End User Licence Agreement (EULA) Template
EULA for installed software: acceptance, licence types, restrictions, open-source notices, activation, updates, data sent, warranty, liability, termination
How to use: Use it when users install and run your software on their own devices. Choose the licence model first and make the data section match what the software actually sends. The main pitfall is restrictions or disclaimers that override consumer rights or open-source licences, which makes them unenforceable.
Preview
End User Licence Agreement: [Software name]
Structural format for an end user licence agreement (EULA) for software that users install and run on their own devices: desktop applications, mobile apps distributed outside or alongside app stores, command-line tools and on-premises software. It covers acceptance, the licence grant, restrictions, ownership, open-source components, updates, data collected by the software, support, warranty, liability, consumer rights, termination, export and governing law. Based on common software licensing practice. Replace every
[bracketed]value and every row marked Example. This is a documentation format, not legal advice. It makes no claim that any clause is valid or enforceable. Consumer and copyright law limit what a licence can exclude, and they differ by country. Have a qualified lawyer review it before you ship it. For hosted (SaaS) products, use legal-lite/terms-of-service instead.
Document control
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | [LEGAL-EULA-001] |
| Software | [Name, editions, platforms] |
| Licensor | [Legal entity, address] |
| Version | [0.1] |
| Status | [Draft / Legal review / Approved / Shipped] |
| Owner | [@owner, Legal or Product] |
| Approvers / reviewers | [Legal counsel], [Engineering lead], [Privacy lead] |
| Applies from software version | [x.y] |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Classification | Public once shipped |
Approvals
| Role | Name | Decision | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal counsel | [@name] | [Approved / Changes requested] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Engineering lead | [@name] | [Confirmed telemetry and update behaviour match sections 6 and 7] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Privacy lead | [@name] | [Approved data section] | YYYY-MM-DD |
Revision history
| Version | Date | Author | Change summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | First draft |
| 1.0 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | Example: Shipped with version 3.0 of the desktop app |
| 1.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | Example: Crash reporting made opt-in (section 7) |
1. Acceptance
This End User Licence Agreement (EULA) is between you and [Licensor legal name] (we, us). By [installing, copying or using] [Software name] (the Software), you agree to this EULA. If you do not agree, do not install or use the Software [and you may return it for a refund under section 10].
If you accept on behalf of an organisation, you confirm that you have authority to bind it, and "you" means that organisation.
2. Licence grant
2.1 Subject to this EULA [and payment of the applicable fee], we grant you a [non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable] licence to install and use the Software [in object code form] as follows:
| Licence type | Scope | Duration | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Perpetual, per user] | [One named user on up to (N) devices] | Perpetual for the version bought [plus updates for (N) months] | [Not transferable / Transferable once with notice to us] |
| [Subscription] | [As stated in your order] | For the paid subscription period | Not transferable |
| [Free] | [Personal, non-commercial use] | Until terminated | Not transferable |
| [Trial] | [Evaluation only] | [(N) days] | Not transferable |
| Example: Tarnwick Forms Desktop, Pro (fictional) | One named user on up to 3 devices | Perpetual for version 3, updates for 12 months | Not transferable |
2.2 We reserve all rights not expressly granted.
3. Restrictions
Except where the law expressly allows it despite this restriction, you must not:
- copy the Software, except [for one backup copy and] as needed to install and use it under section 2;
- modify, translate, or create derivative works of the Software;
- reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the Software;
- rent, lease, lend, sell or sublicense the Software;
- remove or change any copyright notice, licence key check or other protection;
- use the Software to build a competing product [or for benchmarking published without our consent];
- use the Software in breach of law, including export control and sanctions laws (section 13).
4. Ownership and open-source components
4.1 The Software is licensed, not sold. We and our licensors own the Software and all intellectual property rights in it.
4.2 The Software includes open-source components listed in [Help > About > Third-party notices / the NOTICE file]. Each is licensed under its own licence, which prevails over this EULA for that component. See compliance/software-licence-review for how to check the list.
4.3 Your content. Files you create with the Software belong to you. We claim no rights in them.
5. Activation and licence keys
[The Software requires activation with a licence key. Activation sends the key, a device identifier and the Software version to our licence server. The Software checks the licence [every (N) days] and continues to work offline for [(N) days] between checks.] or [The Software does not require online activation.]
6. Updates
6.1 We may provide updates, patches and new versions (Updates). Updates are covered by this EULA unless they come with a different licence.
6.2 [The Software checks for and installs security Updates automatically. You can turn off automatic feature Updates in (Settings > Updates).]
6.3 [Major new versions after (date or period) require a new licence or upgrade fee.]
7. Data the Software collects
| ID | Data | When sent | Purpose | Optional? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EULA-DATA-001 | [Licence key, device ID, version] | [At activation and licence checks] | [Licence verification] | [No] |
| EULA-DATA-002 | [Crash reports] | [After a crash, if you agree] | [Fix defects] | [Yes, opt-in] |
| EULA-DATA-003 | [Usage statistics] | [Weekly] | [Improve features] | [Yes, (opt-in / opt-out) in Settings] |
| EULA-DATA-004 (Example) | Update check: version and operating system | Daily | Offer security updates | No, but no personal data is sent |
Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal data.
8. Support
[Support is included for (N) months from purchase by (email or portal), in (language), with a response target of (N) business days.] or [No support is included with free licences.]
9. Warranty
9.1 Limited warranty. [For (90) days from purchase, the Software will perform substantially as described in its documentation. Your remedy is that we will, at our option, fix the defect or refund the licence fee.]
9.2 Disclaimer. Except as stated in 9.1 and to the extent the law allows, the Software is provided "as is" without other warranties.
9.3 Consumers. If you are a consumer, you have legal rights in relation to software that is faulty or not as described, and nothing in this EULA affects them.
10. Refunds and consumer rights
Refunds and withdrawal rights are described in our Refund and Cancellation Policy (legal-lite/refund-cancellation-policy).
11. Limitation of liability
11.1 Nothing in this EULA limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or any other liability that cannot be limited by law.
11.2 Subject to 11.1, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of data that you could have avoided by keeping backups, [or for loss of profits].
11.3 Subject to 11.1, our total liability under this EULA is limited to [the amount you paid for the Software in the 12 months before the claim / (fixed amount)].
12. Termination
12.1 This EULA ends automatically if you breach it [and do not fix the breach within (14) days of notice]. A subscription or trial licence ends when its period ends.
12.2 On termination you must stop using and uninstall the Software. Sections 4, 9.2, 11 and 14 survive.
13. Export and sanctions
You must not export, re-export or use the Software in breach of export control or sanctions laws that apply to you or to us, including [the laws of (countries)].
14. Governing law and general terms
14.1 This EULA is governed by the law of [country or state]. If you are a consumer, you also keep the protection of mandatory laws of the country where you live.
14.2 Courts of [place] have [exclusive / non-exclusive] jurisdiction, except that consumers may bring claims in their home courts where the law allows.
14.3 If any provision is invalid, the rest stays in effect. This EULA, with the documents it refers to, is the entire agreement about the Software. We may assign it to a successor of our business.
14.4 Contact: [Licensor name, address, email].
References
| Source | Use |
|---|---|
| Directive (EU) 2019/770 on contracts for the supply of digital content and digital services, applying from 1 January 2022 (Art. 24), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/770/oj/eng | EU consumer conformity and updates, Art. 8(2) (check national transposition) |
| Directive 2009/24/EC on the legal protection of computer programs, Arts. 5 and 6, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/24/oj/eng | EU example of user rights a licence cannot remove (backup copy, decompilation for interoperability), section 3 |
| Terms of Service (legal-lite/terms-of-service) | For hosted services instead of installed software |
| Refund and Cancellation Policy (legal-lite/refund-cancellation-policy) | Section 10 |
| Privacy Policy (legal-lite/privacy-policy) | Section 7 |
| Software licence review (compliance/software-licence-review) | Open-source notices, section 4 |
Standard and licence note
Based on common software licensing practice for installed software. There is no official standard for this document; the structure and all wording are original to this collection, and examples are fictional. This is a documentation format, not legal advice: it does not create a lawyer-client relationship and makes no claim that any clause is valid or enforceable. Check the current consumer, copyright and export law that applies before use. Legal texts named here were checked on 2026-10-30. Template licence: MIT.
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