---
title: Activating your license
description: "Activate your PolyFields license to enable plugin services and receive automatic updates. ## Activation steps 1. Go to **Languages → Settings → License keys** in the WordPress admin. 2. Enter your PolyFields license key in the same panel as Polylang…"
url: "https://www.wp-polyfields.com/docs/licensing/activating-your-license/"
updated: "2026-07-05"
category: Licensing
---

# Activating your license

Activate your PolyFields license to enable plugin services and receive automatic updates.

## Activation steps

1. Go to **Languages → Settings → License keys** in the WordPress admin.
2. Enter your PolyFields license key in the same panel as Polylang Pro licenses.
3. Save the settings.

## Local and staging environments

Activations on local and staging sites do not count against your license limit. You can activate PolyFields on development copies of a site without using an additional production slot.

SureCart detects the environment type using WordPress core's `wp_get_environment_type()`. The most reliable approach is to set `WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE` in `wp-config.php`:

```
define( 'WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE', 'local' ); // or 'development' or 'staging'
```

When this constant is set to `local`, `development`, or `staging`, activations on that site are labelled accordingly and excluded from the license limit. This works even on non-standard staging domains that would not match a URL pattern.

As a fallback, SureCart also matches common non-production domain patterns, including:

- `localhost` and `*.local`, `*.test`, `*.dev` domains
- Staging subdomains (for example: `staging.example.com`)
- Common hosting staging domains (for example: `*.wpengine.com`)

Prefer setting `WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE` when your staging URL does not match these patterns.

## Before first activation

Until a SureCart license has been successfully activated on the site at least once, plugin services do not load and an admin notice points you to the License keys screen.

## After first activation

After the first successful activation, the plugin keeps working even if the license is later deactivated on this site. A separate admin notice then reminds you to reactivate the license for updates.