Resolving Automation License Manager Not Showing License Keys

The Siemens Automation License Manager (ALM) is the license management backbone for the TIA Portal engineering framework, WinCC visualization suites, SINAMICS Startdrive, and a wide range of SIMATIC option packages. When ALM opens but the license key list is empty, shows stale entries, or fails to detect keys present on a local or network license server, engineering work halts. This reference consolidates the diagnostic and remediation procedures for the failure mode in which ALM does not show installed or network-resident license keys, including the Edge WebView2 dependency path that frequently causes the symptom on Windows 10/11 PG/PCs.

1. Problem Definition

The failure is observed when the ALM user interface launches successfully, but the central license list pane reports one of the following states:

• No entries appear in the "Available licenses" or "Used licenses" tab after ALM enumerates a local storage location or a network license server.
• License keys that were previously visible disappear from the list following a Windows cumulative update or an Edge browser/Edge WebView2 Runtime update.
• Searching for a known CoL (Certificate of License) key ID returns "No matching license keys found" even though the key file (.zip or .alf) is present on disk.
• Right-clicking the destination storage location and selecting "Search license..." produces a blank result set.

Engineering software (for example TIA Portal, WinCC, Startdrive) then reports error messages such as "No valid license found. Please restart with a valid license key." or "Required license not available." even though the key is technically installed on the system.

2. Affected Products and Versions

ALM V6.0 and later (the TIA-era plug-in) renders its management UI through the Microsoft Edge WebView2 control. STEP 7 V5.x with ALM V5.3 uses the older WinForms interface and is not affected by the WebView2 dependency. If the failing PG/PC hosts both frameworks, verify the user is launching the correct ALM executable:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\bin\almservice.exe – TIA-era service
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\bin\almsrv.exe – Legacy V5.x service
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\bin\alm.exe – Management UI launcher

3. Root Cause Analysis

ALM is a hybrid 32-bit/64-bit application whose UI shell is hosted in WebView2 starting with ALM V6.0. The list-pane of the management interface is rendered as HTML/JS in the WebView2 process (msedgewebview2.exe) and reads the live license inventory from the ALM service over a local named-pipe or TCP loopback interface on port 4410 by default. When the UI process fails to initialize, it returns an empty list because the service-side enumeration is never requested from the management pane.

The four primary root causes observed in the field are:

1. Corrupted or missing Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime. A failed in-place upgrade of Edge, a corporate image missing the Evergreen Runtime, or a partially removed WebView2 installation prevents the management UI from rendering. Symptom: ALM window opens but list is blank or greyed.
2. SystemComponent flag set on the WebView2 uninstaller key. Windows hides the WebView2 entry from Apps & Features when the SystemComponent REG_DWORD is 1, which prevents the standard Repair action. Symptom: Repair option missing; no entry in Programs and Features.
3. ALM service not started or stuck in Starting state. A previous crash, antivirus quarantine of almservice.exe, or port conflict on 4410 prevents the service from publishing the license database. Symptom: ALM UI launches; the status bar shows "ALM service not reachable".
4. License key file (.alf) not migrated to the current ALM storage location. After upgrading TIA Portal the legacy key path (C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Keys\S7-1500 etc.) is sometimes not picked up. Symptom: keys visible in legacy ALM V5.3 but missing in ALM V6.x.

4. Diagnostic Procedure

Run the following checks in order. Each check produces a binary outcome that maps to a remediation path in section 5.

4.1 Confirm the ALM service state

1. Open Computer Management → Services and Applications → Services.
2. Locate ALM LicenseServerService (TIA) and ALMSRV (legacy, if present).
3. Confirm the service is Running and the startup type is Automatic.
4. Open a command prompt and run netstat -ano | findstr :4410. The ALM service should be listening on 127.0.0.1:4410 and the owning PID must match the almservice.exe process.

4.2 Confirm the WebView2 Runtime is present

1. Open Control Panel → Programs and Features (or Settings → Apps → Installed apps on Windows 11).
2. Search for Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime. The Evergreen channel package reports a version of 120.x.x.x or later for 2024–2025.
3. If the entry is absent, jump to section 5.1 for download. If it is present, note the installed version and proceed.

4.3 Inspect the SystemComponent flag

1. Open regedit as Administrator.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Microsoft EdgeWebView.
3. Inspect the SystemComponent REG_DWORD value. A value of 1 indicates Windows is suppressing the Repair option.

4.4 Inspect the ALM log directory

ALM writes diagnostic information to:

• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Log\ – UI log
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Logs\ – Service log

Open the most recent ALMUI_<date>.log file. Look for the strings WebView2Loader.dll, E_FAIL, HRESULT 0x80072EE7, or license database locked – each maps to a different remediation path described in section 5.

4.5 Map log strings to cause

5. Solution Paths

5.1 Repair the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime

The Evergreen runtime is required because ALM V6.0+ renders its list pane through the embedded Chromium control. If the runtime is missing or corrupted, the management shell cannot enumerate keys, even though the underlying service is healthy.

1. Close all ALM instances and stop the service: net stop "ALM LicenseServerService"
2. Repair the runtime through the standard installer. If the entry is hidden in Apps & Features, proceed to section 5.2 to expose it.
3. Download the latest Evergreen Standalone Installer from the Microsoft Edge WebView2 official download page. Use the Evergreen Standalone Installer (x64) for 64-bit PG/PCs.
4. Run the installer with the silent repair switch: MicrosoftEdgeWebview2Setup.exe /silent /repair
5. Reboot the PG/PC. The runtime version can be confirmed in Apps & Features; it should match the latest stable Edge channel release.

5.2 Expose the WebView2 entry in Programs and Features

When SystemComponent = 1, the Repair and Uninstall options are suppressed, and on Windows 10 the entry may not even appear in the installed apps list. The following registry modification un-hides the package so that Apps & Features exposes the Modify button.

1. Open regedit as Administrator.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Microsoft EdgeWebView.
3. Double-click the SystemComponent REG_DWORD value.
4. Change the value data from 1 to 0 (base: hexadecimal).
5. Close regedit and reopen Settings → Apps → Installed apps. The Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime entry is now visible with a Modify button.
6. Click Modify and choose Repair.

5.3 Restore the ALM service

1. Confirm no other process is bound to TCP 4410: netstat -ano | findstr :4410. If a third-party process owns the port, change the ALM service port in almservice.ini and restart the service.
2. Open Services, right-click ALM LicenseServerService, and select Restart.
3. If the service fails to start with error 1053: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion, check antivirus logs for quarantine of almservice.exe or almsrv.exe and add an exception.
4. Confirm the service executable is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\bin\almservice.exe and that the Log On account is Local System.

5.4 Re-point the license key storage

After a TIA Portal major version upgrade, the license key file path is updated to reflect the new CoL. The old path remains on disk but is not enumerated by the new ALM. Per the official TIA Portal licensing documentation:

1. Launch ALM.
2. Right-click the source storage location and choose Search/Install license.
3. Browse to the legacy *.zip CoL file or the previous Keys\ folder. ALM will copy all valid keys to the current storage location and re-index them.
4. Verify the keys now appear in the management list. If the dialog returns No matching upgrade license keys found, see section 5.5.

5.5 Resolve "No matching upgrade license keys found"

This dialog appears when ALM cannot correlate a new CoL key to the previous product version. The condition is documented in the Automation License Manager manual (PDF) section on missing license keys.

1. Confirm the new CoL key was actually issued for the upgraded TIA Portal version. The certificate folder name in the CoL ZIP follows the pattern AX NF ZZ yymmdd where NF encodes the TIA version (for example V20 for TIA Portal V20).
2. Compare the new CoL key ID with the old key ID. Upgrade keys are tied to the original key ID; ALM matches on this identifier.
3. If the IDs match but the upgrade dialog still fails, delete the index cache at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Index\ and restart ALM.
4. If the problem persists, raise a support request via the Siemens Industry Online Support portal and attach the ALM log directory described in section 4.4.

6. WebView2 Update Path for Managed Environments

Many engineering PCs are managed through a corporate WSUS, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM / SCCM), or a Software Center distribution. The Evergreen WebView2 Runtime is updated independently of the Windows image, and corporate policies that gate Edge updates will gate the WebView2 channel as well.

7. Full Rebuild Procedure (When Partial Fix Fails)

If the WebView2 repair, registry fix, and ALM service restart do not restore the license list, perform a full rebuild:

1. Stop the ALM service: net stop "ALM LicenseServerService"
2. Uninstall ALM via Apps & Features. The package name is Siemens Automation License Manager.
3. Repair the WebView2 Runtime (section 5.1).
4. Reboot. The reboot is required because the WebView2 process and the ALM service hold file handles on shared components in C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\.
5. Reinstall ALM from the TIA Portal installation medium (DVD or download package) using the Setup autorun or the standalone ALM setup located at Support\AutomationLicenseManager\Setup.exe in the install media.
6. Restart the service. The default startup account is Local System; confirm this matches the value recorded in section 4.1.
7. Re-install the license keys. Place the CoL .zip in a known folder, launch ALM, and drag the ZIP onto the management list, or use Search/Install license to point at the folder.

8. Verification Checklist

Use this checklist to confirm a clean state after remediation:

• ALM service is Running and reports Automatic startup type.
• netstat -ano | findstr :4410 shows almservice.exe listening on 127.0.0.1:4410.
• Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime is present and at a recent stable version (for 2024–2025: 120.x or newer).
• ALM UI launches and the central list pane populates with the expected local and network keys within 10 seconds.
• TIA Portal or WinCC opens without the Required license not available error.
• The ALM log directory shows no entries containing E_FAIL or HRESULT 0x for the most recent session.

9. Related Conditions and Field-Proven Caveats

• Edge browser uninstall on Windows 10/11 does not remove the WebView2 Runtime. The two are separate packages. A common misdiagnosis is to assume that reinstalling Microsoft Edge will fix the ALM UI; it will not. The WebView2 Runtime must be repaired or reinstalled directly.
• Antivirus quarantine of msedgewebview2.exe. Some endpoint protection products flag the WebView2 child process because of its Chromium origin. Whitelist the entire WebView2 install path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application\.
• CoL upgrade chains. When upgrading across multiple major TIA versions (for example V16 → V18 → V20), the upgrade keys form a chain. Skipping an intermediate version breaks the chain. Verify that every intermediate CoL has been activated.
• Network license server visibility. The ALM UI list is built from the local service cache. If a network license server is unreachable, the entries appear dimmed with a red icon rather than disappearing. Treat the "no keys shown" condition as a local-stack issue, not a network issue, until proven otherwise.
• Mixed ALM V5.3 and V6.x on the same PC. STEP 7 V5.x installs ALM V5.3 with the legacy WinForms UI. The V5.3 service (almsrv.exe) listens on a different port and stores keys in C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Keys\. The V6.x service (almservice.exe) stores keys in versioned sub-folders. Confirm the user is checking the V6.x service list when the failing software is TIA Portal.

10. Escalation Path

If the verification checklist still fails after the full rebuild, escalate through the following channels with the diagnostic artifacts ready:

1. Collect the contents of %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Log\ and C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Logs\.
2. Capture the output of msinfo32 /report %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\msinfo.txt for the PG/PC hardware and OS build.
3. Note the exact TIA Portal version, the ALM plug-in version, and the WebView2 Runtime version (from Apps & Features).
4. Open a support request through the Siemens Industry Online Support portal. Select Product: Automation License Manager and attach the artifacts.

11. Reference Matrix: Error to Fix

12. FAQ