Refactor Licensing Instructions (#1932)

* Refactor Licensing Instructions

* Update setting-up-your-telerik-reporting-license-key.md

---------

Co-authored-by: Todor Arabadzhiev <[email protected]>

Author: yordan-mitev

licensing/images/download-product-key.png

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
-title: Setting Up Telerik Reporting License Key
-page_title: "Learn how to set up the Telerik Reporting License Key."
+title: Setting Up Your License Key
+page_title: Setting Up Your License Key
 description: "Learn how to set up the required Telerik Reporting License Key after the 2025 Q1 (19.0.25.211) release."
 slug: license-key
 tags: license, key, telerik, reporting, licensing
@@ -11,89 +11,104 @@ reportingArea: General
 
 # Setting Up Your Telerik Reporting License Key
 
-Starting with the [2025 Q1 (19.0.25.211)](https://www.telerik.com/support/whats-new/reporting/release-history/progress-telerik-reporting-2025-q1-19-0-25-211) release, Telerik Reporting requires activation using a license key — this applies to both the trial and commercial versions of the product. This article describes how to download or update your personal license key and use it to activate the Telerik Reporting product.
+Telerik Reporting requires activation through a license key—for both trial and commercial versions of the product. This article describes how to download your personal license key and use it to activate Telerik Reporting.
 
-An invalid license results in [errors and warnings]({%slug license-errors-and-warnings%}) during build and run-time indicators such as watermarks and banners.
+An invalid license results in [errors and warnings]({%slug license-errors-and-warnings%}), such as watermarks and banners during build, test, and publish.
 
-Note that future updates of the product may restrict or disable some features when no valid license is present. You can send us feedback through the _Contact Us_ form or by [opening a support ticket](https://www.telerik.com/account/support-center/contact-us?utm_source=licensing&utm_medium=console&utm_campaign=no_references).
+> This document applies to Telerik Reporting version [2025 Q1 (19.0.25.211)](https://www.telerik.com/support/whats-new/reporting/release-history/progress-telerik-reporting-2025-q1-19-0-25-211) and later. Earlier versions do not require activation.
 
-## Licensing Dependencies
+## Downloading the License Key
 
-Your projects have to reference the package `Telerik.Licensing`. We recommend using the [NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/nuget/consume-packages/install-use-packages-visual-studio). It automatically adds all the required code to your project files.
+To download a license key for Telerik Reporting, you must have either a commercial license or a trial license. If you are new to Telerik Reporting, sign up for a [free trial](https://www.telerik.com/try/reporting) first, and then follow the steps below.
 
->tip We recommend using `Telerik Reporting` NuGet packages in your projects rather than direct assembly references. The main reason is that the packages automatically add all dependencies, whereas when using references, you need to add them manually. The `Telerik.Licensing` package will be added automatically as a dependency for the `Telerik.Reporting` package.
+You can use tools that download your license key file [automatically](#downloading-automatically), or you can download it [manually](#downloading-manually).
 
-Here are the changes the Visual Studio NuGet Package Manager will make, depending on the project type:
+### Downloading Automatically
 
-### The older .NET Framework project types
+The two tools that automatically download your Telerik license key file are the [Progress Control Panel](#using-the-progress-control-panel) and the [Visual Studio extensions](#using-the-visual-studio-extensions) for Telerik Reporting. These tools download and store your license key in your system's home directory. This makes it available for all projects you develop on your local machine.
 
-* Add package reference to the `packages.config` file:
+#### Using the Progress Control Panel
 
-	````XML
-<package id="Telerik.Licensing" version="1.*" targetFramework="net4*" />
-````
- 
+To install your Telerik License key by using the [Progress Control Panel](https://docs.telerik.com/controlpanel/introduction), start the application. It automatically downloads the `telerik-license.txt` license key file to your home directory:
 
-* Update the `.csproj` file with the DLL reference:
-
-	````XML
-<Reference Include="Telerik.Licensing.Runtime, Version=1.*, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=*, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
-		<HintPath>..\..\packages\Telerik.Licensing\lib\net4*\Telerik.Licensing.Runtime.dll</HintPath>
-	</Reference>
-````
+* On Windows: `%AppData%\Telerik` or `C:\Users\[windows_username]\%AppData%\Roaming\Telerik`.
+* On Mac/Linux: `~/.telerik/`.
 
+#### Using the Visual Studio Extensions
 
-### .NET project types
+To install your Telerik License key by using the Visual Studio extensions for Telerik Reporting:
 
-Update the `.csproj` file like below:
+1. Open Visual Studio.
 
-````XML
-<PackageReference Include="Telerik.Licensing" Version="1.*" />
-````
+1. Go to **Extensions** > **Telerik** > **Licensing** and select **Download Key**.
 
-We strongly recommend adding the above package for licensing. If adding the package is not an option in your scenario, you may [add a License Key without NuGet References](#adding-a-license-key-to-projects-without-nuget-references).
+	![Download License Key through Visual Studio Extension for Telerik Reporting.](images/vs-extension-download-key.png)
 
-## Downloading the License Key
+The extensions for Telerik Reporting are installed by default when using the MSI installer. If they are missing, you may have used another [installation method]({%slug telerikreporting/installation%}) or deselected them during the setup.
 
-To download a license key for Telerik Reporting, you must have either a developer license or a trial license. If you are new to Telerik Reporting, sign up for a [free trial](https://www.telerik.com/try/reporting) first, and then follow the steps below.
+### Downloading Manually
 
 1. Go to the [License Keys](https://www.telerik.com/account/your-licenses/license-keys) page in your Telerik account.
 1. Click the **Download License Key** button.
 
 	![Download License Key](images/download-license-key.png)
 
->note The [Progress Control Panel](https://www.telerik.com/download-trial-file/v2/control-panel) will automatically download and store your license key in your home directory. This makes it available for all projects you develop on your local machine.
+1. Copy the [downloaded](#downloading-the-license-key) `telerik-license.txt` license key file to your home directory. This makes the license key available to all projects that you develop on your computer:
 
-You may automatically download and store your license key in your home directory also from the Visual Studio Extensions of Telerik Reporting:
+	+ For Windows: `%AppData%\Telerik\telerik-license.txt`
+	+ For Mac/Linux: `~/.telerik/telerik-license.txt`
+	+ Alternatively, copy the `telerik-license.txt` license key file to the root folder of your project. This makes the license key available only to this project. Do not commit the file to source control as this is your personal license key.
 
-![Download License Key through Visual Studio Extension for Telerik Reporting.](images/vs-extension-download-key.png)
+## Activating Telerik Reporting Automatically
 
-## Activating Telerik Reporting
+By default, the activation of the Telerik Reporting library is automatic when your license key file is already downloaded and the Visual Studio project has access to `www.nuget.org`.
 
-To activate Telerik Reporting:
+If the automatic product activation fails, and you see licensing-related error messages, you need to [activate the product manually](#activating-telerik-reporting-manually).
 
-1. Copy the [downloaded](#downloading-the-license-key) `telerik-license.txt` license key file to your home directory. This makes the license key available to all projects that you develop on your computer.
+## Activating Telerik Reporting Manually
 
-	+ For Windows: `%AppData%\Telerik\telerik-license.txt`
-	+ For Mac/Linux: `~/.telerik/telerik-license.txt`
-	+ Alternatively, copy the `telerik-license.txt` license key file to the root folder of your project. This makes the license key available only to this project. Do not commit the file to source control as this is your personal license key.
+If Telerik Reporting cannot be activated automatically:
 
-1. Add the `Telerik.Licensing` package from [NuGet.org](https://www.nuget.org/) as a project dependency: `<PackageReference Include="Telerik.Licensing" Version="1.*" />`
+1. Make sure the [license key file](#downloading-the-license-key) is available on your system.
+
+1. Add the `Telerik.Licensing` package from [NuGet.org](https://www.nuget.org/) as a project dependency:
+
+	* For **.NET projects**, edit the `.csproj` and add the following line:
+
+		````XML
+<PackageReference Include="Telerik.Licensing" Version="*" />
+````
+
+	* For older **.NET Framework projects**:
+
+		1. Add package reference to the `packages.config` file:
+
+			````XML
+<package id="Telerik.Licensing" version="1.*" targetFramework="net4*" />
+````
+
+		1. Update the `.csproj` file with the DLL reference:
+
+			````XML
+<Reference Include="Telerik.Licensing.Runtime, Version=1.*, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=*, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
+				<HintPath>..\..\packages\Telerik.Licensing\lib\net4*\Telerik.Licensing.Runtime.dll</HintPath>
+			</Reference>
+````
 
-When you build the project, the `Telerik.Licensing` NuGet package automatically locates the license file and uses it to activate Telerik Reporting.
+When you build the project, the `Telerik.Licensing` NuGet package locates the license file and uses it to activate Telerik Reporting.
 
 > If your project doesn’t use NuGet packages, see [Adding a License Key to Projects without NuGet References](#adding-a-license-key-to-projects-without-nuget-references).
 
-### Adding a License Key to Projects without NuGet References
+## Adding a License Key to Projects without NuGet References
 
-Telerik strongly recommends the use of NuGet packages whenever possible. Only include the license key as a code snippet when NuGet packages are not an option.
+>caution Telerik strongly recommends the use of the `Telerik.Reporting` NuGet package whenever possible&mdash;it will add all required dependencies, such as `Telerik.Licensing`. Only include the license key as a code snippet (demonstrated in this section) when NuGet packages are not an option.
 
 If you cannot use NuGet packages in your project, add the license as a code snippet:
 
 1. Go to the [License Keys](https://www.telerik.com/account/your-licenses/license-keys) page in your Telerik account.
-1. On the Telerik Reporting row, click the __View key__ link in the __SCRIPT KEY__ column. 
+1. On the Telerik Reporting row, click the __View key__ link in the __SCRIPT KEY__ column.
 
-	![Download Product Key](images/download-product-key.png)
+	![Download Product Key](images/download-script-key.png)
 
 1. Copy the C# code snippet into a new file, for example, `TelerikLicense.cs`.
 1. Add the `TelerikLicense.cs` file to your project.
@@ -102,12 +117,12 @@ If you cannot use NuGet packages in your project, add the license as a code snip
 
 ## Updating Your License Key
 
-Whenever you purchase a new Telerik Reporting license or renew an existing one, always [download](#downloading-the-license-key) and install a new license key. The new license key includes information about all previous license purchases. This process is referred to as a license key update. Once you have the new license key, use it to [activate Telerik Report](#activating-telerik-reporting).
+Whenever you purchase a new Telerik Reporting license or renew an existing one, always [download](#downloading-the-license-key) and install a new license key. The new license key includes information about all previous license purchases. This process is referred to as a license key update. Once you have the new license key, use it to [activate Telerik Reporting](#activating-telerik-reporting-automatically).
 
 # See Also
 
 * [License Activation Errors and Warnings]({%slug license-errors-and-warnings%})
-* [Adding the License Key to CI Services]({%slug license-key-ci-services%}))
+* [Adding the License Key to CI Services]({%slug license-key-ci-services%})
 * [Frequently Asked Questions about Your Telerik Reporting License Key]({%slug license-frequently-asked-questions%})
 * [Upgrading Q1 2025 Trial to Q2 2025 Licensed Version]({%slug upgrade-q1-2025-trial-to-q2-2025-purchase-license%})
 * [Licensing before 2025]({%slug telerikreporting/licensing%})