BricsCAD Network Licences Explained

Quick answer: A network licence lets multiple people on the same local network share a pool of BricsCAD seats over TCP/IP, rather than each person needing their own single-user licence. An administrator installs the Network License Server, activates the licence, and the server hands out seats as people open BricsCAD and takes them back as people close it. The server itself only runs on Windows or Linux, but it can still distribute seats to Mac client machines.

How a Network Licence Works

This is a “floating” licence model: the seat count caps how many people can run BricsCAD at the same time, not how many machines it’s installed on. Anyone on the network can have BricsCAD installed, but only as many people as you have seats for can have it open simultaneously. A client requests a seat the moment BricsCAD launches and releases it back to the pool the moment BricsCAD closes, so seats free up automatically throughout the day as people finish working.

This is usually the more cost-effective option for a team where not everyone needs BricsCAD open at once, rather than buying a single-user licence for every person regardless of how often they actually use it.

Server and Client Platform Support

The Network License Server itself only runs on Windows or Linux, not macOS. That’s a server requirement, not a client one: once the server is running on a supported Windows or Linux machine, it can distribute seats to client computers running Windows, Linux, or macOS. Mac users just can’t host the server itself.

Supported server platforms:

Worth noting: Microsoft ended security updates for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. It’s still listed as supported for hosting the licence server, but that’s worth factoring in for a machine your whole team is going to depend on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Mac users use a network licence? Yes, as clients. The Network License Server can’t run on macOS itself, but a server hosted on Windows or Linux can still hand out seats to Mac machines.

How many people can use a network licence at the same time? Only as many as you have seats for. BricsCAD checks a seat out when it launches and returns it when it closes, so availability refreshes throughout the day rather than being permanently tied up.

Can I host the licence server on Windows 10? It’s still on the supported list, but Microsoft ended security updates for Windows 10 in October 2025, worth considering for a machine that’s effectively shared infrastructure for your whole team.