Surface Pro (Arm64) install upgrade after restore

Question

How to reinstall re-install an upgrade of win11home to PRO on a surface pro elite (arm64) after a forced restore to manufacturers' original status. I had upgraded to Win 11 Pro with a purchase/download from Microsoft directly. The restore did not include the upgrade so only got Win Home. I went to my account and the device info changed what was win 11 pro before the restore back to win 11 home. Not only that, but my account has two copies of device information in devices on the accounts page of my Microsoft account. I have not been able to get any help from Microsoft on this issue because all the contact methods lead to non- pertinent hard-coded options.

Answer 1

Because the upgrade to Windows 11 Pro was purchased digitally from Microsoft, the device has a digital license for Pro. After a factory restore, the device returns to Windows 11 Home, but the Pro license can be reapplied at no additional cost.

Use one of these supported methods on the Surface Pro (Arm64):

1. Confirm Windows 11 Home is activated
   • Go to Settings > System > Activation.
   • Ensure Windows 11 Home shows as Active. An activated Home edition is required before upgrading.
2. Reapply the Windows 11 Pro digital license via Settings
   • On the same page, Settings > System > Activation.
   • Select Open Store.
   • In Microsoft Store, the system should recognize that a Pro license was already purchased and allow upgrading to Windows 11 Pro without an additional charge. Follow the prompts and restart when requested.
3. Reapply the Windows 11 Pro digital license via Microsoft Store directly
   • Open the Microsoft Store app.
   • Search for Windows 11 Pro.
   • Open the Upgrade to Windows 11 Pro page.
   • Because the Pro license was already purchased, the Store should offer to install/upgrade instead of charging again. Follow the prompts and restart.

If the device was previously upgraded from Home to Pro and then reset using a USB recovery drive, it is expected to return to Home. The note in the Surface recovery documentation confirms that a previously purchased digital Pro license can be used again to upgrade from Home to Pro at no extra cost.

The duplicate device entries in the Microsoft account device list do not affect activation. Activation is tied to the digital license and hardware, and the upgrade process above should succeed even if the account shows multiple entries for the same Surface.

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References:

• Creating and using a USB recovery drive for Surface
• Which edition of Windows comes with your Surface device?
• Upgrade Windows devices to Windows 10 or 11 Pro