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Blog • • 4 minute read

The Countdown to Citrix LAS: Are You Ready for April 2026?

Citrix is mandating a transition for all on-premises products to its new, cloud-based License Activation Service (LAS). This change replaces the legacy, file-based licensing system and requires organizations to take steps to avoid business-critical service disruptions.

In this blog

  1. What is changing and why?
  2. What happens if you don't transition?
  3. How to prepare for the transition
  4. Act now to avoid disruption

For years, Citrix administrators have managed licenses through a familiar, manual process: downloading license files from the MyCitrix portal and applying them to an on-premises license server. As of April 15, 2026, this era comes to a hard stop.

 What is changing and why?

In short, Citrix is modernizing its licensing architecture to streamline management and improve operational efficiency.

  • Goodbye manual files: The new system eliminates the need to download and install license files for renewals or new purchases. This process is now fully automated.
  • A cloud-connected license server: For on-premises environments, your local Citrix License Server will act as a broker. It will need a consistent internet connection to register with Citrix Cloud and then periodically sync entitlements from LAS.
  • Automatic license renewal: Once connected, your license server automatically pulls updated entitlements from LAS. No more manual file updates after a renewal, which reduces the risk of expired licenses causing downtime.
  • Grace period for outages: LAS includes a built-in resiliency feature if your license server temporarily loses connectivity to Citrix Cloud.  It will cache entitlements, allowing normal operations to continue for up to 30 days.
  • Improved high-availability: Deploy multiple on-prem, load balanced, license servers instead of clusters or idle VMs for less complex highly available licenses.

 What happens if you don't transition?

The transition is not optional. As of April 15, 2026, all current file-based licenses will cease to function. Any on-premises products that have not been successfully transitioned to LAS may stop recognizing their licenses, potentially resulting in a loss of functionality and impacting end-user access.

  • Impact on Citrix products: All on-premises products that rely on the file-based system are affected, including:
    • Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD)
    • NetScaler/ADM
    • Citrix Provisioning (PVS)
    • XenServer
  • No impact on Citrix Cloud services: Customers using only cloud services like Citrix DaaS are not affected, as their licensing is already managed by the cloud.

 How to prepare for the transition

The clock is ticking, but a smooth migration is entirely achievable with proper planning. Here are the key steps to take now:

  1. Assess and plan: Inventory your entire Citrix environment, including the versions of your License Server, CVAD and NetScaler instances. A gap analysis will show which components need to be upgraded to support LAS.
  2. Upgrade your license server: The most important step is to upgrade your Citrix License Server to a LAS-compatible version. License Server version 11.17.2, build 51000 or later, introduced minimum support versions.
  3. Upgrade Citrix products: Validate your core Citrix components, such as Delivery Controllers and VDAs, are on supported versions. For example, specific minimum versions are required for CVAD, PVS and NetScaler.
  4. Validate network connectivity: Your license server will require a reliable outbound internet connection to register with Citrix Cloud Services over HTTPS (TCP 443) and to perform daily license synchronization. If necessary, make sure firewalls are configured to allow access to the required Citrix Cloud URLs.
  5. Perform the registration: Once your servers are upgraded and connectivity is confirmed, register your on-premises license server with Citrix Cloud. This is a one-time process that links your local infrastructure to your online entitlements.
  6. Test and validate: Before the deadline, test your upgraded and registered environment to confirm that licenses are being activated and consumed correctly. Have a rollback plan ready in case any issues are discovered.
  7. Consider high-availability: For mission-critical environments, consider deploying at least two License Servers and testing failover for maximum resilience.
  8. Air-gapped environments: If your network is completely isolated from the internet, Citrix allows for exceptions. You will need to contact Citrix support to discuss your options

 Act now to avoid disruption

Citrix has made a definitive and mandatory change to its on-premises licensing model. The April 15, 2026, deadline means that procrastination is not an option. Waiting until the last-minute risks service disruptions, rushed upgrades and higher costs. By starting your transition to LAS today, you can provide your enterprise with a smooth, risk-free cutover.

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