Ironpdf — License Key

Technically, yes — for development and testing only.

But without a key:

dotnet run

You should see "IronPDF license successfully activated!" and a clean PDF without watermarks.

An IronPDF license key is small in size but critical for production. Set it once at application startup, store it securely, and you’ll never see the trial message again. ironpdf license key

If you’re still in development, grab a free trial key from Iron Software and test thoroughly before buying.

Have questions about IronPDF licensing? Drop a comment below or open a ticket with Iron Software support — they’re quite responsive.

This post is not sponsored by Iron Software. Always refer to the official licensing documentation for the most up-to-date terms. Technically, yes — for development and testing only

When you renew or upgrade (e.g., from Lite to Professional):

No code changes are needed other than swapping the key string.

You can programmatically verify if IronPDF is licensed: dotnet run

if (IronPdf.License.IsLicensed)
Console.WriteLine("✅ Licensed for production");
    Console.WriteLine($"License type: IronPdf.License.LicenseType");
    Console.WriteLine($"Expiration: IronPdf.License.ExpirationDate");
else
Console.WriteLine("⚠️ Running in trial mode");

Never hard-code keys in source control. Use Environment Variables.

Set a system variable named IRONPDF_LICENSE with your key as the value. IronPDF automatically reads this variable on startup without any code changes.