ERROR

Mechanical is opened > Workbench is automatically launched first > it sits on the loading screen for several minutes > it finally opens with the timeout connection error seen in this article this article‍ > you click ok > in the background (with no indication to you) it attempts to load mechanical for several minutes > you finally receive the error below and no tools appear in the toolbox.

Mechanical failed to open the database: The mechanical editor
does not have a valid license.  Please refer to the following directory
for more information:
C:\users\UserName\Appdata\Local\Temp\.ansys.

Software & Version

Mechanical / Workbench 2021 R2

*This example was taken from this version, but is not necessary limited to this version.

Description/Cause

This error was caused by a connection issue with the license server not having the License Server specified properly.

Solution

Follow the article -  HOW TO - Test & Fix License Manager Connectivity Issues