Important - From 6 April 2026, BrightPay Desktop will be available as a cloud service only. You will no longer be able to purchase a desktop licence.
If you're experiencing issues with activation, Please follow the step-by-step guide below, and we’ve also included a short video tutorial to walk you through the process and get you up and running quickly:
Make sure BrightPay is closed
In Windows start menu, locate "Notepad".
Right-click on Notepad and select Run as administrator.
In Notepad, go to File > Open, then paste C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts into the File name entry and click Open.
Add this line to the bottom of the file: 51.104.200.54 activation.thesaurussoftware.com
Click on Save
Then relaunch BrightPay and try to activate your Licence Key again.
You should now be able to gain access to your Payroll
Video Tutorial: