accidentally deleted my current laptop from my microsoft account and now I cannot activate my license on a new laptop

Question

Hi,

I have a laptop that runs Window 11 Pro that I purchased online back in 2023. the purchase record and invoice is still in my Microsoft account.

The laptop is broken and I just purchased a new laptop within windows 11 home on it. I need to use the license I own to upgrade this new laptop to windows 11 pro.

But since I accidently deleted the old laptop record in my Microsoft account, I couldn't finish the activation.

Could you please help? Thanks.

Answer 1

Hello,

First you need to get your new laptop to install Pro first (not activate, but install). You can go to Settings > System > Activation > Change product key

Disconnect internet, and disable any third party antivirus, key in the generic key instead: VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

That should get you to Pro. Once restarted, you can connect back to the internet, sign into your Microsoft account.

Next, you will need to contact Microsoft to do a manual activation since you removed the old device from your account.

To get help, open the "Get Help" app on your computer (just search for it in the Start menu). or go to https://support.microsoft.com/contactus, Type "Billing" and press Enter. On the next screen, click "Contact support" at the bottom of the page, then choose " Windows" > "Manage my subscription". You’ll then see the option to chat with a Microsoft support agent who has access to your account to help review the issue.

In the future, when you need to transfer, the typical method is - go to Settings > System > Activation, run the troubleshooter, choose the hardware change option. When it asks you where it is installed on right now, you should choose the old device name. Then click on Activate button. And on the next screen when it asks you where to transfer it to, choose your new device name.

Answer 2

To activate your Windows 11 Pro license on your new laptop after accidentally deleting the old laptop from your Microsoft account, you can try the following steps:

1. Check Purchase History: Since you mentioned that the purchase record and invoice are still in your Microsoft account, ensure that you have access to this information. This can help in verifying your ownership of the license.
2. Use Activation Troubleshooter: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation and use the Activation troubleshooter. This may help in reactivating your Windows 11 Pro license on the new device.
3. Contact Microsoft Support: If the troubleshooter does not resolve the issue, you may need to contact Microsoft support directly for assistance in reassigning your license to the new laptop. They can help you with the activation process, especially since you have the purchase history.
4. Phone Activation: If you have a product key, you can also try activating Windows by phone, which might be a workaround if the online methods fail.

Keep in mind that if your previous license was upgraded through a free upgrade, there may be limitations on transferring it to a new device.

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References:

• Unable to activate Windows 11 Pro digital license after device change - Microsoft Q&A
• Reactivate Windows 11 - Microsoft Q&A