# TeamViewer: Licensing Overview

## **What**

TeamViewer use in FileWave depends on the administrator's FileWave permissions and the TeamViewer licenses available on the account. A TeamViewer license is assigned to the technician or administrator who starts remote sessions, not to each managed device or end user.

## **When/Why**

A FileWave administrator needs an assigned TeamViewer license to start Remote Client sessions. Each assignment lasts 6 months before it can be reassigned.

<p class="callout warning">Licenses must be assigned to individual administrators, not groups. The administrator name must match exactly, including case. See [TeamViewer: Assigning Licenses](https://kb.filewave.com/books/teamviewer/page/teamviewer-assigning-licenses "TeamViewer: Assigning Licenses") for the assignment steps.</p>

<p class="callout info">You can assign a license to a directory user. To confirm the exact username, sign in as that user and open the **Show Current Online Administrators** assistant. The username appears in the visible columns.</p>

[![image.png](https://kb.filewave.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-01/scaled-1680-/BtUzrbwmBV0Ogl80-image.png)](https://kb.filewave.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-01/BtUzrbwmBV0Ogl80-image.png)

<p class="callout info">**Example** Consider a setup with 2 licenses.  
  
Assign one license to **bsmith**. One month later, assign the other license to **pparker**.  
  
Five months later, the license assigned to **bsmith** can be reassigned because its 6-month assignment period has ended. The license assigned to **pparker** still needs one more month before it can be reassigned.  
</p>

Plan license assignments before broad rollout. Each customer has at least one TeamViewer license, and additional licenses are available for additional administrators or technicians.

## **How**

Assign licenses in **Native Administrator → Assistants → Manage Administrators**. That same settings area shows how many TeamViewer licenses are available. For detailed steps, see [TeamViewer: Assigning Licenses](https://kb.filewave.com/books/teamviewer/page/teamviewer-assigning-licenses "TeamViewer: Assigning Licenses").