Windows 10: Change Product Key in Windows 10

How to: Change Product Key in Windows 10

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
• Option Two: To Change Product Key in System Control Panel
• Option Three: To Change Product Key by Running changepk.exe
• Option Four: To Change Product Key by Running SLUI 3
• Option Five: To Change Product Key in Command Prompt

OPTION ONE [/i] 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 [/i] 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 step 4 below.

3. Open the 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 [/i] 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 [/i] 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 [/i] 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)
*Arrow 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


Related Tutorials

• How to View the Product Key in Windows 10
• How to Activate Windows 10
• How to Use Activation Troubleshooter in Windows 10
• How to Uninstall Product Key to Deactivate Windows 10
• How to Clear Product Key from Registry in Windows
• List of Generic Product Keys to Install Windows 10 Editions

:)

 

Update Product Key using (Change Product Key)?

Hi DarrellR1, yes inserting a new Product Key will change the licencing on the Microsoft Servers for your Laptop.

The Digital Entitlement will be updated to match your new Product Key and if you ever need to install Windows 10, then it is the new Product that will be recognized as being attached to your laptop . . .

 

Update Product Key using (Change Product Key)?

Hi All.

Can someone please tell me if the option (Settings > Change Product Key) will remove the previous license key and replace it with my new one, thus linking it to my new Microsoft Account?


I have recently purchased a refurbished Ex Demo "HP Elite-Book Revolve 810 G3" Laptop with Windows Pro 10 x64 installed & registered to HP (Hewlett-Packard).

I would like to remove all traces of their (HP) account and replace it with mine, now being the legitimate owner.

Your assistance would be much appreciated.


Regards

 

Hello sgtmale, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

If you upgraded to the free Windows 10 offer, then you won't have a product key available.

 

I've just tried to activate a new W10 install using my W8.1 (full) license key. Its failed with the message 'the key is already in use'.

Its only now that I realise I should have deactivated the W8.1 key from its original installation first. That PC is now running W10 as well.

Is there any way around this without having to call MS ?

 

I don't think so. A call to Microsoft is imminent.

 

Hmm... I kind of thought as much *Sad

Thanks.

 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

 

Lol, its not your fault. I just assumed that I would be offered the choice to deactivate the original install when entering it on the new, or that the new would have automatically taken priority and deactivated the old.

Oh well, it will give 'em something to do *Smile Probably one for tomorrow or next week.

 

LOL. *Biggrin

 

Quick update. I've made 3 calls to MS (which to their credit they pick up on immediately), however I just get escalated up the 'difficulty' ladder, and the worst part of all is that the voices are mostly unintelligible and sound like they are on a cordless phone where reception keeps dropping. You just can not decipher what they are saying.

I was so frustrated that I quickly re-installed W8.1 on its original PC (no problem) and then used slmgr.exe to un-activate it. W8.1 now reports it is not activated, however it will still not allow the key to be reused on another PC. I get the same 'the key is already in use' message.

MS also kept asking for me to run slui 3 which doesn't seem to be a valid command.

 

Hello Mooly, *Smile

That should be the same as using OPTION FOUR.

 

Thanks for the reply Shawn.

I'm still seeing the same message when I input the W8.1 code. I even went as far as quickly putting 8.1 back on the original PC earlier today, just so that I could manually deactivate the key using slmgr.vbs /upk. It said it was successfully deactivated. As a double check I then went into 'System' and confirmed that it said 'not activated' which it did.

 

The /upk key will only uninstall the key and deactivate Windows on that PC. It doesn't clear the activation on Microsoft's activation servers.

You should be able to activate by phone (slui /4) though.

(OPTION FOUR) Activate Windows 10

 

Thanks, I'll give that a try.