Problem Overview
The WinCC WebNavigator client connection may succeed at the network level, but immediately present a modal dialog reading "The server is currently in demo mode. View only client login!" The web server continues to function in a read-only state after the dialog is dismissed, but every connected client is silently downgraded to a view-only session. This symptom is one of the most common commissioning complaints for older WinCC V6.0 SP3 / V6.1 and WinCC V7.x WebNavigator installations and also appears in current TIA Portal V20 environments when the runtime license matrix is incomplete.
The dialog is generated by the WebNavigator server (or WebNavigator client for the RT Professional variant) when the runtime license set that the server has discovered does not match the operation the active user is attempting. Read-only access is the only capability the runtime can guarantee without the missing license, hence the downgrade to demo mode.
Affected Versions and Environments
The symptom has been reproduced across the following release lines:
| Component | Affected Version | Status |
|---|---|---|
| WinCC RC (Runtime Configuration) | V6.0 SP3, license 1024 | Legacy, still in service |
| WinCC WebNavigator Server | V6.1, 10-client license | Legacy |
| WinCC WebNavigator Client (ActiveX) | V6.x / V7.x | Legacy IE-based |
| WinCC Professional (TIA Portal) | V17 / V18 / V19 / V20 | Current |
| WebNavigator RT Professional (TIA) | V17 / V18 / V19 / V20 | Current |
| Automation License Manager | ALM 5.x / 6.x | All versions |
| Internet Explorer | 9 / 10 / 11 (legacy installations) | Pre-Edge Chromium era |
Root Cause Analysis
The dialog text "The server is currently in demo mode. View only client login!" is produced by the WebNavigator runtime license check. The check evaluates three independent state variables and any single failure is sufficient to force demo mode:
- Missing or unmatched runtime license: The license that the WebNavigator server has been authorized for (count, type, version) does not match the user count attempting to connect. License 1024 on a WinCC RC V6.0 SP3 system designates the engineering/RC count, while WebNavigator V6.1 is licensed separately and requires its own authorization entry.
- Missing optional feature license: Specific WebNavigator features (DataMonitor, Just Monitor, Process Historian access, alarm acknowledgment) require additional authorizations on top of the base WebNavigator license. The most common cause in field cases is authorization number 1002 "DataMonitor - Just monitor!" in the WinCC User Administration.
- User authorization not granted: The connected user is assigned an authorization that requires a runtime feature whose license is not present. The runtime has the license, the user does not have the right, or vice versa; the result is the same dialog.
The key insight from field reports is that the Automation License Manager showed every installed license as "in use", which makes an inexperienced engineer assume the license is recognized. The ALM reports presence and state; the WebNavigator runtime performs a separate mapping between user authorization IDs (numeric) and license feature IDs (also numeric), and the runtime does not consult ALM directly to validate the user-to-feature mapping. Therefore a fully populated ALM display does not guarantee that the WebNavigator server can resolve the user authorization.
License Topology
A correct WinCC WebNavigator deployment contains a stacked license model. Any missing row in this stack can cause the demo-mode dialog.
| Layer | Authorization / License | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WinCC RC base license (e.g., 1024-point RC V6.0 SP3) | Engineering and runtime configuration rights |
| 2 | WinCC RT license | Runtime execution rights on the server |
| 3 | WebNavigator server license | Publishes the project via HTTP/S for remote clients |
| 4 | WebNavigator client count license (e.g., 10-user) | Concurrent remote client sessions |
| 5 | DataMonitor license (if used) | Trend/table export and web-based reporting |
| 6 | Just Monitor authorization (1002) | View-only client access class for the active user |
The original report shows that the engineer installed layers 1, 2, and 4 (RC 1024, RT, WebNavigator 6.1) but had inadvertently enabled user authorization 1002 "DataMonitor - Just monitor!" on a user who should not have been in that class, or had not installed the corresponding feature license (layer 5). In either case, the runtime resolved the user authorization to a feature ID and found no matching installed license, so the server dropped to demo mode.
Step-by-Step Resolution
The resolution has two parallel paths. Execute both and the dialog will be cleared.
Path A — User Administration Correction
- Open the WinCC Explorer on the server.
- Right-click User Administration and select Open.
- Open the user record that is logging into WebNavigator from the client.
- Switch to the Authorizations tab.
- Locate authorization 1002 "DataMonitor - Just monitor!".
- If the user does not actually require DataMonitor read-only access, uncheck the box. This is the most common fix and matches the field case resolution.
- If the user does require DataMonitor read-only access, leave 1002 checked and proceed to Path B to install the missing license.
- Save the user administration and close WinCC Explorer.
- Restart the WinCC Runtime (or restart the WebNavigator Server service) so the runtime re-reads the authorization table.
Path B — License Installation
- Close all WinCC components on the server.
- Open Automation License Manager (ALM) from the Siemens program group.
- Verify that the WebNavigator license is present and not in defective state.
- Verify that the DataMonitor license is present if any user is assigned authorization 1002.
- Insert the missing license dongle or transfer the license from the license pool using the ALM Transfer License function.
- Reboot the server if the ALM dialog recommends it (license transfers that change a license's host binding require a service restart cycle).
- Restart WinCC Runtime and reconnect from the WebNavigator client.
Verification
- Open Internet Explorer on the client machine and navigate to
http://<server>/WebNavigator/(legacy) or the TIA V20 equivalent URL. - Log in with the affected user credentials.
- Observe whether the demo mode dialog appears. If it does not, the resolution is complete.
- Open the WinCC User Administration on the server and confirm the user now shows the correct authorization profile.
- Test a feature that previously required the missing license (e.g., a DataMonitor trend view) to confirm the license is fully resolved.
- Check the WebNavigator server log file (default location:
\Siemens\WinCC\WebNavigator\Diagnostics\in legacy versions, or the equivalent in TIA Portal V20) for any remaining license warnings.
ActiveX Control and Browser Prerequisites
The WebNavigator client in legacy WinCC V6/V7 is implemented as an ActiveX control loaded by Internet Explorer. Several prerequisites must be in place before the demo-mode dialog can be properly diagnosed, because an ActiveX load failure can mask or imitate license issues. The official TIA Portal V20 WebNavigator documentation states that the ActiveX control must be installed before WinCC and the WebNavigator server or client, and that if the ActiveX control does not function without errors, the WebNavigator cannot be loaded at all.
| Prerequisite | Requirement | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| ActiveX control | Must be installed prior to WebNavigator server/client install | General information about WebNavigator |
| Internet Explorer | 9 / 10 / 11 in compatibility mode for legacy installs; TIA V20 uses Edge-based WebClient | Siemens WinCC installation manual |
| WinCC entry in Autostart | Remove if present; reboot required after removal | Installing the WebNavigator Client (RT Professional) |
| Local admin rights | Required for first install and ActiveX registration | Siemens WinCC installation manual |
| Trusted sites / Intranet zone | WebNavigator server URL must be in IE Trusted Sites for ActiveX | IE security policy |
The Autostart issue is specifically called out in the official TIA V20 WebNavigator client installation guide: if WinCC has been entered in the Autostart directory, remove the item and reboot the computer. The symptom of a stuck WinCC process from an autostart entry can produce a half-initialized runtime that reports as demo mode because the license handshake never completes.
Diagnostics Matrix
Use the following matrix to triage the demo-mode dialog against likely causes and corrections.
| Symptom | Probable Cause | Diagnostic Step | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dialog appears, ALM shows licenses in use | User authorization 1002 enabled without DataMonitor license | Open User Administration, check authorization 1002 | Uncheck 1002 or install DataMonitor license |
| Dialog appears, ALM shows license missing | WebNavigator license not installed | ALM → License Inventory | Install WebNavigator license and reboot |
| Dialog appears only for some users | Per-user authorization mismatch | Compare user authorization IDs with license feature IDs | Adjust user authorizations to match installed features |
| Dialog appears after a Windows update | License binding lost (USB dongle driver or service account change) | ALM Event Log for binding errors | Re-bind license, restart ALM service |
| Dialog appears and ActiveX fails to load | ActiveX not pre-installed or IE security blocked | IE → Manage Add-ons → WinCC WebNavigator control | Reinstall ActiveX, add server to Trusted Sites |
| Dialog appears intermittently | License pool checkout racing with concurrent client count | ALM concurrent-use log | Increase client count license or reduce concurrent sessions |
| Dialog appears, WinCC entry in Autostart | Runtime started before license service ready | msconfig → Autostart tab | Remove WinCC from Autostart and reboot |
Diagnostic Commands and Locations
Use the following utilities and paths to gather evidence before changing configuration.
| Tool / Path | Default Location | What to Look For |
|---|---|---|
| Automation License Manager | Start → Siemens → Automation License Manager | License state, event log, host binding |
| WinCC User Administrator | WinCC Explorer → User Administration | Authorization 1002 assignment per user |
| WebNavigator diagnostic logs | %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\WebNavigator\Diagnostics |
License feature IDs at session start |
| WinCC project path | Project properties → WebNavigator tab | Published screens, user configuration |
| Windows Event Viewer | eventvwr.msc → Application log | ALM and WinCC service events |
| IE Manage Add-ons | IE → Tools → Manage Add-ons | ActiveX control status |
Preventive Configuration
Once the dialog is cleared, apply the following preventive measures to avoid recurrence.
- Maintain a single WinCC user authorization matrix document and review it whenever a license change is made.
- Audit the Just monitor authorization (1002) for every WebNavigator user; do not enable it by default.
- After any ALM change, restart the WebNavigator Server service rather than only the WinCC Runtime, to force a fresh license handshake.
- Keep the ActiveX control current and confirm Internet Explorer Trusted Sites configuration for the WebNavigator server URL.
- Avoid placing WinCC components in the Windows Autostart directory; use a controlled service start order instead.
- Document the license stack (RC, RT, WebNavigator server, WebNavigator client count, DataMonitor) in a machine-readable file so audits can verify completeness.
Migration Notes (V6/V7 → TIA Portal V20)
Engineers maintaining the legacy V6.x system should plan for migration to TIA Portal V20 WebNavigator RT Professional. Key differences that affect the demo-mode dialog:
- The browser is no longer Internet Explorer with ActiveX; TIA V20 uses an Edge-based WebClient with a different deployment model.
- License management is consolidated in TIA Portal; the same authorization model applies but is exposed through the TIA Portal Administration.
- The Autostart entry behavior is explicitly documented; see the official Installing the WebNavigator Client (RT Professional) procedure.
- ActiveX control installation order remains a hard prerequisite per the General information about WebNavigator document.
Related Symptoms and Distinguishing Tests
Several other WinCC WebNavigator issues can produce dialogs that look similar to the demo-mode warning. Use the following distinguishing tests to confirm the diagnosis.
| Symptom | Likely Different Cause | Test |
|---|---|---|
| "WebNavigator not available on this server" | WebNavigator server not installed or not started | Check Windows services for WebNavigator Server |
| "Connection to server lost" after dialog | Network or DCOM permissions | Test ping and telnet to server port |
| "Login failed" instead of demo mode | User credentials or domain trust | Check WinCC User Administration password |
| Empty web page with no dialog | IIS not running or wrong port | Open IIS Manager and confirm site is started |
| "ActiveX control could not be loaded" | ActiveX not pre-installed or IE blocked | IE → Manage Add-ons, reinstall ActiveX |
What does the WinCC WebNavigator 'server is currently in demo mode' error mean?
It means the WebNavigator runtime detected a missing or mismatched license for a feature the active user is authorized to use. The server falls back to read-only operation. The most common cause is that the user has authorization 1002 "DataMonitor - Just monitor!" enabled without the corresponding DataMonitor license being installed.
How do I clear authorization 1002 in WinCC User Administration?
Open WinCC Explorer, right-click User Administration, open the user record, switch to the Authorizations tab, and uncheck the box for 1002 "DataMonitor - Just monitor!" Save, close WinCC Explorer, and restart the WinCC Runtime. The dialog will be cleared on the next client login.
Do I need a separate DataMonitor license for WebNavigator Just Monitor access?
If any user is assigned authorization 1002 in the WinCC User Administration, the WebNavigator server requires the DataMonitor license to satisfy the runtime check. The base WebNavigator license alone is not sufficient for that authorization class.
Why does the Automation License Manager show licenses as 'in use' even when WebNavigator reports demo mode?
ALM reports license presence and binding state; the WebNavigator runtime performs a separate user-to-feature authorization check that ALM does not validate. A license can be present and "in use" while the WebNavigator server still cannot resolve a specific user authorization ID to an installed feature.
Where can I find the official WebNavigator installation prerequisites for TIA Portal V20?
The General information about WebNavigator page lists the ActiveX control prerequisite and install order. The Installing the WebNavigator Client (RT Professional) page covers the client install procedure including the Autostart check.