> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.soraco.co/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.soraco.co/docs/how-to/how-can-i-quickly-tell-the-type-of-a-license-key.md).

# How can I quickly tell the type of a license key?

The recommended  way to determine the type of a license key is by calling "ValidateLicense" or one of its variants.

There is additionally a shortcut to determine the type of a license by examining the first letter of a license. These are the possible values for the first letter of a license key:

A: Activation Key

B: Activation Key with an expiry date/duration

C: Permanent key, bound to a computer by the Computer Name

D: Evaluation key, bound to a computer by the Computer Name

E: Evaluation key, not bound to a computer

G: Permanent Generic key

U: Permanent, bound to a computer by  a User Defined  ID.

V: Evaluation key, bound to a computer by a User Defined ID.