Microsoft follows the policy of one key for one Windows activation. This means only a single key can be used for one installation. Suppose you installed Windows on multiple hard drives of the same computer. Because of this policy, you won’t be able to activate all copies using the same key. Again, some keys can be used for upgrading your Windows only and not for new clean installations. If you, you may get an Invalid Product Key Error Code: 0xC004F061.
Invalid Product Key Error Code 0xC004F061
Since you’ve bought a new license, such an error shouldn’t be faced. But unfortunately, if you’re facing one, then we’ll tell you the way to fix it. Here is how:
Code 0xC004F061, The Software Licensing Service determined that this specified product key can only be used for upgrading, not for clean installations.
1. Press Windows Key + R combination, type Regedt32.exe in the Run dialog box, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE
3. In the right pane of this location, you’ll see MediaBootInstall named DWORD, which has Value data as 1. Double click on this DWORD to modify it:
4. In the above window, replace the Value data with 0 from 1. Click OK. Close the Registry Editor.
5. Now open the administrative Command Prompt, type the following command:
slmgr /rearm
6. After hitting above said command, hit the Enter key, and you’ll receive the following prompt:
7. If you’re asked to enter the product key, then do it and reactivate Windows.
Click OK in the above-shown window and reboot the system. After reboot, your error should be fixed now.
I hope this helps!
How do I get my Windows 11/10 product key after a clean install?
If you use a Microsoft account, you can use the same account to sign in after the clean install. Windows will automatically figure out and activate your key. If you had not used a Microsoft account earlier, you would have to figure out the key from your email. If you still cannot figure it out, connect with Microsoft to get it sorted.
How do I find my full product key?
The only way to find the full product key if you cannot find it anywhere is to use third-party software to reveal the details. However, if you don’t want to use software, you can use the built-in method to reveal the key.
