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Windows 11 Pro Activation - Used on another device.

Hey, I guess this is the only support we get now? App is buggy and slow, cant find support that way.

Windows had errors and needed a fresh install, accidentally used win10 media on a usb, no use of internet so i started again with win11 media, all good now but unable to activate windows as its currently on another device. Only ever used key on this pc, no hardware change.

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Hello, this is Emily.

This is the community forum, not necessarily official support because our contributions are independent. Official support can be reached via Get Help app in Windows.

Anyway, I will help you with this issue.

Can you tell me, how did you obtain your Windows 11 Pro license initially? Was it an upgrade you purchased and upgraded from already Windows 11 Home? Or did you purchase the entire Windows 11 Pro license (if so, from Microsoft or 3rd party)?

Let me know. Once I gather the information, we will decide what to do next, whether you can run activation troubleshooter, or you need the key, or you need to activate home first, etc.
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Please see:

Reactivating Windows after a hardware change - Microsoft Support

and

Windows 10 and 11 Activation fixes (2023) - Microsoft Community

and there is a section on activations and drivers here:

Clean Install Windows 10 & 11 (2024) - Microsoft Community

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Yeah the Get help isn't working, just gives the troubleshooters which says i need to contact Microsoft but i am not given any option/way to contact them.

This is the first PC Ive purchased with someone doing all the work before hand. Computer came setup as is but since then Ive done a clean install awhile ago, no issues. This time Unable to activate, trouble shoots say get in contact with Microsoft. Booted from USB which installed media. Just did a clean install via windows, same issue, no option to choose what windows is installing, Just looking at old receipts and its for Win 11 Home but there has been no option to choose it.

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I see, so the receipt says Windows 11 HOME, but the installation process doesn't give you any option to choose Home or Pro, and it just automatically installed Pro?

Can you please type cmd in the search on the taskbar, and choose "run as administrator" to launch Command Prompt, then run this command:

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Tell me if it returns a key - do not share the key with me. Just a yes or no will do.
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Had to add the wmic command, not sure why it wasnt enabled but it returned nothing but "OA3xOriginalProductKey"

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So that means the computer doesn't have any OEM license on the motherboard.

Tell me how you made the iso flash drive? And exactly how you used it? Did you boot it from BIOS and use the custom install option, and delete all partitions?
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Downloaded it all from Microsoft, used the media creation tool to setup the USB flash, booted to usb via bios, Didn't delete all the partitions, figured it should handle that itself with the erase everything and start fresh option.

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You actually do need to delete all partitions.

You might want to try again.

But the question for license is still unclear - we know it is not OEM onboard, but we still don't know what license you have. All you know is from a friend who built it? Did it come with license key?
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Yeah all reinstalled, everything erased. on receipt was win 11 home, key is not accepted when trying to use it. On win 11 pro, it says used to many times.

Had the computer made by a small company near me, key was not on the computer when i received it but i had to ask for it to activate it as they forgot to do that during the setup process. Never going to get anyone to build a computer for me in the future, nothing but problems.

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That doesn't sound right at all Barry.

A builder should have OEM-COA-NSLP license, and it is required that they put the sticker on the device. It is a red flag that they just give you license key.

If it says used too many times, I am not surprised they gave you an MAK volume license key. The key itself is legitimate, but how it is used is NOT. It is meant to be used by the organization who purchased it and it is for its internal organization users only. And it has a quota. If the number of activation exceeds that quota, you will get that error.

I hope they give you the legitimate key. If not, you can report them: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/howtotell/cfr/r...
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Last updated February 18, 2025 Views 92 Applies to: