The "Product Key is empty or invalid. The extension has been automatically disabled." issue appears because of three common reasons. Usually, it's because you use the outdated version of the Magefan_Communty module, you downloaded a free version of the module for Magento Commerce or you use Translation extension v2.2.9.
Let's see what you can do to fix this issue in different cases.
Post Contents [hide]
Solution for Magento Open Source (CE)
If you get this error while saving the Magefan extension on the Magento Community edition and don't see any Product Key field, as on the screenshot:
make sure that you have the latest version of the Magefan Community extension.
Note: Magefan Community is not a Magefan Blog or Magefan Login as Customer. It is a separate module that is used together with all Magefan extensions.
To check the version of the Magefan Community extension have a look inside one of these files:
app/code/Magefan/Community/composer.json
app/code/Magefan/Community/etc/module.xml
vendor/magefan/module-community/composer.json
vendor/magefan/module-community/etc/module.xml
If you have an old version, then you need to update the extension.
If you have the latest Magefan_Community version, use Magento Community (not Magento Enterprise) and the issue is still there, please contact us.
Solution for Magento 2 Commerce (EE and ECE)
If you use Magento EE or ECE, then you need to login into your Magefan account to get the product key (license key). If you don't have any product keys (paid orders), then you need to purchase the Magento 2 extension for EE/ECE.
Magefan extensions are paid for Magento EE, but until some versions, we didn't require a product key. Developers were able to download them from GitHub or other open places and use them without actually paying.
In the latest versions, there is a product key field. If you use a free version (do not have any paid orders) you need to purchase Magento 2 extension for EE to be able to use it.
Solution for Translation Extension
If you've downloaded the Translation Extension v2.2.9 and higher for GitHub or other open resources (or updated the extension to the licence key) you will be asked a product key.
That's because starting from v2.2.9 Translation Basic is paid for Magento Open Source.
FAQ
What is the difference between Magefan extension for Magento Community and Magento Enterprise, why it is not free fro Enterprise?
Magefan extensions code was made to be completely the same for both Magento Community (CE) and Magento Enterprise (EE). We made one extension (code) for both Magento editions to maintain it easier.
However, Magento Commerce has additional functionality (modules) e.g. a page builder or catalog restrictions. So in our code, we made sure the extension does not conflict with them and works properly. A module includes EE-specific code, that's why it is the same code. But it is free for Magento CE and paid for Magento EE.