Windows Subscription Activation Issues

Question

We are currently having issue with Windows Subscription Activation not working on some of our Windows 11 devices in our school environment.  The devices are Windows 11 Pro but notice that when added to Azure via autopilot they are automatically being upgraded to Windows 11 Pro Education instead of Windows 11 Education/Enterprise.  This is the professional version rather than the enterprise version that we are paying for.

 

I have checked the Edition Upgrade Policy in Intune, and nothing is configured.  All users have been assigned a Windows 11 Enterprise license in Office365 so subscription activation should be working.  I have also checked the licence details on the devices, and they all say that “Windows is activated with a digital licence”.

 

We have other Windows 11 devices that are working fine and are registered as Windows 11 Education using subscription activation, so it is a strange issue.

 

Any advice to resolve this issue would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Hello,

Subscription activation for Education works the same as the Enterprise edition, but in order to use subscription activation for Education, you must have a device running Windows Pro Education and an active subscription plan with an Enterprise license. For more information, see the requirements section here:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/windows-10-subscription-activation#subscription-activation-for-education

A supported version of Windows Pro Education installed on the devices to be upgraded.

A device with a Windows Pro Education digital license. You can confirm this information in Settings > Update & Security > Activation.

The Education tenant must have an active subscription to Microsoft 365 with a Windows Enterprise license, or a Windows Enterprise or Education subscription.

Devices must be Azure AD-joined or hybrid Azure AD joined. Workgroup-joined or Azure AD registered devices aren't supported.

Important:

If Windows 10 Pro is converted to Windows 10 Pro Education by using benefits available in Store for Education, then the feature will not work. You will need to re-image the device using a Windows 10 Pro Education edition.

Additionally in case of a previous failed activation, it is recommended to use the command SLMGR.vbs /UPK to remove completely older activation information.

Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/activation-slmgr-vbs-options

I can recommend the next reference for Activation error codes that you can find in the System Event logs: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/activation-error-codes

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