Recovering a lost access code
Where your code appears, how to read it back off an activated Mac, and what to do if you cannot.
Where your code was shown
Notel unlocks with an access code: the string the checkout page prints for you, and the one the app’s lock screen asks for. It appears on the confirmation page right after checkout, and that page is the only place it is ever shown. It is not sent by email.
It is worth knowing why saving it matters so much. We keep your code the way a well-behaved service keeps a password: as a one-way hash, which can be checked against but not read back. So once that confirmation page is gone, nobody can look your code up and tell you what it was, us included.
First, check a Mac that is already activated
This works far more often than people expect. When you activate Notel, it saves your code in that Mac’s Keychain, and you can read it straight back out:
- Open Keychain Access (it is in Applications ▸ Utilities, or just search for it in Spotlight).
- Search for com.notel.license.
- Double-click the entry whose account is accessCode, tick Show password, and enter your Mac’s password when it asks.
There is your code. Write it down somewhere better this time.
If no Mac still has it
Get in touch: the license recovery page opens an email to support, or you can find us on Discord. We cannot read your original code back out, but we can confirm the purchase and put you right. It helps if you send:
- The email address used at checkout, if you are writing from a different one.
- The date you bought Notel. Your card statement has it.
- The Stripe receipt, if you still have it. The reference on it is the quickest thing for us to match.
Do not unregister while you wait
If Notel is still registered on another Mac, leave it alone until you have read the code off it. Settings → About → License… → Unregister This Mac… deletes the saved code from that Mac and relaunches Notel locked. Your notes are untouched, but that Keychain entry may be the last copy of your code in existence.