Update KB5077181 changed Windows 11 Pro to Enterprise

Question

I was notified that an update needed my attention. I dutifully went to Update and installed Windows 11 update KB5077181 and a Malicious Software Removal update. Upon restarting the PC I was informed I needed to activate my copy of Windows. The version installed pre-update was an activated copy of Windows 11 Pro that had been originally upgraded from an activated copy of Window 10 Pro. Now I have the Enterprise version reporting that it's not activated. What happened!?

Answer 1

Hello Dennis Barr,

What happened in your case is that the update process (KB5077181 combined with the Malicious Software Removal Tool) triggered a misalignment between the installed edition and the license key stored in the system. Your machine was originally running Windows 11 Pro, but after the update, the registry and licensing components are reporting Enterprise. Since your license is for Pro, the Enterprise edition cannot activate, which is why you are now seeing the “Not activated” state.

The fix is to force the edition back to Pro. Open Settings > System > Activation, select “Change product key,” and enter the generic Windows 11 Pro key:

Code

VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

This will trigger the edition downgrade from Enterprise back to Pro. The system may restart during the process. Once the edition is corrected, Windows will automatically attempt activation against your existing digital entitlement from the Windows 10 Pro upgrade. If activation does not occur automatically, run slmgr /ato from an elevated command prompt to force activation.

If the edition switch fails, you may need to remove the Enterprise key remnants from the registry. Specifically, check under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion for the EditionID and ProductName values. They should read “Professional” after the edition change. If they remain set to “Enterprise,” the system will continue to misreport.

This behavior is not uncommon after cumulative updates when the servicing stack misapplies edition metadata. Microsoft has acknowledged similar issues in past updates, and the supported resolution is always to reapply the correct edition key.

I hope you've found something useful here. If it helps you get more insight into the issue, it's appreciated to accept the answer. Should you have more questions, feel free to leave a message. Have a nice day!

Domic Vo.