Questions

A Windows 10 or 11 PC, a USB ELM327-compatible OBD-II adapter, and a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury from 1996 or newer. Install Drive DTC from the Microsoft Store, sign in with a free account or a license code, and plug the adapter into the port under the dash and a USB port on the PC. Drive DTC finds the adapter's COM port by itself and can connect the moment you plug it in.

Yes. The Connection page has a Start demo button that connects a simulated 2014 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost with a couple of trouble codes and a cylinder 3 misfire count. Every feature is unlocked while the demo is connected, so you can see how the app works before buying. Reports made from the demo carry a “DEMO DATA – simulator, not a real vehicle” pill, and plan features unlocked with the demo vehicle are for evaluation only.

No. Drive DTC is a Windows 10 and 11 desktop app from the Microsoft Store. Windows only. No phone app, no Mac. A browser is only used for what the app shares – a report link, an estimate a customer approves on their phone, the redeem page – and for the free VIN check and trouble code library on this site.

Reading your vehicle doesn't. Trouble codes, live data, the checkup and the safety guard all run on your PC. The internet is used for signing in, vehicle details and recalls from NHTSA, cloud sync, share links and support replies. A license code keeps working for 7 days without a connection after its last online check.

A USB ELM327-compatible OBD-II adapter – for example the OHP ELMconfig (set its switch to HS-CAN), OBDLink SX or vLinker FS USB. Drive DTC finds the adapter's COM port by itself. Bluetooth adapters that show up as a COM port can work, but USB is faster and more reliable.

Every 1996-or-newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sold in the U.S. has OBD-II. 2008 and newer models (CAN) get every feature, including ABS and airbag codes with the Ford pack; older models get trouble codes, live data, freeze frame and readiness. Ford-specific extras show up automatically when your vehicle answers them.

The Connection page also takes Wi-Fi adapters and, as a beta, Bluetooth LE adapters such as the OBDLink CX or vLinker MC+. For Wi-Fi, join the adapter's network in Windows first; most answer at 192.168.0.10 on port 35000, which the Connection page fills in for you. Classic Bluetooth adapters pair in Windows and then appear as a COM port. Whichever way the adapter reaches the vehicle, every request goes through the same read-only guard. USB is still the fastest and most reliable way in.

The standard OBD-II parts do: engine trouble codes, freeze frame, live data, readiness monitors and recalls work on any vehicle with OBD-II. The brand extras – ABS and airbag codes, transmission temperature and tire pressures – come from a brand pack, and today only the Ford pack (Ford, Lincoln and Mercury) exists. Brand support is being built one brand at a time. Coming-soon brands and features aren't guaranteed – see the Terms.

No. Every request passes a safety guard that only allows standard read requests and a few Ford readings like transmission temperature and tire pressures. Programming, module configuration, security unlocks, resets and actuator tests are blocked in the code itself. The only thing that changes anything is clearing trouble codes, which asks you to type CLEAR first.

No. Drive DTC isn't affiliated with FORScan or Ford. It's built for reading and understanding your vehicle safely, so it deliberately doesn't do module programming or configuration. There's an honest comparison, including where Drive DTC loses.

Yes – a free Drive DTC account, which you can create right in the app in under a minute. If someone gave you a license code, you can enter that instead. With Pro, your account also adds cloud sync and share links.

Your garage stays on your computer unless you turn on sync. We don't sell data or show ads. The details are in our privacy policy.

An account works on up to 3 computers; Shop accounts get 10. The Account page lists each computer, and you can remove one you no longer use to move your plan to a new PC – up to 3 removals in any 30 days. You can still sign in on an extra computer for the free features; a plan or brand packs won't work on it until you remove one of the others. License codes have their own computer limit, separate from your account.

30 days. A share link opens a read-only snapshot of a report in any browser. The report is sealed on your computer and the key travels after the # in the link – a part of the address browsers never send to a server – so the cloud holds a copy it cannot read. Share links are part of Pro.

You can reset it from the sign-in screen. Your synced garage is a separate matter: it is encrypted on your PC before upload, and a recovery key is shown once when you set it up. If you forget your password and lose your recovery key, nobody can open the cloud copy of your garage – not even us. The garage on your own computer is untouched.

In the app, open Account → Delete my account and type your email address to confirm, or email [email protected] from your account email address. This deletes your account, synced garage, share links and support messages. The privacy policy lists the few records kept after deletion.

No. Pro, Shop and brand packs are one-time purchases through the Microsoft Store – no subscription. There is no monthly or annual plan. You buy in the app under Settings & plan; the Microsoft Store shows the price and handles payment, and Restore purchases on the same page brings a purchase back if it doesn't show up. Purchases work in the Microsoft Store version of Drive DTC.

A second way into Drive DTC that doesn't need an account. Codes look like DDTC-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX and carry a plan (Free, Pro or Shop), any brand packs, an end date or none, and a number of computers. A coupon is one word many people can redeem, printed on a card or flyer; a coupon redemption is one computer. Codes are re-checked online from time to time and keep working for 7 days without internet. License codes are final once they're activated.

Pro or Shop granted to an account by Drive DTC for a while, with or without an end date. Settings & plan shows it as “Given by Drive DTC. There is nothing to pay and nothing to cancel.” It raises the plan and never lowers a paid one; when it ends, the account goes back to the plan it actually has.

A brand pack adds that brand's extra systems – ABS and airbag codes, transmission temperature and tire pressures. The Ford pack (Ford, Lincoln and Mercury) is the one available today. Pro doesn't include it; Shop includes every brand pack. Brand support is being built one brand at a time. Coming-soon brands and features aren't guaranteed – see the Terms.

Everything in Pro, every brand pack included, customer details on each vehicle, and reports branded with your shop's name, phone, email, address and logo. You can email a customer their report (up to 5 times per report and 40 a day), print a customer coupon on it, and send an estimate the customer approves on their phone. A Customers page keeps the customer book, fleets and follow-up calls. A Shop account works on up to 10 computers. One-time purchase; price shown in the Microsoft Store. More on the shops page.

You write the estimate in the Garage and send it. The customer opens a link on their phone, sees the work, the parts and labor total and the tax, then approves it or asks a question. Their answer goes straight back to the shop, with the time they gave it. Every estimate carries the line “This is an estimate based on what's known now. If more work turns out to be needed, the shop will ask before doing it.”

What you did, what you expected and what happened, plus the vehicle's year and model and the adapter you use. From the app, leave Include diagnostics on: it sends the app version, connection details, recent codes and the adapter log – never your VIN – and the Diagnostics that will be sent panel shows exactly what goes.