Serial Guru — Help

Serial Guru runs on Windows 10 (version 1809 or newer) and Windows 11. Both 64-bit Intel/AMD and ARM 64-bit are natively supported — the installer automatically detects your architecture. Approximately 200 MB of free hard drive space and 2 GB of RAM are required.

Serial Guru is signed with a Sectigo EV Code-Signing Certificate. For the first installations, Microsoft SmartScreen may still show a precautionary warning because the reputation for a new program version has yet to build up. Click "More info" in the warning and then "Run anyway." After several thousand installations, this warning will disappear on its own.

By default, to C:\Program Files\Engelmann Software\Serial Guru\. User data (settings and collected keys) is located under %AppData%\Engelmann Software\Serial Guru\. During uninstallation, you can choose whether to keep the user data.

After purchase, you will receive an email with your license key in the format SG1-VOL-DIR-XXXXX-XXXXX-CC. Open the activation dialog in Serial Guru (yellow "Activate now" button in the demo notice above), copy the key from the email into the input field, and click Activate. Activation is done online via app.engelmann.com.

A full version license allows parallel use on up to three devices. When changing devices, you can release old devices in your customer account at engelmann.com/account.

With the purchase of the full version, you receive all new program versions free of charge for 12 months. After this period, the version you last installed will remain fully functional indefinitely — however, newer versions will no longer be delivered.

Common causes:

• Check internet connection: Activation requires an active internet connection to app.engelmann.com.
• Check key format: The correct format is SG1-VOL-DIR-XXXXX-XXXXX-CC. Pay attention to the hyphens.
• Device limit reached: If the license is already active on three devices, deactivate an old device in your customer account.
• Firewall: Some corporate firewalls block app.engelmann.com. If necessary, your administrator can unblock this domain.

If this doesn't help, please send an excerpt from the diagnostic log to our support. You can find the log at %AppData%\Engelmann Software\Serial Guru\diagnose.log.

Over 100 common Windows programs — including:

• Microsoft Windows 10 / 11 and Microsoft Office 2016 to 2024
• Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements (versions 11 to 2026)
• WinRAR, VMware Workstation, JetBrains IDEs
• CyberLink PowerDVD / PowerDirector / PhotoDirector
• Arcsoft, IObit, MAGIX programs
• Various system and multimedia tools

Programs that Serial Guru does not yet automatically recognize can be manually added via + Add own key — with product name, key, order number, and notes.

Click + Add own key in the main window. In the dialog, you can enter keys directly or drag and drop them from an email or browser tab into the input field. Serial Guru automatically recognizes five common key formats.

Click a column header to sort by that column. You can filter by product name, key part, or engine name using the search field above the list. Search and sorting can be combined.

The Source shows where Serial Guru obtained the key — for example, Windows registry, configuration file, or manual entry. The Engine is the recognition module that decoded the key (e.g., PartialMSKeys for Microsoft product keys or WinRAR for license files).

Click Export in the main window and choose between CSV (for editing in Excel or a spreadsheet) and JSON (for complete restoration to a new installation). The export contains all fields from your list.

Using the Import button (icon directly next to Export). Serial Guru automatically recognizes whether you have selected a CSV or JSON file. For CSV, both comma and semicolon separation are supported. Already existing keys are skipped during import — no duplicates are created.

Print button in the main window. A print preview with Engelmann branding layout will open. You can set the date, column selection, and an optional filter before printing.

Tip: Many print dialogs allow you to select "Save as PDF" — this gives you a searchable backup file without actual paper.

Serial Guru checks in the background for a newer version when it starts. If one is available, a subtle notification appears in the program. You can install the update directly — Serial Guru verifies the authenticity via cryptographic signature before installation to ensure no manipulated package is installed.

You cannot disable the update check itself — it is part of the security architecture. However, in the settings, you can specify whether updates should be downloaded automatically or only displayed.

We follow the scheme 1.YY.MMDD.HH. Example: 1.26.0626.07 corresponds to the seventh release on June 26, 2026.

No. License keys never leave your PC. The only data transfer to our servers occurs during activation — and exclusively contains your activation key (for verification), a randomly generated device ID, and your operating system version. Anonymous usage statistics are disabled by default.

In the settings, you can enable the transmission of anonymous telemetry. This contains only technical information: program version, language, features you use — never keys, file content, or personal data. Telemetry helps us improve the program.

At engelmann.com/policies/privacy-policy — also linked directly from the program (footer link "Data Protection").

A full scan can take between 5 and 60 seconds, depending on the number of installed programs. If the spinner remains active for significantly longer, close Serial Guru via the X symbol, restart, and try again. If problems persist, please send us the diagnostic log.

Some Windows registry entries contain character strings that look like license keys but are actually system IDs. Serial Guru automatically filters out most of these. If suspicious entries still appear in your list, please report them to our support — we will then include the pattern in the filter list.

Under %AppData%\Engelmann Software\Serial Guru\diagnose.log. You can enter the path in the address bar of File Explorer — Windows automatically replaces %AppData% with your user folder. The log contains no personal data and can be safely sent to our support.

Since Serial Guru requires access to the Windows registry and program directories, some antivirus programs heuristically flag it. Our EV-signed setup is gradually learned by pure reputation filters. You can safely add Serial Guru to your antivirus exception list. If you have a specific suspicion, please send us the antivirus manufacturer and the warning designation.