Microsoft has announced Windows 11 as a free upgrade for all compatible Windows 10 PCs. After upgrading or reinstalling Windows 11, it will be activated automatically.
Some users may want to know whether or not their computer running Windows 11 is activated, just to be on the safe side or to avoid any possible activation issues.
Microsoft has redesigned Windows 11, which means the procedure to check activation status is different compared to Windows 10.
And if you recently installed Windows 11 on your device and the first thing you want to check is whether the copy of Windows 11 installed on your device is activated or not, this PC tip will tell you how.
Also read: 3 ways to activate Windows 11.
Is Windows 11 activated?
Check Windows 11 activation via the Windows 11 settings
Right-click on the start button. Click on Settings in the menu.
Click on System in the menu on the left. Navigate down and click Info. The computer information is then opened.
Click Product key and activation.
Click on activation status. You will immediately see how Windows 11 has been activated. If you wish to change the Windows 11 product key, click on the change button.
Check Windows 11 activation via Command Prompt
Click on the start button. In the search box, type: cmd.exe. Click Command Prompt.
In the Command Prompt window, type the following command:
slmgr.exe /xpr
You will then receive a new message with the Windows version and whether the Windows license has been activated.
I hope this helped you. Thank you for reading!
View comments (2)
I replaced my old computer (from 2007) with Windows 10 Pro with a new one that was only available with Windows 11 Home. Can I transfer the Pro version from the old computer to the new computer free of charge and if so, how? I suspect that the product key needs to be transferred from the old computer to the new one, but I'm not sure. It originally shipped with Vista and has been upgraded several times. The original sticker with product code is on the old PC. Does it stay the same after upgrading? The old computer will no longer be used online.
Thank you,
JW Grimminck
Hello, since you indicate, suspected I think it is a "retail" license. You may be able to transfer this to another PC. You must then disconnect the old license in Windows 10 pro and re-enter it on the Windows 11 PC. You can try it, keep in mind that Windows 10 with Professional will no longer be activated. If you want to be sure, you should contact Microsoft.
https://support.microsoft.com/nl-nl/windows/windows-activeren-c39005d4-95ee-b91e-b399-2820fda32227
Greetings, Stefan