When you ran the command in Command Prompt, on that dialog on the second line labelled Description, what is listed, is it OEM:DM, OEM:NSLP, KMS, MAK or Retail?
windows 11
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(291.2, 74%, 38%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3ESD%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Scott D
0
Reputation points
I have a newly purchased computer that came with windows 11. I recently bought windows 11 thinking that it had word and excel on it. How do I make sure that the key that was purchased was not activated on the computer so that it can be returned?
Windows for home | Windows 11 | Licensing and activation
5 answers
Sort by: Most helpful
-
DaveM121 864.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor2026-03-31T14:06:40.8633333+00:00 -
Deleted
This answer has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The answer was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Comments have been turned off. Learn more
-
DaveM121 864.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-31T13:32:35.1566667+00:00 Don't worry, there is no personal identifiable information on that dialog.
On that dialog on the second line labelled Description, what is listed, is it OEM:DM, OEM:NSLP, KMS, MAK or Retail?
-
DaveM121 864.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-31T05:19:20.7133333+00:00 If you never went into the activation settings to add the new product key, then it will not be used, I can check that for you.
Run or paste this command and hit Enter:
slmgr.vbs /dlvPlease post a screenshot of the resulting dialog
-
Scott D 0 Reputation points
2026-03-31T13:25:15.1933333+00:00 I did type it in once and I don't remember where. Is there something specific to look for when typing in that prompt? Not sure that I should post the contents on the web.
-
Scott D 0 Reputation points
2026-03-31T13:53:08.64+00:00 I also ran this:
- Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
- Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform.
- Look for the value BackupProductKeyDefault to find your product key.
and the product key given was different than the one that was purchased.
The likelihood that I typed in the purchased product key in the correct place with my knowledge seems very slim. I would like to check the code somehow online or another way to ensure that it wasn't used and I am able to return it and purchase the version of windows I was looking for. Thank you for your time
-
DaveM121 864.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-31T14:05:57.39+00:00 When you ran the command in Command Prompt, on that dialog on the second line labelled Description, what is listed, is it OEM:DM, OEM:NSLP, KMS, MAK or Retail?
-
-
DaveM121 864.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-31T14:58:47.99+00:00 Thank you for that information, in that case your retail licence was never used, your Windows is activated with the PC manufacturers pre-installed OEM licence that is stored on the motherboard.
-
Scott D 0 Reputation points
2026-03-31T15:03:54.67+00:00 Thank you for your time. I uninstalled something from windows that was on my computer and didn't know if that impacted it as well. There is nothing seemingly wrong with my computer but thinking about factory resetting it as there have been a few different blimps since activating it yesterday that didn't occur before. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions?
-
DaveM121 864.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-31T15:08:00.2+00:00 Open the Settings App.
Go to System - Recovery.
Click the 'Reinstall Now' button in the 'Fix problems with Windows Updates' section, then wait for that process to complete.
This process should fix any corruption that may exist in Windows and will not affect your files, settings or installed apps.
If that does not resolve the problems you are experiencing, then resetting Windows may be the best option.
-
Scott D 0 Reputation points
2026-03-31T16:20:39.5233333+00:00 If resetting is needed what is the procedure. Thank you again.
-
DaveM121 864.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-31T16:24:06.1766667+00:00 To reset Windows, open the Settings App.
Go to System - Recovery.
In there, you can start a Windows Reset and choose to either keep your files, or delete everything, you will need to re-install all your software after they reset.
Sign in to comment -
-
Q&A Assist2026-03-31T03:57:45.4133333+00:00 AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn moreWindows 11 itself does not include Word, Excel, or other Microsoft Office apps. Those are part of Microsoft 365 or Office, which require a separate license.
To ensure the Windows 11 product key that was purchased is not used on the new PC so it can be returned, the key must not be entered or used for activation on this device:
- Check the current activation status of the new PC:
- Select Start > Settings > System > Activation.
- If Windows shows as Activated and this is the original OEM license that came with the PC, then the purchased key has not been applied.
- If the Change product key option was never used and no new key was entered, the purchased key has not been activated on this device.
- If a different edition was installed or changed using a new key (for example, upgrading from Windows 11 Home to Pro), that key would already be in use on this device. In that case, it cannot be treated as unused.
If the purchased key has not been entered in Settings > System > Activation > Change product key and no reinstall was done using that key, it has not been activated on this PC and should be returnable according to the seller’s return policy.
For more details on activation and product keys, see the Windows activation and product key guidance in the references.
References:
- Check the current activation status of the new PC: