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Troubleshooting sign-in & activation

From time to time network settings or connections can prohibit Serato software from authorizing your Serato.com account, signing into Serato.com or from activating and using your Serato licenses & products, or a combination of the three.

Sometimes it can be hard to track down the cause, but it's really important to remember that you may not be able to use your products in situations where Serato software cannot make an outgoing or incoming network connection. In the vast majority of cases, this is not due to a fault of the Serato software you're using and is rather an environmental issue with your computer.

You may see (but not limited to) one of the following error messages when attempting to use or sign-in to Serato DJ Pro, Serato DJ Lite, Serato Studio, Serato Sample, or on Serato.com:

  • Attempting to sign-in to Serato Studio:
    mceclip1.png
  • Opening the Expansions window in Serato DJ Pro:mceclip3.png
  • Attempting to sign-in to Serato Sample:
    connecttotheinernetsample.png
  • Trying to complete the sign-in process on Serato.com:
    mceclip0.pngmceclip1.png

NOTE: There may be other situations where the suggestions below are relevant, and if you're not using the latest version of your Serato software, the examples above may look different.

IMPORTANT: Making changes to your network settings or other security settings on your computer can make your computer less secure. The steps below are suggestions about what you can try, but please remember that Serato cannot be held responsible for issues that may occur from trying the steps below, so please proceed carefully and consult your IT expert if you're unsure or worried about security risks.

Read on to find out about some of the reasons why you may be having a network issue, and what you can try to rectify that issue. Please try each suggestion, then check to see if your issue has been resolved, before moving on to the next suggestion.

Using the Ping command to see if your network is able to make outgoing and incoming connections to basic IP or DNS

Ping is a useful terminal or command line tool that is used to measure the round-trip from your computer (the source) to another computer or service (the destination). This is specified by using a URL or IP address that corresponds to the destination computer or service you're trying to 'test' the round-trip to.

Using this tool early in your network troubleshooting journey can help you identify if your network, is unable to make an outgoing or incoming connection, and if that's the case, you will may be unable to activate your Serato products, or even sign-in to your Serato.com account.

  • On Windows, open Command Prompt:
    1.
     Navigate to the Start menu and type "Command" (without the quotes), then click on the Command Prompt result
  • On macOS, open Terminal:
    1. Navigate to Applications > Utilities > Terminal
  • To Ping a Google DNS server:
    1. Type ping 8.8.8.8 or ping 8.8.4.4 in either Terminal (macOS) or Command Prompt (Windows), and press Enter on your keyboard
  • To Ping Google.com:
    1. Type ping google.com in either Terminal (macOS) or Command Prompt (Windows) and press Enter on your keyboard

In the example below, you can see a successful round trip using the Ping command via Command Prompt, to the Google DNS server 8.8.8.8. Note that of the 4 'packets' sent, 4 were also received, and 0% loss occurred.
pingsuccess.png
In an unsuccessful Ping command example, you may expect to see messages like Request timed out, or that 4 Packets were Sent, while 0 were Received, and you may also see Lost packets of more than 0%.

If you get packet loss or find that 0 packets were either sent or received, when you attempt to Ping using the examples & steps above, try the Using another internet connection to activate your Serato software products, or ask your network administrator to allow outgoing connections from Serato software on your network steps further below in this article, or contact your Internet Service Provider (or Carrier) for more assistance, as there may be a fundamental issue with your internet connection or computer.

Check your firewall, or anti-virus software suite, and ensure Serato DJ Pro, Serato DJ Lite or Serato Studio is whitelisted - and that outgoing communication is permitted for Serato DJ Pro, Serato DJ Lite, or Serato Studio

This will allow the Serato application to contact the Serato license server and verify your Serato.com products and licenses can be activated for use in Serato software. Some firewall & security software may automatically block Serato software, or you may have inadvertently blocked it.

Read on to find out how to 'whitelist' or force your firewall to allow Serato software to use your network connection freely:

NOTE: The steps suggested below, use the default macOS & Windows firewall and Windows anti-virus solutions. If using a third-party application, please refer to their respective documentation or support for assistance.

  • On Windows:
    1.
    Navigate to Settings 
    2. Search for "Allow an app through a firewall", then click on the Allow an app through a firewall result >
    3. Choose Change settings > Allow another app > Browse and add the following items, by navigating to the file path shown below, and choosing the .exe in bold print:
    C:\Program Files\Serato\Serato DJ Pro > Serato DJ Pro.exe
    C:\Program Files\Serato\Serato DJ Pro > QTWebEngineProcess.exe
    C:\Program Files\Serato\Serato Studio > Serato Studio.exe
    C:\Program Files\Serato\Serato DJ Lite > Serato DJ Lite.exe
    Once each item is added, you can choose whether to allow communication as per the network type. We suggest placing the checkbox for all network types (Domain, Private & Public), to cover your home network and any other network type you may use or need to use, as per the example below:mceclip0.png
  • On macOS:
    1. Navigate to System PreferencesFirewall
    2. 
    Use the Click the lock to make changes button, then enter your password if prompted, and click on Firewall Options
    3.
    Ensure Block all incoming connections is not checked, then click on the button to open the list of your installed applications, and choose Serato DJ ProSerato DJ Lite, and/or Serato Studio, before clicking Add. Check the screenshot further below for what you should see once you're done
    4. Finally click OK to confirm your new changesScreen_Shot_2021-05-12_at_2.09.10_PM.png

Ensure all of the latest operating system updates are installed, and that you have tried restarting your computer

This is important as Microsoft & Apple often release critical hotfixes and updates via their respective operating systems. It's also possible for background processes and applications to hang (unbeknownst to the user), and simply restarting your computer may rectify these issues, and also can reveal updates that may not have been pushed to your computer at the time you last checked.

  • On Windows:
    Either navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for Updates
    or
    Click on the Check for Windows updates button in this Update Windows 10 support article
  • On macOS:
    Navigate to System Preferences > Software Update > Update Now

Try using another internet connection to activate your Serato software products, or ask your network administrator to allow outgoing connections from Serato software on your network

Some shared networks or public network types have network settings controlled by the administrator of that network, this means that despite doing your best to allow an outgoing connection to the Serato license server, it's possible that your network is blocking the outgoing connection outside of settings on your computer.

A simple way to test this is to set up a wireless hotspot on your phone, which you can then connect to using your computer.

Wireless hotspots from phones tend to have minimal network restrictions which could affect the outgoing connection from your Serato software. To set up a wireless hotspot from your mobile device, try the following guides:

Another good suggestion would be to take your computer to a friend or family member's house and use their network connection to attempt activation.

Finally, some networks you connect your computer to may have significant restrictions, and it's very common for the networks offered in these places, to require you to sign in via a 'WiFi portal' in your web browser, which may prove troublesome.

We suggest contacting the network administrator in this case, particularly if other networks you've tested work without issue.

Some considerations might include:

  • Café or Restaurant network
  • School, College, University, or another educational institute
  • Airport, Mall, or retail shop

Avoid using a proxy server or VPN service to connect to the internet on your computer, and avoid using an ad-blocker

Some people may use a proxy server or VPN service to intercept network traffic between their computer and the internet for privacy or security reasons, as a way to get around geo-blocking restrictions or to block targeted advertising.
There are several ways to set this up, and it can be done via settings on your computer, settings in your router or modem, or settings put in place by your internet service provider (or carrier).

The simplest solution or test to see if you're being affected by this is to temporarily disable the network traffic routing afforded by your proxy or VPN. Given there are so many different solutions for this, it's hard to give specific advice, however, some general examples are provided below:

Your anti-virus, firewall, or malware security suite or software may provide VPN, proxy, or ad-blocking services. Check the support documentation for that software for steps on how to disable them.

Your web browser-based ad-blocker is preventing Serato software from logging into your Serato.com account or preventing a successful log-in. Try disabling them via the steps below for Chrome & Safari, two popular web browsers:

  • For Chrome:
    1. On your computer, open Chrome
    2. At the top right, click Customize (the icon looks like 3 dots stacked in a vertical line)  > More tools > Extensions
    3. In the bottom right-hand corner of ad-blocking extension card you want to disable, click on the light blue switch to disable it, until it turns grey as shown below:
    turn_off_extension.gifNOTE: You will need to revert the steps above to re-enable your extension.
  • For Safari: 
    1.
    On your computer, open Safari
    2. Navigate to Safari > Preferences > Websites > Content Blockers
    3. Change the setting to Off
    NOTE: You may need to repeat the steps above with the Pop-up Windows preference too (use the Allow setting in step 3)

Finally, a common further setting that can cause issues (only if using macOS), is to check you do not have the SOCKS network proxy setting enabled.

  • On macOS (only):
    1. Navigate to System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Proxies
    2. 
    Check the SOCKS Proxy setting is unchecked as per the example below, then click OK:
    Screen_Shot_2021-05-12_at_3.09.12_PM.png

Try another web browser & change the default web browser on your operating system, or clear your web browser cache

Sometimes changing your web browser settings can be difficult, or confusing, and on rare occasions, you may have malware that hides in your web browser, and thus prevents or blocks a successful sign-in to your Serato.com account, from your Serato software.
A quick way to test this, is to install or use an alternative web browser on your computer, outside of the one you usually use, or the one your computer comes preinstalled with. Some suggestions might include, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Apple Safari.

Changing the default on your computer is an important step after installing or choosing to use an alternative web browser:

  • On macOS:
    1. Navigate to System Preferences > General
    2. 
    Select the newly installed or alternative web browser from the Default web browser menu
  • On Windows:
    1. Navigate to Settings > Apps > Default apps
    2. Click on the option under Web browser and select your newly installed or alternative web browser 

Clearing the browser cache can resolve issues with web pages not loading or strange formatting issues that pose a problem for a successful sign-in to your Serato.com account, and therefore your Serato software. To clear the web browser cache:

  • On Safari:
    1. Navigate to Safari > Preferences
    2. 
    Choose the Advanced tab, then enable the Show Develop menu option
    3. 
    In the top menu bar, choose Develop Empty Caches
    4. 
    Close and restart Safari
  • On Chrome:
    1. On your computer, open Chrome
    2. At the top right, click Customize (the icon looks like 3 dots stacked in a vertical line)  > More toolsClear browsing data
    3. 
    Check Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. Then choose Clear Data
    4. 
    Close and restart Chrome

Reset your Hosts file (Windows only)

The Hosts file on Windows operating systems, contains a record of IP addresses mapped to hostnames, and sometimes errant entries can be erroneously entered into this file, which can result in some of the aforementioned network errors when using Serato software:

NOTE: Resetting your Hosts file can cause issues with other applications which rely on it. Ensure you keep a backup of your original Hosts file before resetting it, and as always, inquire with Microsoft directly if you notice issues with other applications after resetting it.

Malicious processes or startup utilities / login items

Malware and viruses can infect your computer without you knowing, and prevent a reliable connection to complete a login via Serato.com, or sometimes even prevent an activation in-app. These 'bad actors' may only affect certain software and not others, which may lead you to believe Serato is the only service or software affected.

Given a lot of malware and viruses do pose as legitimate software, it can be hard to identify them simply by their name/title, however you can do some simple research on a suspicious looking item, which can often give you an indication of what action to take next, or how closely to scrutinize something.

IMPORTANT: Identifying a problematic process or utility can be a useful first step to troubleshooting a problem, but actually modifying or removing a process or utility on your computer can be risky and it's critical that you consult the maker of your operating system, your computer OEM, or an IT professional if you're unsure as to how to do this, before making any changes. It's also entirely possible that totally legitimate processes and utilities may look suspicious, so please take extra caution.
It's also highly recommended you utilize a credited anti-virus solution, and regularly perform full system scans.

macOS Activity Monitor or Windows Task Manager can help you observe potentially malicious processes and startup utilities/login items:

  • On macOS
    1.
    Navigate to Applications > Utilities
    2.
    Locate and open Activity Monitor
    3. 
    Group processes by the CPUMemory, EnergyDisk Network tabs, to see which processes are utilizing those subsystems on your computer the most heavily. A good one to start with, is Network, as processes in this group are likely to reroute or prevent certain network connections. As an example, you might look for an unusually named processes that are using exorbitant amounts of bandwidth on your network (high sent/received bytes or packets)
    4.
    Click on the process in question, then click the (i) icon (Inspect selected process) near the top of Activity Monitor to see more information. If you still can't tell what the process is or does, try entering the name into a Google search it to see if other users have already reported it as problematic or nefarious.
  • On Windows
    1.
    Left-click on Start > Windows System, or right-click on the Start button
    2.
    Locate and open Task Manager 
    3. 
    Group processes by the CPUMemory, Disk Network columns, to see which processes are utilizing those subsystems on your computer the most heavily. A good one to start with, is Network, as processes in this group are likely to reroute or prevent certain network connections. As an example, you might look for an unusually named processes that are using exorbitant amounts of bandwidth on your network (high Mbps)
    4.
    Right-click on the process in question, then click the Properties > Details tab to see more information. If you still can't tell what the process is or does, right-click on it, and click Search online, or try manually entering the name into a Google search it to see if other users have already reported it as problematic or nefarious.