Activation Keys
Activation keys that are marked as “auto renew” automatically renew themselves when the site license is renewed. Those activation keys are automatically extended through your next renewal date. Users whose activation keys are not automatically extended are sent an email with instructions for requesting a new activation key.

Your Wolfram product does not need to be reinstalled for your license to renew.

Site Administrators can view and modify users’ auto renewal settings through the Wolfram User Portal.

Password

Mathematica 7 and earlier versions require passwords to be activated. Users of products that require a password instead of an activation key will be prompted to enter a new password shortly before the current one expires. These individuals should follow the directions in-product to obtain a new password through the Product Registration and Information Updates page.

If your site license includes the Lab Version of Mathematica, updated passwords may be retrieved from the Wolfram User Portal.

Users of Mathematica who wish to be proactive by entering the new passwords before the old ones have expired can do one of two things:

• Exit Mathematica and delete the mathpass file, which contains the old password information. After deleting the mathpass file, when you restart Mathematica, it will prompt you to enter your license number, organization name, and password, just like when you first installed Mathematica. The mathpass file’s location depends on the platform you are using.
• More experienced Mathematica users also have the option of manually updating their mathpass file using a text editor. The mathpass file will follow the format below:

hostname     1234-12345-12345     L1234-5678     2222-222-222:2,2,4,4:9:20020130

The hostname is the name of the machine on which Mathematica has been installed and will run. This is given first, followed by the MathID (where applicable), the license number, and the password. The parts of the entry may be separated by spaces or tabs. Once you have replaced the password information in the mathpass file, Mathematica will begin using this new password the next time it is launched.