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How to Change Product Key in Windows 10
Information
Activation helps verify that your copy of Windows is genuine and hasn’t been used on more devices than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow.
Sometimes you may need to change the product key in Windows 10 if you used a generic key or skipped entering a product key during Windows Setup.
This tutorial will show you how to change the current
product key to a different product key to automatically activate your
Windows 10 with instead.
You will need an internet connection and must be signed in as an
administrator to change the product key and activate Windows 10.
Note
Starting in Windows 10 Insider Preview build 10565:
Device activation improvements: Microsoft has received a lot of feedback from Insiders on making it easier to activate Windows 10 on devices that take advantage of the free upgrade offer to genuine Windows by using existing Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 product keys. If you install this build of the Windows 10 Insider Preview on a PC and it doesn’t automatically activate, you can enter the product key from Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 used to activate the prior Windows version on the same device to activate Windows 10 by going to Settings > Update & security > Activation and selecting
Change Product Key. If you do a clean install of Windows 10 by booting off the media, you can also enter the product key from prior Windows versions on qualifying devices during setup. Refer to the Insider Hub for more information on these activation improvements including requirements.
CONTENTS:
OPTION ONE
To Change Product Key in Settings
1. Open
Settings, and click/tap on the
Update & Security icon.
2. Click/tap on
Activation on the left side, and click/tap on the
Change product key link under
Update product key on the right side. (see screenshot below)
3. If prompted by
UAC, click/tap on
Yes.
4. Enter the 25 digit product key number from the top of this tutorial for the
edition of Windows 10 you have installed. (see screenshot below)
5. Click/tap on
Next. (see screenshot below)
6. If Windows was successfully activated with the changed product key, then click/tap on
Close. (see screenshot below)
7. You can now close Settings if you like.
OPTION TWO
To Change Product Key in System Control Panel
1. Do
step 2 or
step 3 below for how you would like to open
System.
2. Open the
Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the
System icon, and go to
step 4 below.
3. Open the
Win+X Power User Tasks menu, click/tap on the
System icon, and go to
step 4 below.
4. If prompted by
UAC, click/tap on
Yes.
5. Click/tap on the
Change product key link under
Windows Activation at the bottom. (see screenshot below)
6. Enter the 25 digit product key number from the top of this tutorial for the
edition of Windows 10 you have installed. (see screenshot below)
7. Click/tap on
Next. (see screenshot below)
8. If Windows was successfully activated with the changed product key, then click/tap on
Close. (see screenshot below)
9. You can now close System if you like.
OPTION THREE
To Change Product Key by Running changepk.exe
1. Press the
Win+R keys to open Run, type
changepk.exe, and click/tap on
OK.
2. If prompted by
UAC, click/tap on
Yes.
3. Enter the 25 digit product key number from the top of this tutorial for the
edition of Windows 10 you have installed. (see screenshot below)
4. Click/tap on
Next. (see screenshot below)
5. If Windows was successfully activated with the changed product key, then click/tap on
Close. (see screenshot below)
OPTION FOUR
To Change Product Key by Running SLUI 3
1. Press the
Win+R keys to open Run, type
SLUI 3, and click/tap on
OK.
2. If prompted by
UAC, click/tap on
Yes.
3. Enter the 25 digit product key number from the top of this tutorial for the
edition of Windows 10 you have installed. (see screenshot below)
4. Click/tap on
Next. (see screenshot below)
5. If Windows was successfully activated with the changed product key, then click/tap on
Close. (see screenshot below)
OPTION FIVE
To Change Product Key in Command Prompt
1. Open an
elevated command prompt.
2. In the command prompt, type the command below, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
slmgr /ipk product key number
Note
Substitute
product key number in the command above with the actual 25 digit with dashes product key number from the top of this tutorial for the
edition of Windows 10 you have installed.
For example:
slmgr /ipk VTNMT-2FMYP-QCY43-QR9VK-WTVCK
3. If successful, Windows will now be activated with the entered product key. Click/tap on
OK. (see screenshot below)
4. You can now close the command prompt if you like.
That's it,
Shawn
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