AutoCAD for Mac fails to launch when installed on migrated Mac hard drive

Issue

You have used the Migration Assistant to migrate data from another hard drive (or you restored from a Time Machine backup) and the data being migrated/restored to your system drive includes a FLEXnet Publisher folder.

After migration, you successfully install AutoCAD for Mac but it fails to launch.

Solution

When a FLEXnet-enabled product is installed on a Mac, a FLEXnet Publisher folder is created in /Library/Preferences. This folder is where FLEXnet creates the trusted storage files for each FLEXnet-enabled product running on the system.

When this folder is migrated using the Apple Migration Assistant or restored using Time Machine, these utilities save metadata onto the folder. When metadata is attached to the folder, FLEXnet is not able to create the trusted storage files required to launch and run AutoCAD.

The workaround for this is to rename the existing FLEXnet Publisher folder and then uninstall and reinstall AutoCAD for Mac. This will create a new FLEXnet Publisher folder where FLEXnet can create the trusted storage files and AutoCAD will be able to successfully launch.

Renaming the Folder:

1. Open a Terminal window (the Terminal app is typically found in the /Applications/Utilities folder).
2. Type the following (all on one line):
   
   sudo mv 
   /Library/Preferences/FLEXnet\ Publisher
   /Library/Preferences/FLEXnet\ Publisher_old
   
   Press return and provide the admin password when prompted.
3. Quit the Terminal application.

After AutoCAD has been reinstalled, copy all files and folders from the FLEXnet Publisher_old folder into the new FLEXnet Publisher folder except any files that begin with "adskflex". This retains the trusted storage files used by other products, e.g., Adobe, without keeping the older Autodesk files.

Note: The FLEXnet Publisher folder is not owned by Autodesk but is owned by Flexera, makers of the FLEXnet licensing technology used in Autodesk products. This solution is offered as one possible method of resolving this issue and is up to the discretion of the customer.