DESKSOFTLICENSE File

What are DESKSOFTLICENSE files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a DESKSOFTLICENSE file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your DESKSOFTLICENSE files.

What is a DESKSOFTLICENSE file?

A .DESKSOFTLICENSE file is a DeskSoft License file.

DeskSoft License files store user registration data and activation information for software made by DeskSoft. They record things like which product is licensed, who owns the license, how many users it covers, when the license expires, and a digital signature that proves the license is valid.

These files are created by DeskSoft software (such as FastFolders, EarthView, or EarthTime) as a plain-text license record. After installation, the software reads them in order to confirm valid registration. When opening the application, it checks a file matching ".DeskSoftLicense" (or ".dlc" in some cases), verifies that the product name and username match what is expected, confirms the license type and user count, ensures the version is high enough, and that the expiry date has not passed. A digital signature using RSA-1024 and SHA1 is included so that tampering is detectable.

Internally the file is structured similarly to a simple INI-style text file, with lines like "[Product]=", "[UsrName]=", "[LicType]=", "[NumUser]=", "[Version]=", "[ExpDate]=", "[OrderID]=", and "[License]=". The "[License]" section must come last and contains a hexadecimal RSA signature. Verification covers everything from the start of the file up to but not including the "[License]" value (the part after the "=" in that section). The software includes a built-in RSA public key (1024 bits, exponent 65537) for validating the signature, and if the OrderID (after a simple XOR de-obfuscation) appears in a built-in blacklist the license is rejected. The file contains other optional sections such as "[IssueDate]", "[IssueBy]", "[ADDINFO]", "[COMMENT]", or "[EMLADDR]", depending on the vendor information stored.

How to open DESKSOFTLICENSE files

Important: Different programs may use files with the DESKSOFTLICENSE file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your DESKSOFTLICENSE file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested four different DESKSOFTLICENSE openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: October 22, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of DESKSOFTLICENSE files. Remember, different programs may use DESKSOFTLICENSE files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

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