Unable to update my EmPress theme and/or plugins

Users are typically unable to update their EmPress products when they've registered their license key to a domain they no longer use. This often happens if you were customizing your site on a staging environment, or if you've changed domain names (URLs) since the last time you updated your products. 

When your license key is registered to a domain no longer in use, common errors you will receive include:

  • "Update failed" 
  • "Site is inactive"
  • "Unauthorized"
  • "Activation limit reached"

To use your license key on a new site or domain, you must deactivate the key on the domain where it's currently activated. There are two ways to do this:


Update via the My Account area 

(recommended for all products)

Log in at empressthemes.com/account with the email address you used to purchase your theme, then go to the License Key tab and click on Manage Sites next to your theme. 

1. Head to your  My Account area at empressthemes.com by going to empressthemes.com/account. You’ll be prompted to login.

2. Once you’re logged in, click on the  License Keys tab.

3. Look for the product whose license key you are trying to activate. In the example below, we’re activating a license for the Rania theme. Click Manage Sites.

4. In the screen that loads, you should see the previous domain attached to your license. Click Deactivate Site on the right. On you deactivate, that will free up your license key to use on another site.

5. Now, fill in your new URL in the open field to add your site to the license/product. Click Add Site to complete the process.


Alternative Method

For Archer, Brevier, Miramar, Presidio and Rania theme users: 

Go to the licensing page in your WordPress admin area (under Appearance > Getting Started for themes; under Settings for plugins), then click the button to deactivate your license on the site where you no longer need to use the theme or plugin. You should now be able to re-add in your license key and re-register the new domain.


Staging Site Licenses

Our licensing system allows a license key to be activated on development sites, but the development URL has to be staging.yourdomain.com or dev.yourdomain.com. Otherwise, the system will not recognize your test site as a development site, and will count the license registration towards your 1-site activation limit. 

If you have a specific URL you always use for staging/development that isn't staging. or dev., our support team can add that to the approved URLs attached to your license key. Please submit a support ticket at empressthemes.com/contact for assistance with this.