# Starting and stopping the License Manager

1. Launch the ArcGIS License Server Administrator from Start > Programs > ArcGIS > License Server Administrator.
2. Select Start/Stop License Service in the table of contents using the Start, Stop, or Re-read Licenses buttons to manage the license service.

From the command line, switch to the License Manager installation location . The default installation location is C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\LicenseManager\bin, or for versions prior to 2021.0: C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\LicenseManager\bin (32-bit machine) or C:\Program Files (x86)\ArcGIS\LicenseManager\bin (64-bit machine). Run the following commands:

To start the License Manager:

c:\program files\arcgis\licensemanager\bin> lmgrd -z -c service.txt

To stop the License Manager:

c:\program files\arcgis\licensemanager\bin> lmutil lmdown -c service.txt -force

For Linux, use the following command to launch the License Server Administrator:

[ install_path ]/arcgis/licensemanager/LSAdmin

To start and stop the license service, use the same commands as for Windows Operating System above or run the following scripts:

Start the License Manager:

[ install_path ]/bin/start_license_server.sh

Stop the License Manager:

[ install_path ]/bin/stop_license_server.sh

Note:

Restarting the license server will overwrite existing data in the debug log. If you wish to save the existing data, make a backup of the debug log before restarting the license server or rebooting the machine, or alternatively use the DEBUGLOG option. The audit log is not affected by restarting the license server.