How to Activate Windows 10 (EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW)

One of the first things we should do when installing Windows 10 on a computer is to make sure it is properly activated.

This activation guarantees that our copy of Windows is the original and has not been used on more devices than allowed by Microsoft's licensing conditions.

Depending on how we got our version of the system, there are different ways to activate Windows 10.

We will explain all of them and tell you how you can check the activation status.

You can also read: How to Enable or Disable Indexing in Windows 10

What should we consider?

The first thing to note is that there are certain minimum requirements for installing Windows 10 on your computer. Whether you have purchased a license or not, you cannot install it on an old computer purchased 30 years ago. So make sure your system requirements meet Microsoft's minimum requirements:

1. Processor: 1 GHz or faster or system on chip (SoC).
2. RAM: 1GB for the 32-bit version or 2GB for the 64-bit version.
3. Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit or 32 GB for 64-bit.
4. Graphic card: DirectX 9 or higher with WDDM 1.0 driver.
5. Display: resolution of at least 800x600.
6. Internet connection.

While we're on the subject of requirements, it's also worth noting that Windows 10 is not the latest version of the operating system. Windows 11 It made its official debut on October 5, 2021 and will include many new features, but you will also have to meet requirements to be able to install it.

1. Processor: 1GHz or faster, with more than 2 cores on a compatible 64-bit processor.
2. RAM: 4 GB or more
3. Disk space: At least 64GB of free space is required for install Windows 11Additional memory is required to load applications.
4. Graphics card compatible with DirectX 12 or higher.
5. System firmware with UEFI.
6. TPM 2.0.
7. A high-resolution display of 9 inches or larger.
8. Internet connection.

As for software, our computer must also be updated.

Digital license or keys

To activate the system we need a digital license, also known as a digital right or product key. This is a license that we must pay in advance and the price depends on the option chosen, with greater or lesser benefits depending on whether it is for private or professional use.

Prices start at 145 euros for the simplest option, Windows 10 Home, and go up to more than 400 euros for Windows 10 Pro for workstations. On the Microsoft website we can find different options and licenses, depending on our needs.

Or we can buy them in stores like Amazon for about 100 euros, and with that we will have a Microsoft license equivalent to a pencil. USB or a memory. Of course You have to be careful with the store where you buy the license because in many cases we cannot enter the product key and this can be fraudulent.

Licenses and product keys

The activation method depends on how we acquired our copy of Windows 10 and can be done using a digital license, a product key, or even one of the generic keys that Windows provides for use with your operating system.

Digital license

Specifically, we need to activate Windows 10 using a digital license in the following cases:

1. If we are upgrading to Windows 10 from a device with Windows license 7 or Windows 8.1 for free.
2. If we buy an upgrade to Windows 10 Pro from the Microsoft Store.
3. If you are an Insider and have updated to the latest Insider preview build of Windows 10 on a device with a previous version enabled.
4. We bought the original Windows 10 from the Microsoft Store.

Product key

However, we need to activate Windows using our product key in the following situations:

1. When we buy a copy of Windows 10 from an authorized reseller.
2. We purchased a digital copy of Windows 10 from an authorized reseller.
3. We have a Windows 10 license agreement or MSDN subscription.
4. We have purchased a new or refurbished Windows 10 device.
5. If we buy it from the Microsoft Store.

If we do not have a digital license or product key, we can choose to purchase a digital license for Windows 10, which can be done directly after finishing the installation of the operating system. To do this

• Hit the start button.
• Select the configuration.
• Go to Update & Security.
• Open activation.
• Select Go to Store.

The Microsoft Store will open where we can purchase a digital license. We can choose from all the available versions and you can purchase yours by following the steps above.

Generic keys

You've probably heard of generic keys for Windows 10. If you haven't or don't know what they are and what they're for, it's important for you to know that They are keys that allow you to activate Windows 10 for free.

More specifically, these are licenses provided by Microsoft itself, which allow you to install the operating system without having to purchase an official license. Note that the official license costs 145 euros.

However, the Redmond company offers the option of activating Windows 10 with keys that they themselves provide and that we can use for free. Keep in mind, however, that This type of activation does not give access to all system functions and settings., which leads to some limitations even if the system works correctly.

Common keys for Windows 10 are as follows:

• Windows 10 Home: TX I9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99
• Windows 10 Pro: V IK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
• Windows 10 Home Monolingual: 7HNRX-D7KGG-3K4RQ-4WPJ4-YTDFH
• Windows 10 Enterprise: NP

If we later want to purchase the official license, we just have to activate the new license and all the features of Windows 10 will be available to us.

With this key, we must first open System Preferences and select “Update & Security” to fully activate the key. There, Select the “Activation” option and then click on the “Change product key” option. Now we will be asked to enter the product key. Next, we must enter the official key of the purchased version and click Next.

Finally, we follow the steps required by the system, complete the process and, if everything goes well, we get a correctly activated operating system with all the available features and settings, without any restrictions and with full support from the company.

License types

It is important to know that there are different types of licenses and you need to know which one to activate. There are Home, Pro and Pro versions for workstations:

1. Windows 10 Home: This is a basic license that allows you to use all the basic features of the operating system, although some advanced features are not included. All new features and updates are included. It is best suited for home and family computers. The price is 145 Euros.
2. Windows 10 Pro: It is a professional license that costs more, but offers more options and advanced settings. It costs 259 euros.
3. Windows 10 Pro for Workstations: This is a professional license aimed more at businesses, especially small ones, which expands the capabilities of the previous license with a more fault-tolerant file system and the ability to manage large amounts of data. It allows for extensive configuration and greater compatibility of hardwareIt is the most expensive, but it is more suitable for those who need more than the previous licenses. The price is 439 euros.

If you need to buy a license, you can do so from the Microsoft website, where you can also download it, or from stores that offer original licenses for computers, such as Amazon or Fnac, and take advantage of their offers. Don't buy from places that aren't original or trustworthy, as they may be scammers or trying to obtain your payment information.

Other licenses

It is best to buy original licenses, but if you are looking for something cheaper and the offers are not good enough, you can always find other types of licenses such as OEM, Retail and GVLK.

OEM licenses are usually licenses that the developer provides to the team for installation on the computer and that are supplied with the computers. So if it is not the product you have purchased and you want to return it, Don't trust them too much because they can steal it or cause problems.

The most popular are retail licenses, where the license is stored on a DVD or USB stick and can be used on any number of computers, as long as they are not used at the same time. GLCs are more suitable for businesses, as they can be used on multiple computers at the same time.

How to activate Windows 10 with a digital license

Before explaining how to activate our system using a digital license, it is important to know that this type of license is linked to the hardware and our Microsoft account. Therefore, you only need to have an Internet connection on your computer and log in to your account to activate it.

1. Installing and activating for the first time on a new device or motherboard

If you use a digital license connected to your Microsoft account, you can install the system and avoid the product key prompt by saying that you do not have one. When you log in to your Microsoft account and connect to the Internet, the system will be activated.

2. When to reinstall Windows 10

If you have a digital license for your PC, you can reinstall the same edition of Windows 10 without entering the product key. However, before reinstalling, you must ensure that the system has been properly activated.

3. After hardware replacement

If you have replaced a major hardware component on your computer, such as the motherboard, this change will likely cause your system to be deactivated. In this case, we need to make sure that we have connected our Microsoft account to the digital license. We can then reactivate Windows 10 through activation troubleshooting.

Activate the system with the product key

When we install the system, we are asked to enter the product key, which is nothing more than a 25-digit code. Thus, we can activate Windows 10 using the product key during installation. But we can also skip this step and do it after installation. To do this, we need:

• Click the start button.
• Select the gear icon to open the settings page.
• Go to Update & Security > Activation.
• In the Windows Update editing area, click Change Product Key.
• Enter the product key and complete the process.

Alternatively, if we have the product key, we can change it to activate Windows 10 in different situations:

Initial installation or activation on the device or motherboard

Use the product key to activate the system if you have never activated a copy of Windows 10 before or if you want to install an edition that has not been previously activated on the computer.

Activating a refurbished Windows 10 PC

If you have purchased a refurbished computer or hardware, you must activate the system using the product key from the Certificate of Authenticity that came with the hardware. If the motherboard has been replaced by the manufacturer, activation should occur automatically.

After reinstalling the system

When reinstalling the system, you will be asked to enter your product key. After entering the product key, the system will be successfully activated. This can also be done after installation via the system configuration page.

After a major hardware change

If you have made any major changes to your hardware, your system may be disabled. Therefore, you will need to reactivate Windows 10 via the Settings page.

• Go to settings.
• Ir a “Update and security”.
• Look for “Activation” in the menu on the left of the screen.
• On this page, you can access "Change the product key" at the bottom of the screen.
• Enter your product key here and follow the instructions by clicking “Next.”

How to check activation status

After installing Windows 10 and even after trying to activate it, it is important to check the status of the system. In this case, first We need to make sure the system is activated and connected to our Microsoft account.

It is important to link our account to the Windows 10 license on our computer, since if we have a digital license, we can use troubleshooting to reactivate the system.

Verifying that Windows 10 is active

The procedure to check that our system is activated correctly is quite simple:

• We open the Windows 10 configuration page.
• Go to Update & Security > Activation.
• Check activation status
  • Windows is activated.
  • Windows is activated with a digital license.
  • Windows is activated using a digital license that is linked to your Microsoft account.
  • Windows is not activated.

These are all states in which we can find our system. If we can see that Windows is activated correctly or that Windows is activated using a digital license that is linked to your Microsoft account, everything is fine. On the other hand, if it has been activated but our account is not connected or activated, we must take action.

If it's just about connecting your Microsoft account, we must follow the steps described in the following sectionOn the other hand, if we get a message that our system is not activated, we probably have to buy Windows 10 to activate it. If we already have it but the same message keeps appearing, check the activation methods.

Connect our Microsoft account

If the problem is that we have not connected our Microsoft account, we must follow these steps to connect it:

• Login as administrator to add our Microsoft account.
• Making sure we are using an account with the highest authority, we open the Settings page.
  • Access the account section.
  • Select the “Your Information” section.
  • The word Administrator should appear next to your name.
• Once confirmed, return to activation page and select Add account.
• Enter your account and password, and click Login.

The activation page should now indicate that Windows has been activated with the digital license associated with your Microsoft account.

Problems, errors

What happens if we can't activate Windows, something prevents us from doing so, or if we encounter a problem? We're going to talk about the main problems and errors that can occur when activating Windows, and answer the question of whether we can use the operating system without activating it.

Can I use Windows 10 without activation?

When we install Windows 10 from scratch, we are asked to enter the product key. However, in the latest version of Microsoft's operating system, we can skip this step and complete the installation without activating the system.

In previous versions of Windows, we could only use the system without activation for a certain period of time, but now this restriction no longer exists. Thus, we can use Windows without activation problems.

However, it should be noted that, although we can use the system to its full potential, we will not have access to some functions, especially when configuring the system. Specifically, the fact that Windows 10 is not activated will not allow us to do these things on the system:

1. Customization options on the settings page
2. Applying Custom Themes
3. Changing system colors
4. Changing system fonts
5. Customize the start menu
6. Change the background of the lock screen
7. Change the wallpaper on the settings page
8. Sync settings between devices
9. Access some taskbar configuration settings

Activation bug fixes

Sometimes activation does not work properly, no matter how hard you try. Please follow the steps below to resolve the errors:

• The problem may be that your device is outdated and Windows 10 (version 1607 or later) does not work on it. To check if this is the case or not, Type winver in the taskbar search boxIf you see this option, select it and you will see what version of Windows you have installed and what build of Windows. If you see that you don't have any of these versions, it's time to upgrade to Windows 10.
• You can also use troubleshooting to activate it. Please note that You must log in as administrator to use this tool. To access this solution, enter the word Settings in the Windows Start window. Then go to Update & Security, Activation, and finally select Troubleshooting.
• If this still doesn't work, You have to carefully examine the error code what do you receive and follow the steps to resolve it. All of them are listed here.
• These error codes may have changed, so check whether or not this has been done. If so, find out what the new problem is and write down the steps to resolve it. If you cannot find the specified error code, report it to Microsoft support.

Common Mistakes

Microsoft has listed the most common errors with possible solutions so that you can complete the activation process without problems. Among the problems we encounter when activating Windows 10 are those related to the hardware of the device on which the activation is performed.

This means that the activation or license code is tied to your computer's hardware. Therefore, if you make significant changes to your computer's hardware, your license may not be usable on that particular device. For Microsoft, these "significant" hardware changes are changes such as changes to the motherboard, certain microprocessors, etc.

Other details

There are two types of solutions to this problem, depending on the context of the hardware changes made. If Windows was already pre-installed on your computer and you have just changed the motherboard, the solution is to purchase a new license through the channels indicated at the beginning of this article.

On the other hand, if you were already using a Windows product key on the same computer before the “big” hardware change, simply go to Start / Settings / Update & Security / Activation and click on Change product key.

There is also an exclusive option to transfer your product key to your new activation. To use it, go to Start / Settings / Update & Security / Activation and Click Troubleshoot. If you have run diagnostics and are unable to resolve the error, you will be presented with a link to reactivate your license after you have changed your hardware.

Invalid license

There are several error codes associated with an invalid license. If you receive one of the following error codes, the problem is probably related to the activation code: 0x803f7001, 0x800704cF, 0xC004C003, 0xC004F034, 0xC004F210, 0xC004E016, 0xC004F210.

There may be an internal error when generating the key by the Microsoft system or you may have entered an incorrect number. In the first case You need to contact Microsoft support, in the second case just check the starter key number.

Microsoft recommends going to Menu / Settings / Update & Security / Activation and clicking Change Product Key. If the key you entered first was actually a valid key, you will receive a new valid key that will likely work.

It is important to check the activation key in the numbered email you should have received from Microsoft. Sometimes the error comes from Microsoft servers that may not be available. Wait a few minutes and try again.

You can also read: How to Fix Authentication Error in Windows 10