Previous versions of Autodesk software
To find out more about using previous versions of Autodesk software,
choose the category that applies to you below and all the information you need will be displayed along with examples.
Three previous versions
If you have a perpetual licence, but your maintenance contract has lapsed then Autodesk will only let you use the most recently activated version.
Example: You bought your licence in 2012 and the maintenance plan expired in 2015. The most recently activated version was 2014. In this case, you are only entitled to use 2014. You can still activate 2015, but your right to use 2014 will then immediately lapse.
A new Autodesk subscription and an Autodesk maintenance plan give you the right to use the most recent and the three previous versions of the software. That's all pretty clear, but what if your right to use a previous version lapses when a new release comes out? Read on for an explanation.
Earlier versions
Autodesk has combined all the conditions and options under their ‘previous versions’ policy. This brings together the programs that fall within the scheme and the old schemes that were in place before the previous versions. You have the right to use the older versions when you purchase a subscription.
The earlier versions to which you are entitled are defined at product level within Autodesk Collections. If you have had different licences running for some time, it is worth checking how many older versions you have access to.
Example
Due to the extensive range of options offered by Autodesk, the way this service works is complex. The example below is used to explain how it works:
| When purchased | 2012 |
| When did the maintenance plan stop | 2015 |
| Most recently activated version | 2014 |
| Versions you can use | 2014 (and 2015 if it is still activated, but please note: your right to use 2014 will then lapse)! |
To use versions older than the most recently activated version, you need to get ‘special approval’ from Autodesk. If you are interested in this, please contact a member of our service team.