Beyond Compare 4 License Key Has Been Revoked

I’m running into a frustrating issue with my Beyond Compare 4 installation. I’ve been using my license key for a while without issues, but today I received a message stating that the "license key has been revoked."

: Go to %AppData%\Scooter Software\Beyond Compare 4\ and delete the file named BC4Key.txt .

The process on a Mac is very similar, focusing on the application's support directory.

This is the most common reason for revocation. If an organization buys a multi-user or site license, and an employee accidentally shares that key on a public platform like GitHub, Reddit, or a public forum, automated scrapers will find it. Once a private key is published online, thousands of people download it. Scooter Software quickly detects this sudden spike in activations from different global IP addresses and revokes the key entirely. 2. Use of "Cracked" or Pirated Keys beyond compare 4 license key has been revoked

Legitimate customers rarely experience this error. When they do, it’s usually resolved within a few hours.

Understanding why Scooter Software revokes keys and knowing the exact steps to resolve the issue can help you restore your workflow quickly and legally. Why Was Your Beyond Compare 4 Key Revoked?

The most common cause for legitimate buyers is accidental leakage. Developers frequently commit global configuration files, backup scripts, or setup automation files to public GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket repositories. If your Beyond Compare BC4Key.txt file or raw text key was included in a public commit, automated web scrapers found it within minutes. Once a key hits the public domain, it is flagrantly abused, forcing Scooter Software to blacklist it. 2. Maximum Activation Limits Were Exceeded I’m running into a frustrating issue with my

If your organization recently upgraded from Beyond Compare 4 to Beyond Compare 5, or merged multiple corporate licenses into a single enterprise agreement, Scooter Software may deprecate the old standalone Beyond Compare 4 keys. If an employee attempts to reinstall version 4 using an old key after the company has migrated, the validation server will reject it as revoked. How to Fix the "License Key Has Been Revoked" Error

: Before entering a new key, you may need to remove the existing revoked key file to ensure a clean registration: BC4Key.txt %appdata%\scooter software\beyond compare 4\ or the program's installation folder. : Locate the BC4Key.txt (often in the Application Support folder) and remove it. Re-register the Software : Open Beyond Compare, go to Help > Enter Key , and paste the block of text from your license email, including the Beyond Compare For additional help, you can use the Scooter Software Lost Key Finder to retrieve all keys associated with your email address. Beyond Compare manually remove

Depending on whether you own a legitimate license or are using a corporate deployment, use the following methods to resolve the issue. This is the most common reason for revocation

This is the most widely circulated solution online. It’s simple, effective—and destructive.

For developers specifically, tools like (commercial, very powerful) or UltraCompare (part of the UltraEdit suite) offer additional features but come with their own price tags.

A: Yes. Blocking a program's internet access is a standard security practice. It's legal to control which applications on your computer can access the network—just as you might block any other program from phoning home.