Blog

Citrix Licensing Is Evolving: What You Need to Know Before April 15, 2026

Written by Envision IT Pressroom | Sep 9, 2025 5:00:00 AM

Citrix is making a significant shift in its licensing architecture, and if you're a current customer, you have plenty of time to come up to speed and start planning for the transition. Beginning April 15, 2026, Citrix will fully adopt a modern, cloud-based licensing model, retiring the legacy file-based licensing system.

This change is designed to simplify license management, improve reliability, and enable Citrix to deliver faster innovation and better support. But it also means that file-based licenses will no longer function after the deadline, so proactive preparation is key.

Currently the following products/components support the new License Activation Service (LAS) based activations:

  • Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops
  • Citrix Provisioning (PVS)
  • NetScaler
  • XenServer
  • Unicon Scout

Other Citrix products which rely on the traditional licensing technology will also be upgraded to offer LAS based activations in upcoming releases. Customers using only cloud services are not impacted by this transformation.

📌 Let’s Review the two most talked about items; CVAD and NetScaler:

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD)

To remain supported after April 15, 2026, your CVAD deployment must be on a LAS-compatible version:
- CVAD 2203 LTSR CU7
- CVAD 2402 LTSR CU3
- CVAD 2507 LTSR
- CVAD 2411

NetScaler

NetScaler instances will also transition to LAS-based licensing. This includes support for:

  • NetScaler Flexed licenses (CPL/UHMC)
  • Legacy NetScaler Pooled licenses
  • NetScaler Fixed term Bandwidth licenses

To remain supported, your NetScaler and NetScaler Console deployments must be on one of the following LAS-compatible versions:

  • NetScaler ADCs: 14.1-51.x, 13.1-60.x, 13.1-37.x (FIPS)
  • NetScaler SVM: 14.1-51.x, 13.1-60.x
  • NetScaler Console Service: Supported from early September 2025
Important: Legacy NetScaler licenses such as Pooled vCPU, CICO, and perpetual licenses will not be supported with LAS. Instances using perpetual licenses without active maintenance will become unlicensed upon upgrade.

What You Need to Do If You are Not Already LAS Enabled

To ensure a smooth transition, Citrix recommends completing the following three steps:

  1. Upgrade: Update your License Server or NetScaler Console and core components to a supported version.
  2. Register: Perform a one-time registration of your License Server or NetScaler Console with Citrix Cloud.
  3. Activate: Once registered, the cloud service will take over automatically—no further manual steps required.
If you're using Envision as a Service (EaaS), we will proactively assist with the transition before the April 15 deadline.

Get Started Today

Citrix has published detailed guidance and resources to help you through the process. No need to drop everything today, but the earlier you begin, the smoother your transition will be. If you have questions or need support, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Envision representative or support team directly or contact us.
View full post