Because I don't like Windows 11. A friend of mine has it and she wants to go back to 10 also. I've heard there are two camps regarding Windows 11: those who love it, and those who hate it. No middle ground.
Reinstalling Windows 10 After Windows 11
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Anonymous
I had to take my Lenovo laptop in for service after my hard drive failed. A new drive was installed and the tech had to reinstall my operating system. It was my understanding that he was going to do a fresh install of Windows 10, which is what was on my laptop, but he installed Windows 11. I have been trying to reach my tech, but he is not returning my phone calls or texts. So, looks like I have to do the Windows 10 reinstall myself. Here is where it gets interesting: I located the product key for the operating system, but instead of showing a product key for Windows 11 Home, it is showing the key for Windows 10 Home, which is what I had before. My question is can I use that product key to reinstall/activate Windows 10? All the product specs I found are below.
Information I found using ShowKeyPlus 1.0.7060 software:
(not showing full product ID or key for security reasons)
Product Name: Windows 10 Home
Version: 22621.4037 (64-bit OS)
Product ID: 00XXX-02XXX-37XXX-XXOEM
Installed Key: MNXXX-KJXXX-QHXXX-67XXX-3PXXX
OEM Key: same as installed key)
OEM Edition: Win10 RTM Core OEM:DM
Information from Windows Settings About data:
(can provide if needed)
Device Specs:
Device Name
Processor AMD Rysen 3 3200U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx 2.60 GHz
Installed RAM
Device ID
Product ID
System Type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Windows Specs
Edition: Windows 11 Home
Version: 23H2
Installed 8/17/2024
OS Build: 22631.4037
Experience: Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22700.1027.0
Windows for home | Windows 10 | Licensing and activation
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
5 answers
Sort by: Most helpful
-
Anonymous
2024-08-23T23:36:40+00:00 -
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(0, 7.000000000000001%, 10%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EDB%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
DYARI BARHAM 34,936 Reputation points Independent Advisor2024-08-24T07:50:37+00:00 You are most welcome. Glad to help.
-
Anonymous
2024-08-23T23:41:51+00:00 Thank you!! I thought it was a bit odd that Windows 11 was installed, but the product key was for Windows 10. I downloaded a fresh copy of Windows 10 onto a flash drive with the Media Creation Tool. Now I just have to find the time to do the reinstall. If I have any issues, I will let you know!! Thank you again for your help!!
-
DYARI BARHAM 34,936 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2024-08-23T21:56:47+00:00 Hi Deana,
I'm Dyari. Thanks for reaching out. I will be happy to assist you in this regard.
Your current Windows is Windows 11 Home but your Windows License key is for Windows 10 Home, so, you can not directly activate the current Windows 11 Home with that key.
Therefore, you have to reinstall Windows 10 Home:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/for...
Regarding your question, yes, you can reinstall Windows 10 Home on that computer and activate your Windows with that key because OEM keys are tied to motherboards.
Your Windows license key is OEM:
OEM Edition: Win10 RTM Core OEM:DM
Please let me know if you need further assistance.
-
Anonymous
2024-08-23T20:16:16+00:00 If your win11 is activated/valid why would you want to reinstall win 10 which goes out of support in 2025?