License Stuck: "Already in Use" but stuck on Community Edition (Tried All Troubleshooting)

Questions
1

Hello n8n Team,

I have a license key issue on a new self-hosted instance that I cannot resolve.

The Problem:

  • When I try to activate my key via the direct URL, it says “Activation key has already been used on this instance”.
  • However, the “Usage & plan” page in Settings still shows “Community Edition”.
  • The licensed features (like Folders) are not available in the UI.

Troubleshooting Steps I have already taken:

  • Confirmed the server is accessible via HTTPS with a valid Let’s Encrypt certificate (using Nginx Proxy Manager).
  • Confirmed Websockets are enabled and there is no “Connection Lost” error.
  • Confirmed server firewalls (UFW) and cloud firewalls are not blocking any ports.
  • Restarted the n8n Docker container multiple times.
  • Did a full clean reinstall by running docker compose down and deleting the persistent data volume (n8n-data), then running docker compose up -d.
  • Used the docker exec <container> n8n license:clear command, which runs successfully but does not solve the problem after a restart and reactivation attempt.

It seems my license key is stuck in a bad state on the n8n backend. Could you please check, reset, or reissue the license key associated with my email: [email protected]?

Thank you.

2

That’s correct.

The folders are available only in the Personal space
image

1 Like
3

I really appreciate your response. I understand now.

4

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