Select and choose your purchased .lic file.
Once you have deployed the OVF template in your hypervisor:
You do not receive live FortiGuard security updates. Antivirus signatures, IPS definitions, and web filtering categories will not update automatically with the latest threat intelligence.
Enter your (email and password) to bind the VM to your account. The FortiGate will reboot to apply the trial license. fortigate vm license trial
: Uploading a full license will trigger a mandatory system reboot.
First, you need to have a FortiGate VM up and running. You can deploy it on any of the following supported platforms:
Low cryptography enforcement. High-strength encryption (such as certain 256-bit ciphers) is disabled. Select and choose your purchased
Upgrading to a fully supported license requires no redeployment. Purchasing a License
Fortinet restricts the number of active free trial VMs allowed per single FortiCloud account (typically limited to three active trial tokens). If you hit this limit, you must log into your FortiCloud asset management portal and delete old, unused VM registrations. Unable to Connect to FortiCloud
To encourage users to upgrade to a paid licensed version, Fortinet imposes the following restrictions on the trial VM: Limited to 1 vCPU and 2GB of RAM. Enter your (email and password) to bind the
, find the old VM's serial number, and decommission it before spinning up a new trial instance. 4. Alternative for Multi-Node Labs (GNS3 / EVE-NG)
“We can buy the permanent license today,” Maya said. “And the best part? When we apply the new license file, the VM doesn’t reboot. The trial license just… transforms into a production license. Zero downtime.”
Click and create a free account using a valid business or personal email address. Step 2: Download the FortiGate VM Image Log into your FortiCloud account. Navigate to Support > Firmware Download (or VM Images). Select FortiGate as the product.
The trial license is designed for testing and learning environments. According to the FortiGate VM License Guide , it includes:
(also called Permanent Evaluation License) starting with FortiOS 7.2.1. While this removes the 15-day expiration hurdle of older versions, it introduces strict resource caps designed for light lab testing rather than performance evaluation. Permanent Trial License (FortiOS 7.2.1+)