Retaining activation with clean install of Windows 11

Kevin Westbrook 21 Reputation points
2021-11-30T14:25:07.413+00:00

When I get to installing Windows 11, I will probably want to take the opportunity to do a clean install. What I can't find out is how to make sure I end up with a licensed copy. The Activation page in Settings in Windows 10 shows that my copy is activated with a digital licence and not associated with a Microsoft account. This is presumably because I don't log on to my PC with a Microsoft account and that isn't going to change.

All of the solutions I have found so far involve associating the existing installation with my Microsoft account, but the only way of doing that appears to be to use it to log in on the PC. So, the question is: is there another way to associate the installation? If not, is there a way to activate the clean install based on my existing licence, which I bought separately and installed when I bought the PC, without associating the existing installation?

Thanks in advance.

Windows 11
Windows 11
A Microsoft operating system designed for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.
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  1. Reza-Ameri 16,831 Reputation points
    2021-11-30T15:47:21.087+00:00

    You don't have to do anything just make sure the status of your license is activated and connect to the internet for a while.
    In this case when you perform a clean install and connect to internet, it will activate your device (even without connecting to the Microsoft Account).

    1 person found this answer helpful.

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  1. Limitless Technology 39,356 Reputation points
    2021-12-02T09:56:01.977+00:00

    Hi there,

    When you activate the PC with Windows 10 the Digital license gets associated with the PC hardware. This is how Microsoft will make sure that even when you clean install the PC your Windows will be activated.

    Enough said you can clean install the PC number of times you wish, the only scenario which might cause trouble is when you change the hardware of the PC. This is when Microsoft might not able to activate the PC and might cause activation Issues.

    Reactivating Windows after a hardware change
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/reactivating-windows-after-a-hardware-change-2c0e962a-f04c-145b-6ead-fb3fc72b6665

    You can also link the license to your account by following these steps
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/activate-windows-c39005d4-95ee-b91e-b399-2820fda32227

    --If the reply is helpful, please Upvote and Accept it as an answer--