A Rhino 8 licence is not limited to Rhino 8. Every commercial and educational single-user licence also includes legacy keys — valid licence keys for Rhino 7 and Rhino 6 that install and run alongside the current version. If a plugin you depend on has not been updated for Rhino 8 yet, or a project still lives in an older Rhino version, you do not need a second licence to keep working.
What a Legacy Key Is
McNeel issues licence keys per version, but a Rhino 8 purchase carries entitlement to the two versions before it. When you request a legacy key, McNeel generates a Rhino 7 or Rhino 6 licence key from your Rhino 8 entitlement and adds it to your Rhino Account. The older version then validates like any normal licence — it is not an evaluation, not time-limited, and does not expire.
Which Versions You Get
A Rhino 8 licence gives access to Rhino 7 and Rhino 6. The request works as a chain: your Rhino 8 licence key qualifies you for a Rhino 7 key, and a Rhino 7 key qualifies you for a Rhino 6 key. If you hold a Rhino 8 licence, you can work down the chain to both older versions.
That chain is also why buying the current version is the way to get legal access to older ones — there is no separate old-version product to hunt for.
Who Qualifies
Legacy keys are available with Rhino 8 commercial and educational single-user licences. Two exclusions apply under McNeel's policy:
- Lab licences do not support legacy keys. A school buying a 30-user lab licence cannot generate Rhino 7 or Rhino 6 keys from it.
- Evaluation (trial) licences do not qualify. Only paid licences carry the entitlement.
How to Get Your Legacy Keys
The route depends on how your licence is activated.
Cloud Zoo. If your licence sits in the Cloud Zoo, previous versions already validate. Download the Rhino 7 or Rhino 6 installer from McNeel's downloads page, install it, and log in with your Rhino Account — the older version picks up your licence automatically. No separate key request needed.
Single-computer activation. Visit McNeel's legacy access pages — rhino3d.com/access-rhino-7 and rhino3d.com/access-rhino-6 — and enter your email address and licence key. McNeel then provides the matching download and key for the older version.
In both cases the installer comes directly from McNeel, so the older version is the genuine, current release of that version.
Why Run an Older Version
Two situations where legacy keys earn their keep:
Plugin compatibility. Plugins do not always move to a new Rhino version on release day. A plugin built for Rhino 6 or 7 that has not been ported yet still runs in its native version — and installers for different Rhino versions sit side by side on one machine without conflict, so you can switch versions as your plugins catch up.
Collaboration and file history. If a client or collaborator is working in an older version, you can match their environment exactly. Rhino 8 can also save files down a version: File → Save As lets you choose the Rhino 7 or Rhino 6 file format when a round-trip file is needed rather than a working environment.
One Licence, One Running Copy
The upgrade chain counts as a single licence. You can install Rhino 8, Rhino 7, and Rhino 6 on the same machine — or on your other machines — and switch between them, but only one copy runs at a time. Running Rhino 6 on one computer while Rhino 8 runs on another requires a second licence.
The Short Version
A Rhino 8 licence covers the current generation of Rhino: Rhino 8 today, with Rhino 7 and Rhino 6 keys available on request for compatibility and collaboration. Request them once through your Rhino Account or McNeel's access pages, and they remain valid permanently.
Not Sure Which Version You Need?
If you're weighing Rhino 8 against an older version for a specific plugin or workflow, tell us what you're running and we'll confirm the right setup before you buy.
Contact the CADWAX team