Have you already activated Windows 10 (for ex. using a generic key) and you want to change it to something else (ex. authentic key). It’s actually easier than you may think -there are a couple of ways to do it.
Difficulty level: Easy
3 ways to change your Windows 10 product key
Method 1: Via settings
- Go to Settings, Update & security and Activation.
- Click ‘Change product key’.
- Enter your new product key (must be 25 digits).
- Click Next and wait for Windows to accept and activate the key.
You may also read: Find out when your computer was last used
Method 2: Using changepk.exe
- Type ‘changepk.exe’ into the Search Windows box or Run box
- Enter your new product key.
- Click Next and wait for Windows to accept and activate the key.
Method 3: Using slmgr command
- Open a CMD window as an administrator.
- Type or paste ‘slmgr /ipk NEWPRODUCTKEY’. For example, you would paste something like ‘slmgr /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX’ into the window to change the key.
- You should then see a small Windows Script Host window saying ‘Installed product key XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX successfully’.
Check activation status
Once you have changed your Windows 10 product key, you need to make sure it is activated.
- Go to Settings, Update & security and Activation.
- Check under Activation in the right pane, you should see ‘Windows is activated’.
