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# Subscription setup and management

This page will help get you started with your new subscription or manage an existing one, whether you have subscribed to GitLab.com or self-managed GitLab.

To subscribe, upgrade, or read more about the types of subscriptions, please see [Subscribe to GitLab](../README.md#subscribe-to-gitlab) on the GitLab Documentation landing page.

## Set up GitLab

Learn how GitLab helps you in the stages of the DevOps lifecycle by learning more [about the GitLab product](https://about.gitlab.com/product/), [GitLab features](https://about.gitlab.com/features/), and [GitLab Documentation](../README.md).

### Self-managed: Install GitLab

Take a look at [installing GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/install/) and our [administrator documentation](../administration/index.md). Then, follow the instructions below under [Your subscription](#your-subscription) to apply your license file. 

### GitLab.com: Create a user and group

Start with creating a user account for yourself using our [sign up page](https://gitlab.com/users/sign_in#register-pane).

[GitLab groups](../user/group/index.md) help assemble related projects together allowing you to grant members access to several projects at once. A group is not required if you plan on having [projects](../user/project/) inside a personal namespace.

## Your subscription

You can view and manage subscriptions through our [Customers portal](https://customers.gitlab.com/). Information on applying your subscription is below.

Please also see our [subscription FAQ](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/licensing-faq/)

### View subscription and seats

To view and manage the subscriptions you have purchased and the number of seats associated with the subscription, please visit and log into the [Customers’ Portal](https://customers.gitlab.com/subscriptions). For more information, please see our [subscription FAQ](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/licensing-faq/) and [pricing page](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/), which includes information on our [true-up pricing policy](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/pricing/#true-up-pricing) when adding more users than at the time of purchase.

Please note that this account may have the same email, but is a _separate_ login from your GitLab.com account. If the two accounts are linked together, then you can use the "sign in with GitLab.com account" link underneath the `Sign In` button.

### Change billing information

In the customers portal, go to the `My Account` page, then revise the `Account Details` information and click on the `Update Account` button.

Future purchases will use the information in this section. The email listed in this section is used for the Customers Portal login and for license related email communication.

### Self-managed: Apply your license file

After purchase, the license file is sent to the email address tied to the Customers portal account, which needs to be [uploaded to the GitLab instance](../user/admin_area/license.md#uploading-your-license).

### Link your GitLab.com account with your Customers Portal account

NOTE: **Note:**
This is *required* for GitLab.com subscriptions.

Once signed into the customers portal, if your account is not already linked, you should be prompted to link your account with a "Link my GitLab Account" button.

You can also go to the [My Account](https://customers.gitlab.com/customers/edit) page to add or change the GitLab.com account link.

### Change the linked GitLab.com account for your Customers Portal account

To change which GitLab.com account is associated with a Customers Portal account, please follow these steps:

1. Log into the [Customers Portal](https://customers.gitlab.com/customers/sign_in).
1. In a separate browser tab, visit [GitLab.com](https://gitlab.com) to ensure you are not logged in, or if you are, log out.
1. Back on the Customers Portal page, click [My Account](https://customers.gitlab.com/customers/edit) in the top menu.
1. Under `Your GitLab.com account`, click the `Change linked account` button.
1. Have the user you want associated log in to their [GitLab.com](https://gitlab.com) account.

### GitLab.com: Associate your namespace with your subscription

Once your GitLab.com account is linked, you can go to your [Subscriptions](https://customers.gitlab.com/subscriptions) page to choose or change the namespace your subscription applies to.

Please note that you need to be a group owner to associate a group to your subscription.

### Confirm or upgrade your GitLab.com subscription details within GitLab

To see the status of your GitLab.com subscription, you can click on the Billings
section of the relevant namespace:

* For individuals, this is located at https://gitlab.com/profile/billings under
in your Settings,
* For groups, this is located under the group's Settings dropdown, under Billing.

For groups, you can see details of your subscription - including your current 
plan - in the included table:

![Billing table](billing_table.png)

| Field | Description |
| ------ | ------ |
| Seats in subscription | If this is a paid plan, this represents the number of seats you've paid to support in your group. |
| Seats currently in use | The number of active seats currently in use. | 
| Max seats used | The highest number of seats you've used. If this exceeds the seats in subscription, you may owe an additional fee for the additional users. | 
| Seats owed | If your max seats used exceeds the seats in your subscription, you'll owe an additional fee for the users you've added. | 
| Subscription start date | The date your subscription started. If this is for a Free plan, this is the date you transitioned off your group's paid plan. | 
| Subscription end date | The date your current subscription will end. This does not apply to Free plans. | 

### Subscription changes and your data

When your subscription or trial expires, GitLab does not delete your data, however, depending on the tier and feature, it may become inaccessible. Please note that some features may not behave as expected if a graceful fallback is not currently implemented, such as [environment specific variables not being passed](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/52825).

If you renew or upgrade, your data will again be accessible.

For self-managed customers, there is a two-week grace period when your features will continue to work as-is, after which the entire instance will become read only. However, if you remove the license, you will immediately revert to Core features.

## Need help?

[GitLab's Documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/) offers a wide range of topics covering the use and administration of GitLab.

We also encourage all users to search our project trackers for known issues and existing feature requests in:

- [GitLab CE](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/) for features included in all tiers, and
- [GitLab EE](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/) for paid-tier features.

These issues are the best avenue for getting updates on specific product plans and for communicating directly with the relevant GitLab team members.

### Contacting Support

Learn more about the tiers of [GitLab Support](https://about.gitlab.com/support/) or [submit a request via the Support Portal](https://support.gitlab.com/hc/en-us/requests/new).

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