# Troubleshooting license key problems

If you are having trouble running Saxon-SA for the first time, here is a list of the most common problems:

These all relate specifically to the Java platform.

- Don't use the `-jar` option on the command line. When Java applications are run using the `-jar` option, the classpath is ignored, and this means that the license key won't be found. Use the `-cp` option instead.

- The classpath must include the directory containing the license file. Don't include the filename of the license file, only the directory in which it is held. If you spell a filename incorrectly, you won't get an error message, the entry is simply ignored.

- Remember to request schema-aware processing. Use the `-sa` option on the command line if your stylesheet or query is schema-aware. If you don't, you'll get an error message saying that you need the schema-aware version of Saxon (even though that's what you loaded, you're running it in non-schema-aware mode.)

And some less common problems:

- Check that the filename is `saxon-license.lic`. Some mail systems, notably Yahoo, have been known to change the hyphen to an underscore in transit.

- If Saxon says the license key is invalid then it probably is. Very occasionally a license file gets corrupted in transit. Please ask for another copy (or we might issue you a new license).

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