Occasionally, you may have to change the product key. If you're getting Windows 10 for the first time and a product key wasn't provided during the installation, or a generic key was used to upgrade, you'll need a new valid product key to activate the operating system.
In this Windows 10 guide, you'll learn five ways to bring up the Windows activation tool to change the product key on your computer.
Click the Change product key link.
Click Next to complete the process.
If the activation process completes successfully, you'll get the 'Windows is activated' message.
Click the Change product key link under the Windows activation section.
Click Next to complete the process.
Similar to the Settings app, if the activation process completes successfully, you'll get the 'Windows is activated' message.
Type the following command using your 25-digit product key and press Enter:
slmgr.vbs /ipk <enter your 25-digit product key here>
If you typed the product key correctly and the process completes successfully, you'll see a dialog box reading 'Installed product key YOURP-RODUC-TKEYX-XXXXX-XXXXX successfully.'
Type the 25-digit product key for the version of Windows 10 you want.
If the activation process completes successfully, you'll get the 'Windows is activated' message.
Enter the 25-digit product key for the version of Windows 10 you want.
If the activation process completes successfully, you'll get the 'Windows is activated' message.
Alternatively, you can use change the product key using changepk.exe using the Command Prompt as well. Here's how:
Type the following command using your 25-digit product key and press Enter:
changepk.exe /ProductKey <enter your 25-digit product key here>
While for the most part, you'll be using the Settings app to change the product key on Windows 10, if the option isn't available or if you're looking to create a script to change the product key on your computer, it's good to have different alternatives.
If you're trying to upgrade the operating system by purchasing a new license from the Windows Store, everything regarding the product key will be handled automatically for you.
Also, remember that you must be signed in with an administrator account to change your system's product key, and you'll need an internet connection to complete the activation.
In the case, you recently made significant hardware changes to your PC, and Windows 10 won't activate, you can use the Activation Troubleshooter to re-activate your copy of Windows 10.
Although this guide is specific to Windows 10, the Control Panel, slui.exe, and slmgr.vbs methods that we're showing you here will work to change the product key on Windows 8.1 or Windows 7.
For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:
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