Fix: "This computer's date and time look wrong for this license"

If CacaoIQ shows this message on its license screen in place of the normal app, your computer’s clock doesn’t match your license dates.

Symptoms

The license screen shows the heading:

This computer's date and time look wrong for this license.

Below it is one of two detail lines.

For a new license (the date named is the day the license was issued):

This computer's date is earlier than <date>, the date this license was issued. Set the correct date and time; CacaoIQ opens again once the clock is right.

For a license already in use (the date named is the last day CacaoIQ was used with it):

This computer's date is earlier than <date>, the last date CacaoIQ was used with this license. Set the correct date and time; CacaoIQ opens again once the clock is right. If your clock is already right, it was set ahead at some point: ask CacaoIQ for a replacement license file.

The date appears as year-month-day, for example 2026-11-02.

Cause

CacaoIQ checks the license on your computer, with no internet connection. To do that, it relies on the computer’s clock. It shows this message when the clock is more than a day earlier than:

• the date the license was issued, or
• the last date CacaoIQ was used with this license.

Common reasons: the date was set back by hand, the clock reset after the computer’s clock battery ran down, or a time-zone or time-server setting went wrong.

Solution

Option 1: Set the correct date and time

1. Open your computer’s date and time settings. Turning on automatic date and time is usually the simplest fix.
2. Check that the date, time and time zone are right.
3. Switch back to the CacaoIQ window. CacaoIQ checks again as soon as its window is active, or within 5 minutes if it stays in the background. There is no “Try again” button and no restart is needed.

Loading the license file again doesn’t help until the clock is right.

Option 2: Your clock is already right

This applies to the “last date CacaoIQ was used” message only. If your clock is correct and the date named is in the future, the clock was set ahead at some point (for example by a wrong time-server setting). CacaoIQ can’t tell that apart from a clock set back.

Ask for a replacement license file (see below). Load it on the license screen with Load License File. A replacement file starts a fresh record.

Prevention

Keep automatic date and time turned on. If you change the clock for another program, set it back before you open CacaoIQ.

Still having issues?

Email support@scilytics.ai with:

• the exact message on screen (a screenshot of the message is fine)
• the date it names
• your operating system
• your CacaoIQ version

Related articles

• How to load your license file
• My license expired: what happens to my results?