# Emergency Activation Mode - Upgrade from 8.1 to 8.3 **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** license, perspective, ignition83\ **Created:** [October 21, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625 "2025-10-21T15:58:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gloweware](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@gloweware](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/gloweware)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/1 "2025-10-21T15:58:02Z")
I just upgraded from 8.1 to 8.3 and not I am stuck on Trial Expired / Emergency Activation Mode. I have tried de-activating and re-activating license. Perspective Workstation’s display Trial Expired. ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 4:00pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/2 "2025-10-21T16:00:26Z")
You need to call or email in to our actual support department: [https://support.inductiveautomation.com/hc/en-us](https://support.inductiveautomation.com/hc/en-us) This forum is not the appropriate venue for licensing issues. ---
**Author:** ![gloweware](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@gloweware](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/gloweware)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 4:04pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/3 "2025-10-21T16:04:39Z")
Ok. Will do. ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 4:20pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/4 "2025-10-21T16:20:10Z")
Note to future visitors: Major version upgrades, like v8.1 to v8.3, are **not free** if you haven't been paying for annual support. ---
**Author:** ![gloweware](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@gloweware](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/gloweware)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/5 "2025-10-21T16:24:37Z")
I have been paying for annual support…just renewed in June. ---
**Author:** ![Transistor](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/transistor/32/3380_2.png) [@Transistor](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Transistor)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 4:38pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/6 "2025-10-21T16:38:32Z")
Do you need to edit your question title? Emergence or Emergency? ---
**Author:** ![gloweware](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@gloweware](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/gloweware)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 5:11pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/7 "2025-10-21T17:11:46Z")
yes, should be Emergency. Support sorted it out. It was an in-place upgrade, but they suggested I should have de-activated license and re-activated on upgraded version. anyway…my next question will be…where did all my tags go…. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Laubach](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/steve_laubach/32/60900_2.png) [@Steve\_Laubach](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Steve_Laubach)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 6:10pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/8 "2025-10-21T18:10:46Z")
I hope you made a backup before upgrading (you always should). You’ll get Emergency Activation mode if you do an online deactivation on a gateway that can’t get to the IA activation servers. Basically, the activation gets removed from your server but not from IA’s servers. Then when you use the activation on your new server it thinks you’re trying to use an activation twice. I got nailed by this on a holiday weekend on a gateway that had internet access but a firewall was blocking the activation communication. It wasn’t that big of a deal. The emergency mode was easily long enough to simply call support and get it fixed after the holiday and the gateway was still operable. ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 6:27pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/9 "2025-10-21T18:27:50Z")
I recommend using the **refresh** license button on the activation page **before** upgrading. Two key benefits: - Verifies that your gateway can talk to the license servers (without breaking your license), and - Let's you check the updated module version numbers for the new LTS version. (Which IA has to do for you.) If you check that latter, you shouldn't need to deactivate before an in-place upgrade. ---
**Author:** ![gloweware](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@gloweware](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/gloweware)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/10 "2025-10-21T18:29:14Z")
I did make a backup…and read the upgrade document before starting. Firewall wasn’t blocking. Somehow it got locked and needed a new “grant”. working with support to get my tags back. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Laubach](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/steve_laubach/32/60900_2.png) [@Steve\_Laubach](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Steve_Laubach)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2025, 6:34pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/emergency-activation-mode-upgrade-from-8-1-to-8-3/111625/11 "2025-10-21T18:34:32Z")
Great tip. Thanks.