You may for some reason need to change your Windows 11/10 product license key – maybe you want to upgrade your copy of Windows to a higher version, or maybe you want to change the default setup product key to a Multiple Activation Key. Follow these steps if you want to change your Windows product key.
Change your product key in Windows 11/10
1] Via Settings
In Windows 11, to change the product license key:
- Open Windows 11 Settings
- Open System settings
- On the right side select Activation
- There you will see the Change product key section
- Click on Change
- Enter the product key in the dialog box and click on Next to activate the new license key.
In Windows 10, to change the product license key:
- Open Windows 10 Settings
- Open Update and security settings
- Select Activation
- There on the right side, you will see the Change product key section
- Enter the product key in the dialog box and click on Next to activate the new license key.
2] Via Control Panel
Follow these steps to change your product key in Windows 11/10/8. Open the System properties applet in the Control Panel as follows: Control Panel> System and Security > System. You may also open the Win+X menu and select System. Click on Get more features with a new edition of Windows.
The following window will open. Click on I already have a product key.
Enter the product key and click on Next. Windows will now validate and then accept the key.
3] Using Command Prompt
You can also change the Windows 11/10 product key by typing the following in an elevated command prompt and hitting Enter:
slmgr.vbs -ipk <Your new Windows product key>
Read: How to Find Product Key in Windows.
Activate Windows 11/10
Microsoft has simplified this process in Windows 11/10, and all you need to do is open Control Panel and navigate to System and Security > Action Center > Windows Activation. If you have not entered your Product License Key and/or not activated your copy of Windows, you will see a note to this effect in the Action Center. Click on the link to enter your License Key and Activate it. Make sure you are connected to the Internet.
You can also type slmgr.vbs -ato
in the elevated CMD to activate your copy of Windows.
You can get more information here on how to activate any version of Windows. Once activated, you may wish to view the Licensing Status and Activation ID of your Windows OS with slmgr.vbs.
Related: Windows Server Change Product Key not working.
Change your product key in Windows 7
If you wish to change your product key in Windows 7, click the Start button > Right-click Computer, and then select Properties.
Scroll down to the bottom of the window. Under Windows activation, click on Change product key.
Then follow the instructions to change your product key and activate your copy of Windows 7.
This post will help you if you want to uninstall the Windows Product Key.