Windows 10: Windows 11 Digital License Activation Issue - Oct 2023

Issue: I recently re-built my PC with a new motherboard and SSD, installed Windows 11 Pro and attempted activation of the digital license in my account. The activation has failed with: "We weren't able to activate Windows on this device". Clicking the option "I changed hardware on this device recently" does not show the old computer to transfer the license from.The digital license was purchased directly from Microsoft for Windows 10 Pro, then that system was upgraded to Windows 11. From the order screen, I can see that the order was for Windows 10/11 Pro so that shouldn't be a problem. I can a

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Windows 11 Activation Issues With Digital License

I have a Windows 11 Pro digital license linked to my microsoft account. I'm using a new device now and trying to activate it. It's the same system (W11 Pro) and I've logged in with my Microsoft account. However, it is not activated. I thought that was because the old device still existed, so I tried using slmgr on the old system to revoke the key on there. However, after next reboot activation was back and the new device still wouldn't activate. I then tried removing the device from the Microsoft Account device list. After that, it was still in the list of connected devices. I then tried troubleshooting, but it said no devices could be found, even though my old system was still on the connected devices list. What should I do? Should I log out of my Microsoft account on the old system? I'm absolutely not going to buy a new license.

 

Windows 11 to 10 downgrade, digital license

Hello!

I've tried looking an answer through the forums and microsoft pages but my question still stands.

Two years ago I bought a prebuilt PC with windows 10 installed. Then I got an automatic upgrade to windows 11 which I need to downgrade back to 10 due to compatibility issues with VR software (more than 2 months have passed). My current windows 11 version is "activated with a digital license" but I haven't connected it with my microsoft account yet.

What steps should I follow to secure a windows activation after a clean windows 10 installation?

1. I know that I need to create an installation media for windows. Do I choose "upgrade computer now" or "create an installation media to use on another computer"?
   
2. Do I connect my windows 11 current digital license to my microsoft account now or wait until after I install windows 10 again?
   

Thanks in advance!

 

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!