Annual license
SPSS 27 is licensed on an annual basis. Students and researchers using this software on their personal PCs have to update the software license each year when a new license is made available on the Course Resources page.
Users of the software will be made aware that the license is about to expire each time they launch the software for 30 days prior to expiration. After the month's notice period, after which the app will cease to function unless a new license is applied.
Obtaining a new License
Newly updated licenses will be made available on the Course Resources page where the software is also available for download. It is best to copy the new license key and save it to a text file on your computer such as Notepad or Sticky Notes, this will ensure that there are no invisible formating characters in the key string.
Applying a new License
Before attempting to update the license on SPSS, all running SPSS windows must be closed as, at present, it is not permissible to relicense the app whilst there is a running instance. It is best to restart the PC prior to relicensing the app, although this is not a requirement. Your PC will need an Internet connection to complete this process.
1. Click on the Start button and scroll down until the IBM SPSS Statistics entry is displayed as below, 
2. Click the downward-facing chevron located to the right revealing the following
Select the IBM SPSS Statistics 27 License Authorization Wizard
3. The following window will display
4. Click the Next button
5. Click the Next button
6. Paste the new license obtained from the Course Resources website earlier into the Enter Code field and click Add, then click the Next button.
The wizard will communicate with the license server at IBM and provided that all is in order (i.e. the correct license was selected) the license will be applied. Close any follow-up windows as necessary. SPSS will now be available for use again.
