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(Device license) simultaneous sign-ins on different devices

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Posted on by MR-26091225-0

Hi,

Question regarding BC device license.

Setup:
15 users are members in the device security group.
15 Device licences in my tenant (un-assigned, not assigned to specfic users)
Some of these users are working both directly in BC and in their BC-integrated WMS-system.

Problem:
Users within the Device Group getting kicked out and need to login again into BC/WMS, on daily basis when working.

Is the reason for users getting kicked out becuase more than 15 sessions are on-going at the same time (note that its never more than 15 users at the same time, but some of the users is working on more than one device = more than 15 singins/sessions…)

Does the Device-license even support multiple logins?

If I add more Device licenes to the tenant, would that solve this issue? Or do I also need one unique user per device working?

Over all, I would like to know what the rules there are and how it works when it comes to the device licenses.

Thanks in advance.

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Dynamics 365 Business Central

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OussamaSabbouh 20,124 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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Hello,
Yes, Business Central Device licenses are concurrent-device based, not simply concurrent-user based. Microsoft states that you can add as many users as needed to the Dynamics 365 Business Central Device Users security group, but the number of devices those users can be signed in to simultaneously is limited by the number of purchased Device licenses. Therefore, with 15 Device licenses, if 15 users are active but some are simultaneously connected from both BC and another device/WMS client that establishes a BC user session, you can exceed the licensed concurrent-device capacity even though there are only 15 people. You do not need one permanent/unique BC user assigned to each device; users should normally keep their own identities and can share licensed devices. Adding more Device licenses increases the number of simultaneous devices and could resolve the issue if license exhaustion is the cause, but I would first confirm the active BC sessions and how the WMS connects—if it uses a service principal/API integration rather than an interactive device-user session, that is a different licensing/access pattern. Also note that scheduled Job Queue tasks started by Device users temporarily consume Device-license capacity while running. References: https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/deployment/licensing#device-licenses | https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/ui-how-users-permissions
Regards,
Oussama Sabbouh
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YUN ZHU 103,637 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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Hi, hope the following helps.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/security/security-users?wt.mc_id=DX-MVP-5004336
Thanks.
ZHU
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Ben Baxter 7,266 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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It doesn't sound like you are using Device licenses as they are intended.
The Workstation should be the User, not the employee using the workstation
The device User should not sign-in/out of multiple devices, except maybe once a day, such as a handheld scanner swap
You are essentially using Device licenses for people, and that breaks Microsoft's SLT/CA, which could result in an audit and penalty fees
Device licenses are concurrent use licenses, not named
This means you generally need less Device licenses for the number of devices needing access
Generally, devices are not active continuously (some are) and so the counts between devices and licenses can be different
In your case it sounds like you are exceeding your concurrent count when the User changes workstations, which is leading to a User being kicked out

I would strongly encourage you to verify with your partner whether Device licenses are the correct license type for the work being performed. Without knowing the specifics, I think you should be using actual User licenses and not Device licenses.

If your partner recommended the solution to you and Microsoft disagrees with the use, your partner has the potential penalty of losing their partnership with Microsoft. Your partner's recommendation does not clear you of licensing penalties enforced by Microsoft.

While I understand this may not be good news for your licensing, I hope it helps identify your issue.

Best Regards,
Ben Baxter
Accent Software Inc
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D365BC_AmanKr 180 on at

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Hi
Device licenses in Business Central are tied to devices, not individual users. Each active device session consumes one license. If users log in from multiple devices example (BC client + WMS terminal), they may exceed the available 15 device licenses even if only 15 people are working. Adding more device licenses will solve session kick-outs, but you don’t need unique user licenses per device—just enough device licenses to cover concurrent device sessions.
For more details you can refer the below link:
Licensing in Business Central - Business Central | Microsoft Learn

Many Thanks
Aman
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Grigorios Mavrogeorgis 3,638 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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Hi, the device license is counted on what is signed in at the same moment, not on who is in the group. The group can have any number of users, but the docs say the number of devices they can be signed in to simultaneously is the number of licenses you bought. So as I read it, one user on two devices takes two of your 15.
Also when a device user's scheduled task runs, it counts as present and using a device license too. And if the WMS logs in with the same user accounts, I'd expect those sessions to count as well.
More licenses up to your peak number of devices should fix it, no need for one unique user per device. The kick out part I can't confirm, I'd expect the new login to be refused and not a running one dropped. Sessions in the admin center will show the real count.
Glad to help - follow up if anything is unclear.
► If this solved it, marking it verified helps others too.
Regards,
Grigorios Mavrogeorgis
Business Central Consultant & AL Developer
Work: Gmsoft Limited
Blog: insidebusinesscentral
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gregorymavrogeorgis