Windows 10: Is there a way I can activate my Windows 11 Pro product key on my PC with a digital license...

I have Windows 11 home, I have a product key Windows 11 Pro can't remember how I got it, but I know it's not activated from anywhere. It's written down on a piece of paper, and adding it into my PC, after updating to Pro, it now gives me error code 0xC004C003 or "We can't activate Windows on this device because you don't have a valid digital license or product key.Using the Activation Troubleshooter, it says "We found a Windows 11 Home digital license for this device running Windows 11 Pro. To activate using this digital license, you need to install Windows 11 Home."Note, pressing the "I rec

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Windows won't activate a digital license but will with a product key?

Pardon my jumping in...

On the first point: Once you have a digital license on a machine, you don't really need the key again. You could simply reinstall Windows using the generic key. Windows then creates a hash that is unique to your computer. It will look on the Windows activation servers to see if that machine has ever been activated before with the same edition of Windows. If it has, it will auto activate. There is no need to transfer any sort of license or even take any action whatsoever. It's just magic *Smile.

One the final point, regarding usage of license keys for Win 10 and 11. Just to take that point one step further - If you activate a system with Win 10, you can at any time install Windows 11 as well. You can also go the other way around. If you use a license to install Win 11, you could later decide to install Win 10 instead. Even the generic keys are the same for Win 10 and 11. So, those licenses are truly interchangeable because they are one and the same.

Just to illustrate a scenario that is common for me:

Let's say that I have a new computer. I typically like to install by doing a fully automated, unattended install. With an unattended install you use a generic key. For example, I will use the Win 10 / 11 Pro generic key. Because generic keys are NOT activation keys, Windows will not activate automatically after installation. I will have to provide a real Win 10 / 11 Pro key to activate it. At that point a digital license is created and stored on Microsoft servers for my system.

Once activated, I toss that key, knowing that I will never need it again.

Now, assume that I reinstall Windows from scratch again on that same system. If I'm doing an unattended install I provide the generic key (because unattended installation needs some sort of key). If I'm manually stepping through the installation, I simply tell Windows that I don't have a key. I just make sure that I am installing the same edition of Windows (Pro). After installation, Windows checks the Microsoft servers to see if a digital license exists for that machine. If it does, it activates. Note that at no time did I need to reference the original license key or perform any sort of transfer. It just happens automagically.

Hope that helps!

 

Windows won't activate a digital license but will with a product key?

If you plan on "transferring" a digital license from one computer to another using the activation troubleshooter and your Microsoft Account, then yes, start with the generic product key on the new computer. Actually, on a new install, you select the option for "I don't have a product key" and then after the install use the Activation Troubleshooter.

Otherwise, if you are using a unique product key, either purchased or embedded in the firmware of the computer by the factory - let Windows 10/11 activate for the first time from that product key. AFTER it is activated, change the product key to the generic. One advantage to doing this is that if the original product key was OEM, changing it to the generic retail product key will also change the digital license type to retail and make it transferrable to another computer.

 

Windows won't activate a digital license but will with a product key?

Thank you for the insight

That's interesting. So you are suggesting after I make my next clone, I enter a generic product key in windows activation and THEN follow up with purchasing (or transferring) a digital license? Do I understand you correctly? If so, I'll try that on my next build.

It is possible. My only experience seeing it not cleared up in an hour (besides, of course, having the wrong time on my machine or a truly faulty connection) was many years ago. When I contacted Microsoft, they were able to diagnose that my license wasn't valid but couldn't tell me why. If memory serves me correctly, I attempted to move a license from a windows ten machine that initially was an upgrade from windows seven. I discovered (on this forum) that a windows ten license that was upgraded from windows seven license was not eligible to be transferred to a new machine. And I was not able to purchase a digital license. I needed a product key.

I couldn't find reputable dealers that are still selling retail windows 10 licenses (for example, Best Buy only lists the Spanish version of windows home on their website). But since I just learned that a windows 11 license can be used my concern has been allayed.