controller on other computers](https://kb.mpmidi.com/books/mp-controller-documentation/page/21-activating-the-mp-controller-on-other-computers)</span>  
<span dir="ltr">[Get the mph.license from the user portal](https://kb.mpmidi.com/books/mp-controller-documentation/page/22-get-the-mphlicense-from-the-user-portal)</span>