Overview
Siemens SIMATIC WinCC ships in three engineering tiers and three matching runtime tiers inside the TIA Portal framework. The engineering tiers are WinCC Basic, WinCC Comfort/Advanced, and WinCC Professional; the runtime tiers are WinCC RT Basic, WinCC RT Advanced, and WinCC RT Professional. A common field confusion is whether a WinCC Runtime Professional license can execute a project compiled with WinCC Advanced (or with WinCC Comfort), and conversely whether a WinCC Professional engineering license carries the matching runtime entitlement.
The short, unambiguous answer, confirmed in Siemens licensing documentation and field verification: a WinCC RT Professional license cannot operate a project authored in WinCC Advanced, and a WinCC Professional engineering license is not interchangeable with a WinCC RT Professional runtime license. The two families are separate products. This reference explains the license matrix, the version-binding rules, the project-type identifiers TIA Portal embeds inside the compiled runtime file, the installation prerequisites for WinCC RT Professional, and the procedure for selecting the correct runtime when migrating from an Advanced project.
Engineering vs Runtime License Matrix
The TIA Portal licensing model stacks upward in capability but not in substitution. Each tier includes the features of the tier below it on the engineering side only. Runtime substitution is not granted.
| License Product | Type | Includes (Engineering) | Includes (Runtime) | Typical Article Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WinCC Basic (TIA Portal) | ES | Configuration of Basic Panels | — | 6AV2 100-0AA00-0AA0 (legacy) |
| WinCC Comfort / Advanced | ES | Basic + Comfort + Advanced Panels (and RT Advanced config) | — | 6AV2 101-0AA00-0AA0 (Comfort); 6AV2 102-0AA00-0AA0 (Advanced) |
| WinCC Professional | ES | Basic + Comfort + Advanced + Professional Panels (and RT Professional config) | — | 6AV2 103-0AA00-0AA0 (128 PT), 6AV2 103-1AA00-0AA0 (512 PT), 6AV2 103-2AA00-0AA0 (2048 PT), 6AV2 103-3AA00-0AA0 (4096 PT), 6AV2 103-4AA00-0AA0 (max PT) |
| WinCC RT Advanced | RT | — | Runs RT Advanced projects (Panels & PC-based) | 6AV2 104-0AA00-0AA0 (128 PT) and similar |
| WinCC RT Professional | RT | — | Runs RT Professional projects (PC-based SCADA) | 6AV2 105-0AA00-0AA0 (128 PT), 6AV2 105-1AA00-0AA0 (512 PT), 6AV2 105-2AA00-0AA0 (2048 PT), 6AV2 105-3AA00-0AA0 (4096 PT), 6AV2 105-4AA00-0AA0 (max PT) |
The "NumberOfPowerTags" suffix on the article number (128, 512, 2048, 4096, max) defines the maximum count of externally addressable tags the runtime may evaluate. Internal tags do not consume the licensed count.
Project-Type Identifier Inside the Compiled File
TIA Portal embeds a project type marker into the compiled runtime file when you build a project for download or HMI load. The marker is one of:
-
RTAdvancedProject— generated when the target device is a Comfort Panel, an RT Advanced PC station, or any HMI device under the "Panels" or "RT Advanced" device class. -
RTProfessionalProject— generated when the target device is a WinCC RT Professional PC station (SIMATIC PC, IPC, or standard x86 with RT Professional installed).
When the RT Professional service starts, the loader checks this marker. If the marker indicates RTAdvancedProject, the loader rejects the project and the WinCC Explorer logs an initialization error. This is a hard, license-enforced boundary and is not a configuration issue that can be bypassed with a key change.
.fwx for panels or the .mfx/runtime archive for PC-based) with a text viewer and search for the string "RTAdvanced" or "RTProfessional". This is the unambiguous project-type marker for offline diagnosis.
Version-Binding Rules Across Major Releases
The license hierarchy described above applies inside a single major TIA Portal release. Siemens ties WinCC configuration data to the TIA Portal major version. Cross-major compatibility is restricted as follows:
| TIA Portal Version | WinCC ES Edition Available | Matching RT Edition | Project Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| V13 (Update 6+) | Comfort / Advanced / Professional | RT Advanced / RT Professional | V13.x |
| V14 / V14 SP1 | Comfort / Advanced / Professional | RT Advanced / RT Professional | V14.x |
| V15 / V15.1 | Comfort / Advanced / Professional | RT Advanced / RT Professional | V15.x |
| V16 | Comfort / Advanced / Professional | RT Advanced / RT Professional | V16.x |
| V17 | Comfort / Advanced / Professional | RT Advanced / RT Professional | V17.x |
| V18 | Comfort / Advanced / Professional | RT Advanced / RT Professional | V18.x |
| V19 | Comfort / Advanced / Professional | RT Advanced / RT Professional | V19.x |
| V20 | Comfort / Advanced / Professional | RT Advanced / RT Professional | V20.x |
RT Professional V13 cannot load a V17 or V20 project and vice versa. Within the same major version, an RT Professional V13 SP1 Update 6 runtime will load a V13 SP1 Update 6 build of the project. The update / service pack level must match. The official SIMATIC WinCC V8 product page lists the current generation and V20 trial options.
System Requirements for WinCC Runtime Professional
WinCC RT Professional is a Windows-only PC runtime. The following prerequisites apply to the V20 generation; earlier V13/V14/V15/V16/V17/V18/V19 generations have their own equivalent requirements in their respective installation manuals.
- OS: Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2019/2021 LTSC (64-bit), Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise (64-bit), Windows Server 2019 Standard/Datacenter, Windows Server 2022 Standard/Datacenter. 32-bit Windows is not supported.
- RAM: Minimum 8 GB; recommended 16 GB for projects approaching 4096 power tags.
- CPU: x86-64, multi-core. SIMATIC IPCs (IPC227G, IPC277G, IPC647C, IPC847C, IPC1047) are validated targets.
- Disk: SSD with at least 50 GB free for project data, archives, and the SQL Server instance that WinCC RT Professional embeds.
- Display: Single-monitor or multi-monitor; multi-monitor requires a SIMATIC IPC or a validated graphics adapter.
- Software stack: Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8, Microsoft SQL Server 2017/2019 (Express for ≤2 GB archives, Standard for larger), Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ).
- User rights: Local administrator rights during installation. Runtime operation may run under a restricted user after install.
These requirements are documented in the official TIA Portal help under "Installation of WinCC Runtime Professional" at Installation of WinCC Runtime Professional.
Installation Procedure for WinCC Runtime Professional
- Log on to the target Windows machine with local administrator rights.
- Insert the TIA Portal installation medium or mount the V20 (or target major version) installer ISO.
- Launch
Start.exefrom the installation medium. The setup wizard enumerates all installable products. - Select WinCC Runtime Professional under the SCADA components. Do not select WinCC Runtime Advanced — the two are mutually exclusive on the same PC.
- Choose the license transfer method: either local license key on a USB parallel port dongle (older V13/V14) or the Software Certificate / Automation License Manager (ALM) for V15 and later.
- Specify the installation directory (default
C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC RT Professional) and the SQL Server instance name (defaultWinCC). - Complete the install and reboot. The WinCC Explorer entry appears in the Start menu and the
CCStartServerservice is registered. - After verification, restore the user to a non-administrator account for runtime operation per Siemens hardening guidance.
System Limits for WinCC Runtime Professional
System limits vary by the purchased power-tag license tier. The table below summarizes the V20 generation limits; full matrices for earlier versions live in the TIA Portal help at WinCC Runtime Professional system limits.
| Parameter | 128 PT | 512 PT | 2048 PT | 4096 PT | max PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| External power tags | 128 | 512 | 2048 | 4096 | 100,000+ |
| Internal tags | 2,000 | 4,000 | 8,000 | 12,000 | 20,000 |
| Screens | 500 | 500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 5,000 |
| Alarms (configurable) | 2,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 20,000 | 50,000 |
| Archive tags | 200 | 500 | 1,500 | 3,000 | 5,000 |
| User archives | 5 | 10 | 20 | 40 | 100 |
| S7 connections (logical) | 8 | 16 | 32 | 64 | 128 |
| Clients (with WinCC Client) | 5 | 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 |
Approximate numbers; refer to the official V20 help for binding values.
Migrating an Advanced Project to WinCC RT Professional
If you authored a project in WinCC Advanced V13 (or any other supported major version) and need to run it under WinCC RT Professional, the project itself must be re-targeted. There is no automatic converter. The procedure is:
- Open the project in the matching major version of TIA Portal (for V13, that is TIA Portal V13 SP1 Update 6 or later).
- In the project tree, add a new SIMATIC PC station with device type WinCC RT Professional matching the major version.
- Copy the screens, tag tables, alarm logs, and scripts from the original Advanced HMI station into the new PC station. Tag references are preserved if the underlying PLC connection is reused.
- Re-compile the project. The new build emits the
RTProfessionalProjectmarker instead ofRTAdvancedProject. - Download to the target PC that hosts WinCC RT Professional with a valid RT Professional license.
- Verify with the checklist in the next section.
RTProfessionalProject binaries.
Verification Checklist After Deployment
- Open WinCC Explorer on the target PC. Confirm the project loads without the "Project type not supported" message.
- Open Diagnostics > System Information in the running runtime. Verify "Number of licensed power tags" matches the purchased tier.
- Trigger a tag read on every PLC connection listed under Tag Management. Each must reach the configured acquisition cycle without timeout.
- Open the alarm log; trigger one configured alarm and confirm it appears in the active list and writes to the configured archive.
- Open the user administration view; confirm the configured user roles and login times.
- If WinCC Client is part of the architecture, connect from a client PC and validate the server connection in Server Explorer.
- Capture a screenshot of the running screen and the WinCC Explorer status page for commissioning documentation.
Troubleshooting Matrix
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Diagnostic Step | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Project type not supported" at startup | Project was compiled with WinCC Advanced ES, marker is RTAdvancedProject
|
Inspect compiled file for project-type marker | Re-compile with WinCC Professional ES; project will be re-targeted to RT Professional |
| "License missing or invalid" at startup | No WinCC RT Professional license, or RT Advanced license only | Open Automation License Manager; list installed keys | Install correct WinCC RT Professional license for the matching power-tag tier |
| Tags show "quality bad" or "no connection" | PLC connection not configured for PC station, or wrong rack/slot | Open WinCC Explorer > Tag Management > Connections | Re-create connection with correct PLC address, rack, slot; verify network reachability |
| Alarms are not logged to archive | SQL Server instance not running, or archive DB not mounted | Open SQL Server Configuration Manager; check WinCC instance |
Start the instance; reattach the archive DB; verify disk space |
| Runtime loads but stops after a few minutes | Windows session sleeps / screen saver kicks in / user logged out | Open Windows Event Viewer > System log | Disable sleep and screen saver; configure service to run independent of interactive session |
| Client cannot connect to server | Server firewall blocks TCP 102, 443, or WinCC-specific ports | Test with telnet <server> <port> from client |
Open required ports; enable SIMATIC PC station firewall rules |
| Editor offers only Basic and Comfort panels after upgrade | WinCC Professional ES license not installed; only Advanced ES active | Automation License Manager > WinCC Professional tab | Install or re-activate the Professional ES license key |
Cross-Major Migration Caveats
When moving a WinCC RT Professional project from an older major release (for example V13 SP1) to a newer one (V17, V18, V19, or V20), Siemens provides an upgrade path through TIA Portal's project porter. The porter performs a syntax-level migration of scripts, tag names, and screen layouts, but the following require manual review:
- Custom C / VBScript functions referencing deprecated WinCC APIs.
- ODBC connections to third-party databases; connection string syntax may need refresh.
- OPC DA/UA configuration; the UA server configuration was overhauled in V14 SP1 and again in V16.
- Redundant server configurations; the redundant pair mode changed in V16 to use the new redundancy interface.
Trial versions for the matching WinCC RT Professional ES are available through Siemens support article SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional V20 Simulation and Trial (ID 109963703). Use the trial to validate that a migrated project loads cleanly before commissioning production hardware.
FAQ
Can I run a WinCC Advanced project with a WinCC Runtime Professional license?
No. WinCC Advanced projects compile with an RTAdvancedProject marker; the WinCC RT Professional loader rejects that marker at startup. You must re-target the project to an RT Professional PC station and recompile with WinCC Professional engineering software, then run it on a PC with a valid WinCC RT Professional license.
Does a WinCC Professional engineering license include WinCC RT Professional runtime rights?
No. Engineering and runtime are separate license products in the Siemens TIA Portal model. An ES Professional license permits configuration of RT Professional projects, but you still need a separate RT Professional runtime license (tiered by power-tag count: 128, 512, 2048, 4096, or max) to execute the project on the target PC.
Can WinCC RT Professional V13 run a project built with V17 or V20?
No. WinCC RT Professional binaries are bound to the TIA Portal major version. A V13 runtime loads only V13 SPx projects. To run a V17 or V20 project, install the matching major-version runtime on the target PC.
What power-tag license do I need for a 600-tag project?
Purchase the 512 PT tier (article 6AV2 105-1AA00-0AA0) and either reduce the project to 512 external tags or upgrade to the 2048 PT tier (6AV2 105-2AA00-0AA0). Internal tags do not consume the licensed count; only externally addressable tags do.
Is there a free way to test a WinCC RT Professional project before licensing?
Yes. Siemens offers trial / simulation RT Professional runtimes via support article 109963703 (SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional V20 Simulation and Trial) for each major release. The trial operates with a reduced time limit and a watermark banner but exercises the full runtime code path.