In the current scenario, most of the laptops and desktops come with Windows 10 operating systems pre-installed and activated. Windows 10 is the latest version of Windows 10 brought out by Microsoft and they have announced that there will be no updates in the near future. So if you are planning an upgrade, this is the right time to get Windows 10 for your device and activate Windows 10 with easy methods.
There are users who have built their own PC using a graphics card and processor and want to switch 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. This can be tricky and also this is the last and most important step to upgrade to Windows 10.
Also, if you search for Windows 10 activators, you will find several different tools available. But it is not feasible to anticipate their authenticity just by looking at them. You need to be careful before installing any such activator for Windows 10.
There are different 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.
Method-1 Activate Windows 10 using Product Key
If you have purchased Windows 10, you can simply activate it using the product key as explained below.
The product key is a 25-character code, usually in the given form:
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 seller, you can find your product key inside the box that you received it in.
- 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 the Windows 10 product key for free.
Once you have located the product key, follow the steps listed below to activate Windows 10 using the key:
- Click on the Start menu icon on the taskbar and click on the Computer option.
- Right click and from the menu select Properties
- Scroll down and click Activate Windows online
- Enter the product key and press Next to start activating Windows.
Method-2 Activate Windows 10 with CMD (without key)
If you are looking for a method to activate Windows 10 without a product key, this is the one 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 given steps will help you with 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.
- After the prompt opens, copy and paste this command: slmgr.vbs /upk, into the prompt window and press Enter to run the command.
- Then copy-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.
- Lastly, copy-paste slmgr /ato and press Enter to activate Windows 10 free with CMD.
Windows 10 Pro
These are the steps to follow to activate Windows using the Windows 10 Pro activator:
- Launch 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 given commands and press Enter after each line.
slmgr /skms kms.xspace.in
slmgr /ato
Method 3 Activate Windows 10 with KMS client key
For this method, you need to open 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 the list of Windows 10 volume license keys:
Start: TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99
Start N: 3KHY7-WNT83-DGQKR-F7HPR-844BM
Single Boot Language: 7HNRX-D7KGG-3K4RQ-4WPJ4-YTDFH
Country of Origin 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 the digital license, it is actually easier to activate Windows 10, since it allows you to link the Windows 10 license key to your Microsoft account. Before you start the activation process, make sure your account is linked. To check this, go to Settings, click ‘Update & Security’ and then select ‘Activation’. After that, in the Windows activation section, look for ‘Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account’.
- Choose the ‘I don’t have a product key when prompted to activate’ 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’ve made any hardware changes, continue with the steps below.
- Press the Windows key and go to ‘Settings’, click ‘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 changed the hardware on this device recently’ if you have recently changed them.
- Follow the instructions on the screen and enter the details of the Microsoft account that is linked to the digital license.
- In the list of devices, find your computing device and check the box ‘This is the device I’m currently using’ and click ‘Activate’.
After this, your digital license will activate your copy of Windows 10. If it’s still not activated, you can find more details in the Activation troubleshooter here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBk-XKbUKlY
Check the activation status of 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’. Then click ‘Activation’ and you will find the activation status in addition to the Activation option.
Here is a list of the activation status you may encounter when activating Windows 10:
- Windows is activated – If you see this, it means that Windows has been activated, your Microsoft account is not linked, and you can follow the instructions to link your Microsoft account.
- Windows is activated with a digital license – This message means that Windows has been activated, your 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 linked to your Microsoft account; if you see this message, Windows has been activated and your Microsoft account is already linked to your digital license.
Windows is not activated: If this message appears, it means that Windows has not been activated and an error message will appear. If activation failed, you may need to purchase Windows 10 to activate it.
Resources-
Windows Help: Activate Windows 10
Why can’t I activate Windows?
Categories: How to
Source: vtt.edu.vn