How to use the cPanel 15-day trial on a new install

A fresh cPanel & WHM install starts on a free trial licence, so you can set up the server and test your sites before you pay. The trial is short and has firm rules about which IPs qualify. This guide explains how it starts, how to keep track of it and how to move to a paid licence with no downtime.

Before you start

• A Linux VPS with a clean, supported OS. See cPanel system requirements for a VPS.
• A public, static IPv4 address that has not had a cPanel trial before.
• Root SSH access. Your IP and root password are in your VPS provider's control panel.

How the trial starts

You do not request the trial separately for a normal install. During installation, the server contacts cPanel's licence system. If the IP is eligible, cPanel issues a trial licence for it automatically. cPanel's documentation describes it as a 15-day trial for new installations.

The trial rules, as cPanel publishes them:

• One trial per IP address. If the IP has had a trial before, a new install on that IP will not get another.
• The IP must be publicly reachable and static.
• Trials cannot be renewed or extended.

Because a VPS IP may have been used by someone before you, the trial is not guaranteed. If the IP is not eligible, you need a paid licence from the start.

Check whether the trial is active

In WHM

Log in to WHM at:

https://203.0.113.10:2087

During a trial, WHM shows a notice with the number of days left.

On verify.cpanel.net

Enter your server IP at verify.cpanel.net. The result shows whether a licence is active, that it is a trial, and the licence history for the IP.

From SSH

Refresh the licence and print the version:

/usr/local/cpanel/cpkeyclt
/usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V

If cpkeyclt reports Update succeeded, the server holds a valid licence, trial or paid.

Plan your trial days

Fifteen days is enough to set up and test, but not to wait around. A sensible order:

1. Day 1: finish the WHM initial setup wizard, set the hostname and secure it with SSL.
2. Days 2–3: install a firewall, create packages and one test account.
3. Days 4–10: migrate or build a real site, test email, set up backups.
4. Before the trial ends: buy the licence and refresh it, so there is no gap.

Move to a paid licence without reinstalling

You never need to reinstall to leave the trial. The paid licence attaches to the same IP.

1. Buy a licence from cPanel or a partner, entering the server's IP exactly as it appears in your VPS provider's control panel.
2. Wait until verify.cpanel.net shows the new licence for that IP.
3. Refresh it on the server:

   /usr/local/cpanel/cpkeyclt

1. Reload WHM. The trial notice should be gone.

All accounts, settings and data stay as they are.

Check it works

• verify.cpanel.net shows an active, non-trial licence for your IP.
• WHM shows no licence notice after login.
• cpkeyclt ends with Update succeeded.

Troubleshooting

• No trial on a fresh install: the IP has had a cPanel trial before. Buy a licence for the IP, then run cpkeyclt.
• Trial shows on verify.cpanel.net but WHM reports no licence: the server could not reach cPanel's licence servers. Check DNS and that outbound HTTPS is open, then run cpkeyclt.
• Licence still shows as trial after purchase: the order has not reached cPanel yet. Wait a few minutes and run cpkeyclt again.
• You reinstalled the OS and lost the trial: a reinstall keeps the same IP, which has already used its trial. A paid licence is needed.

Next steps

• Activate the paid licence: activate a cPanel licence on your VPS.
• Fix licence problems: fix cPanel licence invalid errors.