If you previously used Windows 10 Home, you will not be able to activate a copy of Windows 10 Pro. If this process doesn’t work, you need to verify that the edition of Windows 10 you installed is the same as what you had before. When you go back to the Activation screen you should see ‘Windows is activated using a digital license linked to your Microsoft account’. What should happen next is you get a prompt telling you that Windows 10 is now activated. Let the process complete, it may take a few minutes.Check the box next to This is the device I’m using right now and select Activate.Select the device you’re using from the list that appears.Enter your Microsoft account details when prompted and sign in.Select I changed hardware on this device recently and select Next.Then, select Troubleshoot by Activation.Click on the Start menu and then Settings.It is probably the only built-in troubleshooter within Windows that actually works. To reactivate Windows 10 after a hardware upgrade you can now use the Activation troubleshooter.

Early versions of Windows 10 required you to call a toll-free number and re-register your license but fortunately things have moved on. The Digital License is stored in UEFI on newer systems so a motherboard change will remove the key. If you change your boot drive or motherboard it will. In most cases, adding new hardware will not affect Windows licensing. As the product key has evolved into Digital License, activating your copy is sometimes more trouble than it is worth. Either way, this will involve multiple installs of Windows 10. If you’re a gamer or inveterate fiddler like me, you will regularly change your computer hardware to keep up with the latest gear or experiment for IT tutorials. Reactivate Windows 10 After a Hardware Upgrade If you use an older version of Office, ProduKey above should be able to find it for you. To reinstall these versions, you will need the original email with the key, the original box or Certificate of Authenticity on your computer. Office 2013 or 2016 only stores a partial key on your computer, so no tool will be able to recover the entire key. If you need to reinstall Microsoft Office, the situation is slightly more complicated.

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