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You may have heard about upcoming changes to Citrix licensing in 2026. Designed as a streamlined alternative to traditional Citrix legacy licensing, LAS introduces new modules for product activation, making license management more seamless.
As the changes are going to be significant, we wanted to make sure you knew about what’s happening and why.
To do this, we’ve worked with our in-house Citrix experts, including our Head of Presales, Kris Haynes, to answer some of the most common questions our customers have about Citrix’s License Activation Service (LAS).
Q: What is LAS?
A: LAS is Citrix’s License Activation Service. It will replace traditional file-based licensing, which Citrix is removing support for, starting April 15th 2026.
Q: What will happen when this support is removed?
A: Once support for file-based licensing is removed, on-premises products will only recognise licensing through LAS. Any remaining file-based licenses will stop functioning.
Q: Why is Citrix moving to LAS?
A: These changes are all about modernising architecture.
It gets rid of the need to update license files for renewals or new purchases manually. The License Activation Service also lets you deploy multiple on-prem, load-balanced, license servers instead of clusters or idle VMs.
If you’ve got an on-premise environment, LAS also lets your local Citrix License Server act as a broker. This means it will periodically sync entitlements from LAS (once connected to Citrix Cloud), making downtime from expired licenses less likely.
The LAS is also more resilient. If your license server temporarily loses connectivity to Citrix Cloud, it will cache entitlements, allowing you to continue as normal for up to 30 days.
Q: Which Citrix products will be affected by this change?
A: This change will affect on-premise Citrix products. This includes:
- Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD)
- Provisioning Services (PVS)
- NetScaler/ADC appliances
- XenServer
- Unicon Scout, and others that depend on local license validation
The transition won’t affect customers who are only running Citrix Cloud services (like Citrix DaaS or cloud-hosted Gateway Services). Those models already operate through cloud entitlement frameworks.
Q: Do we have to move all of our infrastructure to Citrix Cloud?
A: No – only your on‑premises License Server needs to register with Citrix Cloud.
Q: What if our environment is air-gapped / on a high-security isolated network?
A: Our experience tells us that these are very unlikely to be approved unless operating in very niche sectors or in a highly regulated industry. Don’t solely rely on getting approval in these cases, and allow plenty of time to prepare a Plan B/work with a partner to understand your options.
Q: How should we be preparing for the LAS transition?
A: Your preparations for the move to LAS should prioritise these 4 important actions.
1. Inventory Your Environment
You should know exactly what you’re using, including:
- Your license server version
- All CVAD versions in use
- NetScaler and XenServer versions
Many customers consider CVAD but forget about the wider stack – as Kris says, “they’ve not thought about the impact on XenServer, Unicon and/or NetScaler.” It’s important that you consider all platforms when first taking inventory.
The transition won’t affect customers who are only running Citrix Cloud services (like Citrix DaaS or cloud-hosted Gateway Services). Those models already operate through cloud entitlement frameworks.
You should also find out which of your licenses are file-based and which are LAS-compatible. This will save you some headaches later!
2. Upgrade to LAS-Compatible Versions
Now you know which licenses won’t work with LAS, upgrade those to the supported versions.
- License Server: version 11.17.2 build 53100 or later
- CVAD: current release 2411, or LTSR versions like 2203 CU7, 2402 CU3, or 2507
- NetScaler ADC: versions 14.1-51.x or 13.1-60.x
- XenServer: version 8.4 or newer with required updates
3. Enable Network Connectivity
When you do this, it means your on-premises License Server can register with Citrix Cloud. You’ll need outbound HTTPS connectivity to the LAS endpoint.
Don’t worry about data loss – if you do lose connectivity, there’s up to 30 days of cached licensing.
4. Post-Migration Validation
Once you’ve finished migrating your licenses to the LAS, don’t forget to test your upgraded and registered environment. Licenses should appear correctly, and end-users shouldn’t experience any disruption.
As with any major update, continually check for licensing errors or access issues, and update your documentation and processes for future renewals if needed. You should also ensure there’s a rollback plan in place.
Q: What happens if we don’t do anything by 15th April, 2026?
A: Regardless of what you do, file-based licensing will have no support beyond Wednesday, 15th April 2026.
This means that any on-premises products not on LAS will stop recognising their licenses, affecting both functionality and end-user access.
Q: What are the biggest service risks we should be aware of?
- Network and Firewall Changes: You’ll need to change your firewall to allow LAS to be registered.
- Version Alignment: Give yourself and your team the time to test your newer, LAS-compatible versions once you’ve brought them in.
- Compliance and Security: You’ll definitely need extra time for the LAS transition if your company has isolation requirements or compliance constraints. Carefully assess data flows and connectivity patterns.
Q: We have a specific license type – will we have to do anything differently?
A: Yes. If you use:
- A perpetual license
- Legacy NetScaler license types, e.g. pooled vCPU or CICO (Concurrent In/Concurrent Out) models
…then there may be more constraints on your licenses as a result of LAS.
Our consulting team are on hand to advise you on the specific implications, please get in touch if you would like to discuss your setup and get tailored advice on your options.
Q: What resources are Citrix offering to support us?
Due to the scale of this change, Citrix are offering many resources designed to support you.
This includes detailed documentation on the LAS migration process. For specific guidance for your environment, you should go to your Citrix account team first.
Though Citrix’s move to LAS is significant, it doesn’t have to disrupt your business. As long as you approach it as methodically as you would any other upgrade – and use support – it should be a smooth transition.
Are you still looking for help with your company’s move to the License Activation Service?
Or are you delaying action, as you don’t know if your Citrix environment will be impacted by the change?
Whatever stage you’re at, contact our team now – they have the knowledge and experience to support you.
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