How-To

How to Fix Windows 10 Product Key Activation Not Working

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Are you having a problem getting Windows 10 to activate with your product key? Here’s a look at some ways to fix the issues and get it activated.

Product Activation was first introduced into the Windows family with the release of Windows XP in 2001. Activation pairs your product key with your computer. It is also used as a mechanism for copy protection in addition to defining support rights, depending on the product channel from which the software was acquired: Retail, OEM, Volume License, or Trial. With Windows 10, Microsoft has made huge announcements regarding product distribution.

The most notable being that Windows 10 is free for existing Windows 7, 8/8.1 users for the first year. Regardless of this, product activation remains a part of Windows 10. In this article, we take a look at product activation and troubleshooting steps.

Update: This was written for issues when Windows 10 was initially released in 2015. For more on activation issues, take a look at these articles:

Understand and Fix Windows 10 Product Key Activation

Things you should know:

• A Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 product key cannot activate Windows 10. Windows 10 uses its own unique product key.
• By default, Windows 10 builds are pre-keyed, meaning, you do not have to enter a product key and should not be prompted to enter one, as long as you upgraded from an activated Windows 7 or Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 license or Windows 10 Preview build.
• If you perform a clean install on the first attempt, you will have to start over from an activated Windows 7 or Windows 8.x installation.
• If you are prompted to enter a product key, click Do this later and give it a few days, Windows 10 will activate automatically.
• Activation servers might be overwhelmed at times because of the volume of upgrades, so give it some time if you get an error message such as (0XC004E003, 0x8007000D, 0x8007232b, or 0x8007007B.)  Windows 10 will eventually activate as long as you upgrade using the appropriate method.
• There is no need to know your Windows 10 product key; see ‘Understanding Product Activation in Windows 10:

Product Activation in Windows 10

In previous Windows releases, when you installed an upgrade version of Windows:  if you wanted to reinstall the upgrade version, you had first to reinstall the qualifying version from which you upgraded, reactivate it, then upgrade again and reactivate again.

With Windows 10, this is no longer the case. Once you are upgraded to Windows 10 and activated, you can simply create a bootable copy on DVD or USB and reinstall just Windows 10 without the need to reinstall the qualifying version, and it will reactivate automatically. Windows 10 registers the device with the Product Activation Center and keeps a copy of your device’s activation in a Cloud Store. When you perform reinstall or clean install the installation checks with Activation Server, detects the unique installation ID, and produces the validation for your device.

When Installing Windows 10 Build 10240

To activate Windows 10 build 10240 (RTM), you must upgrade from a previous qualifying operating system that is genuine and activated. This includes Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 10 Insider Previews.

If you are running the Windows 10 Enterprise Preview, you either need to stay in the Windows 10 Insider Preview Program, or activate using a product key from the Volume License Service Center (VLSC.) If you are not eligible to be running Windows 10 Enterprise, I suggest you make preparations to roll back to the original version of Windows your system was licensed for, and make a reservation to upgrade to Windows 10.

Can I Perform a Clean Install Using the Free Upgrade?

No, it will require that you are running a previous qualifying version and start the upgrade from within the qualifying version. You can initiate a clean install after completing the Upgrade.

Please be aware that you cannot use the free upgrade offer to perform a clean install on the first attempt! You must first upgrade from the qualifying version of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 (whether you do it through Windows Update or using the ISO file.) Ensure the upgrade is completed successfully and then ensure that it is activated. You can then proceed to do a clean install by using recovery media or using the Reset function in Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Reset this PC (Get Started.)

What if Windows Doesn’t Activate?

If Windows 10 does not activate even after detecting an active Internet Connection, restart and try again. Or wait a few days, and Windows 10 should automatically activate itself.

I downloaded the ISO file, but Windows 10 setup is prompting me for a product key or indicates the product key does not work with this edition.

Note: The copy of Windows 10 you download must correspond with the edition of Windows you are upgrading from.

• Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Windows 8.0 Core, Windows 8.1 Core must use a Windows 10 Home ISO.
• Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8.0 Pro, Windows 8.1 Pro must use a Windows 10 Pro ISO.
• Your currently installed copy of Windows must be activated. If it is not, you will be prompted to enter a product key.
• If you are using Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8.0 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Enterprise editions you won’t be able to use the free upgrade offer.

The ‘Get Windows 10 App’ Indicates My License is not Activated:

Again, you must ensure you are running a genuine activated copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1.

Click Start, right-click Computer (Windows 8 or later – press Windows key + X > click System) then click Properties.

Check to make sure Windows is activated.

I upgraded from an activated copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 then I decided to reinstall using either the ISO file, Reset this PC, or Recovery drive, but I am prompted to enter a product key:

Select Do this later. Windows 10 will automatically re-activate within a few days.

I just installed or reinstalled a preview build of Windows 10, and I want to upgrade to the final release, but it will not activate.

Microsoft has suspended Preview Builds and also deactivated their product keys at this time. This means you won’t be able to download, install, or activate older builds such as 10162 and 10166 or earlier builds to qualify for the final release.

Your best option is to reinstall a valid license you have for either Windows 7, Windows 8.0, or Windows 8.1, make sure it is activated, then upgrade from that to Windows 10 on July 29th or later. If you maintain your current activated Windows 10 Preview, you should be able to upgrade it to the final release.

How do I check my activation status after upgrading?

Go to Settings (press Windows key + I) > Update & security > Activation.

Fix Windows 10 Activation Errors:

Activation Error: 0XC004E003 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938450

Wait a few days and try again or just leave it and let it activate on its own.  The activation servers might be overwhelmed.

Contact the Microsoft Activation Center for further assistance:

Try the appropriate phone number listed at the Microsoft Volume License Key assisted support telephone information page.

Reset your license status:

Press Windows key + X

Click Command Prompt (Admin)

At the command prompt, type the following commands:

slmgr.vbs -rearm

Hit Enter on your keyboard

Exit the command prompt

Restart your computer

Enter the product key using the instructions

Force activation:

Press Windows key + X

Click Command Prompt (Admin)

At the command prompt, type the following commands:

slmgr.vbs -ato

Hit Enter on your keyboard

Exit the command prompt

Restart your computer

Scan for broken operating system files:

You can also try running the system file checker utility to see if it might resolve any problems that might be preventing product activation.

Scan and Repair System files (SFC)

The issues below are more likely to affect retail bought and volume license clients.

If you are unable to enter the product key:

Press Windows key + X

Click Command Prompt (Admin)

At the command prompt, type the following commands:

slmgr.vbs -ipk xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx (allows you to replace the current product key with the specified)

xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx – represents your product key

Hit Enter on your keyboard

Exit the command prompt

Restart your computer

Try Activating again

You were never running a genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8 license.

This issue particularly affects Windows 7 licenses. If you purchased your Windows 7 license from an auction website such as eBay or the Amazon, you might have mistakenly purchased a counterfeit copy. You can determine this by the product ID which determines your level of support.

• 065, 066, 067, 068, 069 for Windows 7 Ultimate
• 220, 221, 222 for Windows 7 Professional
• 230, 231, 221, 232 for Windows 7 Home Premium

Click Start, right-click Computer

Click Properties

Scroll down to Windows Activation and look at the PID It will look something like the following 12345-067-1234567-54321, the portion you are interested in is the three digit section if it matches or is within one or two digits of the examples above you probably have an MSDN or TechNet key.

About MSDN or TechNet Product Keys

They are genuine Microsoft product keys; they are actually retail licenses, but it is intended for a particular product channel – either the Microsoft Software Developer Network (MSDN) or TechNet for IT Professionals who pay a subscription fee. Although these licenses are intended for evaluation purposes, the great thing about them, unlike trial Microsoft software, they do not expire. Because the agreement under which the subscription is provided is a single license, none of the software should be distributed outside of it. Even though it is $50,000 worth of licenses, it is for one person only to use and no one else. Unfortunately, regardless of the licensing terms, individuals still abuse the program, either giveaway product keys or resell them on auction sites. Microsoft licenses it in good faith that customers won’t do so.

If you discover that your license is from MSDN or TechNet, what probably happened is, you bought an MSDN licensed key, which carries up to 10 activations, unlike full packaged retail licenses which only carry 1 activation. The person who sold it to you probably sold it to 10 other people. Somewhere along the way, one of those persons might have installed it on a second system, activated it. Because it went past the 10 activation threshold, Microsoft detected that it was being abused and blocked the key from further use.

You can confirm that your software is genuine now. It’s quick and easy.

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/validate/

Click the ‘Validate Windows’ button, if the validation check fails, then click on the ‘Get Genuine’ button to get a WGA Kit.

Microsoft also recently published a page that is worth a look, too. Activation in Windows 10.