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Expression Web 4 Licensing FAQ

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We’ve received a number of questions about the free upgrade from Expression Web 3 to Expression Web 4.  With this post, I hope to answer the most frequently asked questions and eliminate any confusion.

The upgrade path for Expression Web 4 depends on how you acquired Expression Web 3.  If you purchased a retail version of Expression Web 3 (e.g., from the Microsoft Store, from a local software retailer, from Digital River, etc.), you should download and install the Expression Web 4 Trial version from microsoft.com.  The upgrade should happen automatically as you install Expression Web 4.  In this scenario, the Setup program for version 4 locates your version 3 license in the Windows License Store and applies that license to version 4.  After you have installed version 4, you are free to either uninstall version 3 or leave it installed.

NOTE:  Please keep your copy of Expression Web 3 and your version 3 product key.  Should you need to reinstall Windows or have a hard drive failure, you will need to first install Expression Web 3, then reinstall Expression Web 4.

If you have any other version of Expression Web 3, e.g., acquired through a volume license, MSDN, DreamSpark, etc., you should not install the trial version.  Instead, you should get your copy of version 4 through the same program you used to acquire version 3.  I’ve listed a few examples below:

  • MSDN – Browse to the MSDN download center to download Microsoft Expression Studio 4 and acquire your product key.  Once you have that the product key, you should select Help->Enter Product Key to license your copy of Expression Studio 4.
  • DreamSpark – Browse to the download center location to download Microsoft Expression Studio 4 and acquire your product key.  Once you have that the product key, you should select Help->Enter Product Key to license your copy of Expression Studio 4.
  • Volume Licenses – Visit the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) to make arrangements to download the upgrade.  Your company and/or your reseller need to be registered with the VLSC in order to successfully download the upgrade.  As with DreamSpark, at the time I write this, Expression Web 4 and Expression Studio 4 are not yet available on the VLSC, but should be soon. We will update this post when we have the link to the download page.

If your free upgrade to Expression Web 4 is not yet available from your supplier, please download and use the free trial version of Expression Web 4 at https://www.microsoft.com/expression/try-it/.  When your free upgrade becomes available, you can uninstall the trial version and install the full version.

Some additional notes:

  • If you’re in doubt about whether your copy of Expression Web is fully licensed and activated, select Help->About Microsoft Expression Web and look for the phrase, “This is a fully licensed copy.” (Note: The information that appears when you choose Help->Activate Product or Help->Enter Product Key is not a reliable measure of whether the app is licensed.)
  • If you’re in doubt about whether your copy of Expression Web 3 is eligible for the automatic upgrade, select Help->About and look for the product ID which is in the form of a 5-digit number, a dash, a 3-digit number, a dash, etc.  If the 3-digit number is 617, the Expression Web 4 installer should automatically license your copy during the installation.
  • If you acquired version 3 through a program like MSDN or DreamSpark but are no longer participating in the program, you are not eligible for the free upgrade.  You are still eligible for the reduced-cost upgrade.

I hope this answers your questions.

Paul Bartholomew

Microsoft Expression Web

Comments

  • Anonymous
    June 18, 2010
    I have a boxed copy of Studio 3 bought directly from Microsoft. That phrase "this is a fully licensed copy" does not appear on my activated copy of Expression Web 3. Furthermore my 3-digits are 618, not 617. Despite all this, Studio 4 installed and activated just fine (actually it told me it was already activate). V4 now says "fully licences" but the 3-digits are still 618. It seems that the additional notes above are not complete, at least not for my existing installation of Expression Web 3.

  • Anonymous
    June 24, 2010
    Can I install this product on my laptop and PC at the same time, same licence, or just on my PC (they are both mine and pretty much always stay at home, but I do work away from home now and again) Thanks

  • Anonymous
    June 25, 2010
    Yes.  Expression Web 4 and Expression Studio 4 can be licensed and activated on, at most, two systems, e.g., a laptop and a desktop, which is exactly your scenario. Paul Bartholomew Microsoft Expression Web

  • Anonymous
    July 05, 2010
    We are running Expression Web 3 under our volume licensing agreement. I understand that we should now be entitled to use Expression Web 4. However, I cannot find this product in VLSC. I can find the following though:

  • Expression Studio Web Professional 4.0
  • Expression Studio Ultimate 4.0
  • Expression Encoder Professional 4.0 Is there an ETA for Expression Web 4.0 as a separate product in VLSC?

  • Anonymous
    July 11, 2010
    Please do not bother answering my question of 5th July. I have the answer. Thanks

  • Anonymous
    November 22, 2010
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    November 29, 2010
    "A licensing error has occured. Restart your Expression program and try again. If you continue to receive this error message, reinstall your Expression program to make sure that the license installs correctly." I am having the same issue.  It worked for 2 weeks and then this error.  All of the programs in the suite will launch but error pops up immediatly and programs close.  I have tried uninstalling reinstalling and even deleting the Expression folders out of the registry. PLEASE HELP -Toddney

  • Anonymous
    December 18, 2010
    Re: "NOTE: Please keep your copy of Expression Web 3 and your version 3 product key. Should you need to reinstall Windows or have a hard drive failure, you will need to first install Expression Web 3, then reinstall Expression Web 4." Well, the RAID array with my copy of Studio3 self destructed (along with a whole bunch of data and other files).  Fortunately my Studio3 key was in my Outlook archives somewhere else. How do I find a suitable copy of Studio 3 so that I can start the long slow process of rebuilding? Thanks, P.S. any ideas on a better storage idea?

  • Anonymous
    February 04, 2011
    I am installingExpression Studio 4 and keep getting  Error 1008- Expecting to find local release notes at go.microsoft.com/fwlink I called Microsoft and they said that my product Key is a valid liscense  but they can not help me with the install. I did a clean boot. but no luck.  I am not a computer wiz. I am just an old student trying to work on my online web class that I haven't been able to start.

  • Anonymous
    February 08, 2011
    Cathlene, If you go to support.microsoft.com, there is a link at the bottom of the page that will allow you to contact a support professional. When you do that, they will ask for a credit card to open the case, but that card will not be charged for an issue such as yours. Jim Cheshire Microsoft

  • Anonymous
    April 18, 2011
    to Philip and Paul. Thank you for your post Philip and your answer Paul. I just asked (twice) the same thing to MS France, and they still confirm that Expression Web is a "mono-licence" and that I am allowed to install it on ONLY ONE station !!!! Here below the original text in French : "Merci de nous avoir recontacté. Nous vous confirmons que votre licence est une licence mono-utilisateur ( vous pouvez l'installer sur un seul poste). Pour de plus amples informations, n'hésitez pas à nous contacter, nous restons entièrement à votre disposition. Meilleures Salutations, Alina Ghinet L'équipe de Microsoft Store MSStore.France@msdirectservices.com" I've EW4 on my desktop PC and I 'd like to install it on my laptop aswell.... So, who's right please ? Thanks a lot, Danny

  • Anonymous
    April 27, 2011
    To answer a question on the license agreement--you are allowed to install Expression Web on a home and work computer. Steve

  • Anonymous
    January 12, 2012
    I have an upgrade version of Expression Web purchased in 2006 as an upgrade from Front Page.  Does this qualify for upgrade to Expression Web 4 if I purchase the version 4 upgrade version? Thanks.

  • Anonymous
    January 13, 2012
    re: Andrzej Cierpicki Yes. Owning any previous version of FrontPage or Expression Web qualifies you for the upgrade to the latest version.

  • Anonymous
    January 26, 2013
    I have Expression Web 3 with the '617' in the product license.  I downloaded and installed the EW 4 trial version, which I thought would give me a "fully licensed copy" it.  But when I check "Help - About", I see "This is a Free Copy."  Why didn't I get the licensed version? I realize the posts above are 2.5 years old now, but I had not heard nor seen anywhere that there was a time limit to the upgrade. Thank you.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2014
    crm2008@vettenut.com  After a HDD failure I re-installed expression studio 4.  Now it shows not registered.  I do have a vaild product key.  How do I enter it?

  • Anonymous
    January 26, 2015
    I have a fully  licensed copy of Expressions 4. However, I purchased a new computer in December. How do I get the original Product Key? Is there a (Micorsoft) phone number I can call to get the original Product Key?