In the current scenario, most of the laptops and PCs come with Windows 10 operating system pre-installed and activated. Windows 10 is the latest version of Windows 10 brought out by Microsoft and they announced that there will be no updates in the near future. So if you are planning to upgrade, this is the right time to get Windows 10 for your device and activate Windows 10 with simple methods.
There are users who have built their own PC using a graphics card and processor and want to upgrade to Windows 10 for better performance. Installation is somewhat easy. The point where most of the users feel stuck is how to activate Windows 10. It can be complicated and also this is the last and most important step to upgrade to Windows 10.
Also, if you are looking for Windows 10 activators, you will find several different tools available. But it is not possible to predict their authenticity just by looking at them. You need to be careful before installing any such Windows 10 activator.
There are several methods available that claim to activate Windows 10 for free, but are they really useful for this purpose? We will find out in this guide where you will learn about 4 methods that have proven to be really useful to activate Windows.
Content
- Method-1 Activate Windows 10 using Product Key
- Method-2 Activate Windows 10 using CMD (without key)
- Method-3 Activate Windows 10 using KMS client key
- Method-4 Activate Windows 10 with digital license
Method-1 Activate Windows 10 using Product Key
If you purchased Windows 10, you can easily activate it using your product key as explained below.
The product key is a 25-character code that usually has the default format:
XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
Product key location
- The product key may be present on the packaging or may be printed on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
- If you purchased your copy of Windows 10 from an authorized reseller, you can find your product key inside the box that you received it.
- If you purchased the product from the Microsoft online store, you can browse your order history to find your Windows 10 Home product key.
- You can even find your Windows 10 product key for free.
Once you find your product key, follow the steps below to activate Windows 10 using the key:
- Press the Start menu icon on the taskbar and click on the Computer option.
- Right-click and select Properties from the menu
- Scroll down and click Activate Windows online
- Enter your product key and press Next to start Windows activation.
Method-2 Activate Windows 10 using CMD (without key)
If you are looking for a method to activate Windows 10 without a product key, this is for you.
Windows Enterprise Edition
With CMD, it’s easier and stress-free to activate Windows 10 for free without the need for third-party activation tools or an activation key. The above steps will help you in the activation process:
- Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard and the Run box will open. There, type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys together to start and run Windows Command Prompt as administrator.
- Once the prompt opens, copy and paste this command: slmgr.vbs /upk, into the prompt window and press Enter to run the command.
- Then copy and paste the given command and press Enter: slmgr /ipk NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43.
- Type the command slmgr /skms zh.us.to and press Enter.
- Finally, copy-paste slmgr /ato and press Enter to activate Windows 10 free using CMD.
Windows 10 Pro
These are the steps to follow to activate Windows using the Windows 10 pro activator:
- Open the Start menu and type cmd, right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Copy and paste the given command line in the prompt window and press Enter.
slmgr /ipk W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX
If you have other keys for Windows 10 Pro, you can also use them on the command line, enter the key after slmgr /ipk.
- Type the default commands and press Enter after each line.
slmgr /skms kms.xspace.in
slmgr /ato
Method-3 Activate Windows 10 using KMS client key
For this method, you need to open a command prompt as an administrator. Follow the steps below:
- Open the Start menu, search for “cmd” and run it as administrator.
- The next step is to install the KMS client key using the command “slmgr /ipk yourlicensekey”; the license key is the one that corresponds to your edition of Windows.
Below is a list of Windows 10 volume license keys:
Start: TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99
Start N: 3KHY7-WNT83-DGQKR-F7HPR-844BM
Home One language: 7HNRX-D7KGG-3K4RQ-4WPJ4-YTDFH
Country Specific: PVMJN-6DFY6-9CCP6-7BKTT-D3WVR
Professional: W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX
Professional N: MH37W-N47XK-V7XM9-C7227-GCQG9
Education: NW6C2-QMPVW-D7KKK-3GKT6-VCFB2
Education N: 2WH4N-8QGBV-H22JP-CT43Q-MDWWJ
Company: NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43
Company N: DPH2V-TTNVB-4X9Q3-TJR4H-KHJW4
Also press Enter to run all these commands
- The next step is to set the address of the KMS machine using the command “slmgr /skms kms8.msguides.com” to connect to the KMS server.
- Now you can activate your Windows using the “slmgr /ato” command and check the activation status again.
Method-4 Activate Windows 10 with digital license
With a digital license, it’s actually easier to activate Windows 10 because it allows you to associate your Windows 10 license key with your Microsoft account. Before starting the activation process, make sure your account is linked. To verify this, go to Settings, click on “Update & Security”, then select “Activation”. After that, in the Windows activation section, look for ‘Windows is activated with a digital license associated with your Microsoft account’.
- Select the ‘I don’t have a product key when prompted for activation’ option when you start the activation process.
- Using the Microsoft account associated with your Windows 10 digital license, set up and sign in to Windows 10. This step should be enough to activate Windows; however, if you have made any changes to your hardware, continue with the following steps.
- Press the Windows key and go to ‘Settings’, click on ‘Update & security’ and then select ‘Activation’.
- In case Windows has not been activated, hit the ‘Troubleshoot’ option.
- A new window will open where you have to select ‘Activate Windows’ and then click ‘Activate’. Alternatively, select “I recently changed the hardware on this device” if you recently changed it.
- Follow the instructions on the screen and enter the details of the Microsoft account associated with the digital license.
- In the list of devices, find your computer’s device and check the box “This is the device I’m currently using” and click “Activate”.
After that, your digital license will activate your copy of Windows 10. If it still doesn’t activate, you can find more details about the activation troubleshooter here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBk-XKbUKlY
Check the activation status of your Windows 10
Once you’re done activating Windows 10 using any of the above methods, the next important step is to check your activation status. Here is how to do it:
Click on the ‘Start’ menu, then go to the ‘Settings and Updates’ section, click on ‘Security’. After that, click on ‘Activation’ and next to the Activation option you will find the activation status.
Here’s a list of activation states you might encounter when activating Windows 10:
- Windows is activated – If you see this, it means that Windows is activated, your Microsoft account is not connected, and you can follow the instructions to connect your Microsoft account.
- Windows is activated with a digital license – This message implies that Windows is activated, a Microsoft account is not linked to your digital license, and you can follow the instructions to link your Microsoft account.
- Windows is activated with a digital license associated with your Microsoft account – If you see this message, Windows is activated and your Microsoft account is already associated with your digital license.
Windows not activated – If you see this message, it means that Windows has not been activated and an error message will appear. If the activation failed, you may need to purchase Windows 10 for activation.
Resources-
Windows Help: Activate Windows 10
Why can’t I activate Windows?
Categories: How to
Source: HIS Education