Trial, subscription, and activation

Choose access during setup

Start writing with Minstrel Lite for free, or activate your Standard purchase. For a website purchase, choose Activate Standard and use the email entered at checkout to find your purchase and activate this Mac. Existing Lite users can purchase Standard using their verified Minstrel email and refresh access in Settings > Account.

1. 1Enter the email address you want associated with Minstrel.
2. 2Choose Send activation code, then enter the eight-digit code from the email and choose Activate and continue.
3. 3For Standard, use the purchase email. Standard activation no longer asks for a license key.

Check optional Pro trial eligibility

Qualifying new paid Standard purchases through the website or Mac App Store can include an optional Pro trial, including purchases by existing Lite users. The offer appears in an updated Minstrel app when you activate eligible access; its duration is shown before you accept.

Purchases before this policy began, free redemptions, support grants, and Standard access earned from a subscription do not qualify. An account that has already used a trial cannot receive another. Active Plus or Pro subscribers are not offered a trial.

Direct-download Minstrel v2.50 supports the optional offer. Trial activation requires a supporting app version, and direct-download and Mac App Store updates may become available at different times. For a Mac App Store purchase, wait until the updated version is available through Apple, then update and restore access as offered in the app. Starting a trial requires verified Minstrel sign-in and explicit acceptance. A qualifying paid app download can provide a trial for only one account.

1. 1Choose Start my Pro trial to accept. The trial starts when you accept, not when you pay or download.
2. 2Choose No thanks, continue with Standard to decline. Standard remains yours; declining records your decision, so do not expect another offer after reinstalling or restoring.
3. 3If an expected offer is missing, update Minstrel, reconnect, and refresh account access. Check your purchase channel, checkout email, and previous trial history before contacting support. Do not buy again just to troubleshoot.

When a trial ends

Existing active trials keep their original expiry date. The illustrated Your Pro trial has expired notice offers Continue with Standard when you own Standard, or Continue with Lite for a legacy trial without Standard. Your writing stays on your Mac.

Explore Pro opens subscription options. No subscription starts automatically, and you do not need to cancel a trial. Continuing or closing the notice lets you keep writing with your remaining access.

Manage access later

Open Settings and choose Account to see the plan and activation status for this Mac. Lite covers core writing and manual tools; Standard adds project insights, organization, reviews, and book suggestions; Plus and Pro add Minstrel chat and the complete writing toolkit. Account separates the plan attached to your email from activation on this Mac and shows the available monthly allowance for subscription access.

1. 1Choose Refresh account when the displayed plan or allowance appears out of date.
2. 2Follow any Action needed message. Use Send sign-in code and Verify and activate when you need to restore access with your account email.
3. 3If your plan is available but this Mac is using Lite, choose the offered Enable tools action. If a Standard purchase is not found, check the checkout email before contacting support.
4. 4Review Installations when you need to see or deactivate another Mac associated with the account.

Before contacting support

1. 1Confirm whether you installed Minstrel from the direct download or the Mac App Store.
2. 2Check that the Mac is online while starting a trial, subscribing, or restoring a purchase.
3. 3Copy the exact error message and note your Minstrel and macOS versions.
4. 4Contact support without including passwords, private keys, or a full manuscript.