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I have an active Windows 11 Business subscription, but my Windows cannot activate. I have recently upgraded from Windows 10 with Windows Update. I have an Microsoft 365 Business Premium license that I have been using for some years.
I found this:
Note: If you have upgraded to Windows 11 from Windows 10 or Windows 8 with a digital license linked to your Microsoft Account, the operating system will automatically use a generic key during upgrade. That key will be saved to the Registry. Due to that, the tools like Nirsoft ProduKey and similar product key viewers will only show you that generic key. Obiously, you won't be able to use it for clean install with later activation.
Source: Windows 11 Generic Keys for All Editions (winaero.com)
In this article it also state how to active Windows, but I need to find the activation key linked to my subscription. Then I found an article that stated I would see my activation key under Service & Subscription. But on that page I can see all my product, but no activation key. So my question is, where can I find the product key for my windows 11?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Hey Tomas!
My name is Ravi, and I am an independent advisor. I am happy to help you. :)
Depending how from where a user purchases a copy of Windows 11, there are different ways to find an activation key.
You can find them here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fin....
Feel free to get in touch again if you have any additional questions.
Cheers,
Ravi
Thanks for sharing these details.
When a user activates Windows using a digital license, there's no product key. Their Microsoft account is the proof for it. It's because Windows gets activated when a user logs into their Microsoft account used to purchase a digital license.
M365 Business Premium license offers Subscription Activation for Windows 10 Business, but the device must already have an activated copy of Windows 10 Professional. M365 Business Premium doesn't offer a direct option to activate Windows with a key.
In this case, Windows 11 Business cannot be activated via a Microsoft 365 Business Premium license.
So what to do then? I was happy with my Windows 10 being licences and active, then after Windows Update upgraded my computer to windows 11, I suddenly don't have a active windows installation.
Now I have limited experience in my Windows, and I'm a paying customer...
I completely understand your concern.
To activate Windows 11, you need to purchase its license because M365 Business Premium will not work for it. A Windows license is separate from a Microsoft 365 license.
That site is not helpful in my case.
The reason is that I upgraded from Windows 10, and like I wrote in my question, the upgrade process use a generic key during upgrade.
I have a M365 Business Premium license that activated my Windows 10 installation after my first install. I never got any actual license key since it was digital and applied through my M365 Business Premium.
So I looked in my Subscription, I can here see I have license for lots of applications, including Windows 10/11, but it does not show the actiual license key. So I'm still looking for a answer to where I can find my license.
