How to activate Windows 11 step by step

Activating Windows 11 with a product key takes a couple of minutes once Windows is installed. You do not need to reinstall anything or lose any files.

Before you start

You need Windows 11 installed and an internet connection. If your PC runs Windows 11 Home and you have a Pro key, Windows can switch the edition to Pro in place, so there is no need to format the drive. Our installation guide has a chapter with the steps.

The five steps

1. Open Settings and go to System > Activation.
2. Select Change product key.
3. Enter the 25 characters of your key and select Next.
4. Select Activate and wait while Windows checks the key.
5. Restart the computer to finish.

How to check that it worked

Go back to Settings > System > Activation. It should say that Windows is activated. You can also run slmgr /xpr in Command Prompt to see the license status.

If activation fails

Write down the exact error code Windows shows: it is what lets us find the cause quickly. Two common codes have their own page: 0xC004C003 and 0xC004F074. If neither matches, write to us from our contact page with the code and your order number.