Last updated: July 2, 2026

Moving KensaSocial to a New Mac

KensaSocial licenses support up to three machines per subscription through device activations. When you move to a new Mac, install KensaSocial and sign in with the same license key from your purchase receipt.

Before you start

You need your license key (from your purchase receipt email).
Your scheduled posts and drafts live in the local SQLite vault (kensa.db) on each machine. They are not synced to the cloud. Copy data/kensa.db from the old Mac if you want to keep that queue history on the new machine.
OAuth connections (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) are tied to your KensaSocial profile, but each new install must reconnect platforms locally after login.

Step 1 — Install and log in on the new Mac

Install the CLI globally:

npm install -g kensasocial

Activate your license on this machine (same key as before):

kensasocial login <YOUR_LICENSE_KEY>

This registers the new Mac and stores your local profile in data/kensa.db.

If login fails with an activation limit message, email support@kensasocial.com with the email address used for your order. We will help move your license to the new machine.

Optional — restore queue data from the old Mac:

# Copy data/kensa.db from the old machine into ~/.kensasocial/data/
# (or your project data/ directory)
# Then run login again if auth_state was not copied with the file.

kensasocial install
kensasocial start

Dashboard: http://localhost:3456

Step 2 — Reconnect your platforms

OAuth tokens are not copied from machine to machine. On the new Mac, reconnect each social account:

CLI:

kensasocial connect twitter
kensasocial connect linkedin
# … repeat for each platform you use

Dashboard: open the Accounts tab and click Connect for each platform.

Verify everything with:

kensasocial status
kensasocial doctor

The dashboard header shows Dispatch · Running when the background publisher is active. If dispatch is stopped, run kensasocial daemon start or kensasocial start.

Three-device limit

Situation	What to do
Moving to one new Mac	Install KensaSocial on the new Mac and run `kensasocial login` with your license key. Copy `kensa.db` from the old Mac if you want to keep your queue history.
Using KensaSocial on multiple Macs	You may keep up to three machines active at once.
“Activation limit reached” on login	Email support@kensasocial.com with your order email; we will help move your license.
Lost access to all three listed devices	Email support@kensasocial.com with your order email; we can help reset activations.

Need help?

Email support@kensasocial.com with your order email, a brief description of the issue, and whether you still have access to the old Mac.