How to claim a free C4D Lite license?

Adobe After Effects includes a free installation of Cinema 4D Lite, which is a limited but feature-rich version of Maxon’s Cinema 4D.

Once you have:

• After Effects installed
• An account on my.maxon.net

Follow the steps below.

1. Open After Effects.
2. Select File > New > Maxon Cinema 4D File...
   
   
   • You must click "Save" when the prompt opens to create a .c4d file.
3. Click Open Maxon App to open the Maxon App.
   
4. When the Maxon App Opens, sign in and select Claim License at the top of the Maxon App:
   Maxon App 2025.3.0 (and newer)Maxon App 2025.2.1 (and older)

Important Notes:

• Users running macOS 13 Ventura, we recommend updating to at least macOS 13.3 or newer. We've received reports of After Effects freezing during the process described above on versions 13.0 to 13.2.1. Updating to macOS 13.3 should resolve these issues. 
• After going through the above-shown process C4D can be opened without using After Effects.
  • Cinema 4D app location:
    Windows: Program Files > Maxon Cinema 4D 20** > Cinema 4D.exe
    Mac: Applications > Maxon Cinema 4D 20** > Cinema 4D.app
• If you already have a commercial version of Cinema 4D installed, it will use that instead of a Lite license; to switch to a Lite license instead of your commercial license, review this FAQ.