Windows isn't accepting my digital license for windows activation

Question

I had a valid digital license for windows but now since my computer was broken and I had to change the motherboard it doesn't allow me to reuse it.

Answer 1

Did you get the original license as part of a computer you bought from an OEM? If so then you didn't get a retail license of Windows but an OEM version. This has become far more common since Windows 10. When you buy a computer from an OEM they ship with a copy of the OS tied to the motherboard. Whenever you reinstall the OS then it reverts to this license. The license is only good on the motherboard it is tied to.

It sounds like this is what is happening to you. If you bought a new motherboard but not through an OEM then there is no license attached to it so you would have little choice but to buy a licensed copy of the OS. Since at least Win10, OS licenses are now tied to your MS account once you sign into it. So if you buy a retail version of the OS and then sign into Windows using your MS account then the retail license is tied to your MS account permanently. You cannot transfer the license anymore either.

Answer 2

If you had OEM license, usually it is tied to the first motherboard it is activated on. So in this case, as you have changed the motherboard, then you need to buy a new license.

If you have retail license, then you can re-insert the product key to activate it again.

Answer 3

This is a Microsoft link for reactivation after a hardware change

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/reactivating-windows-after-a-hardware-change-2c0e962a-f04c-145b-6ead-fb3fc72b6665