You can use a product key or digital license to activate Windows 10/11 to get the full version of the Windows 10/11 OS. You can only install the product key or license on one computer. If you want to use that license on another computer, then you need to deactivate the old computer. This post mainly teaches you how to deactivate Windows 10/11 by uninstalling the Windows product key or license.
How to Deactivate Windows 10/11
You can deactivate Windows 11/10 by removing the product key with Command Prompt. Check how to uninstall Windows product key with CMD below.
- You can click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Type the command wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey and press Enter to find your product key. You can take down the product key if you want to use it to activate another computer.
- Next, you can type the command: slmgr.vbs /upk. Press Enter to execute the command to uninstall the Windows 10/11 product key. You will see a message saying “Uninstalled product key successfully”.
- Then you type the command slmgr /cpky command and press Enter. It will eliminate the Windows 10/11 product key from the Windows registry.
Note: If the Windows 11/10/8/7 OS comes preinstalled with the OEM computer, then the license is non-transferable. However, if you buy a retail license for Windows from Microsoft Store, you can transfer the license to another computer. You can follow the guide above to uninstall the product key and use the key on another computer.
How to Find Your Windows 10/11 Product Key
- Press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to run Command Prompt as administrator.
- Next, type the command: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey, and press Enter. Your Windows product key will display on the screen. You can copy the Windows product key to another place for future usage.
What Happens If You Deactivate Windows
After you deactivate Windows 11/10, your computer can continue to work without activation. You can also receive regular Windows updates. However, you can’t customize some of your system settings like lock screen, background, wallpaper settings, and some other important system settings. Some other apps and features on your computer may also stop working.
You will also see a message at the right-bottom of your desktop screen saying “Activate Windows. Go to Settings to activate Windows”. Still, you will also see this message in Settings.
How to Activate Windows 10/11 – 3 Ways
Way 1. Activate Windows 10/11 from Settings
- Press Windows + I to open Windows Settings.
- For Windows 11, Click System -> Activation. You will see a message saying “Windows isn’t activated”. You can click the Change button next to Change product key. For Windows 10, you can click Update & Security -> Activation -> Update product key -> Change product key.
- Then you can enter the product key to activate Windows 11/10.
Way 2. Activate Windows 10/11 with CMD
- Press Windows + R, type cmd, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open elevated Command Prompt.
- Next, type the command slmgr /ipk <Windows activation key>, and press Enter to activate Windows 10/11 computer. After the activation, you will see a message saying “Installed product key xxx successfully”.
Way 3. Activate Windows with Activation Troubleshooter
- Sign in with the same Microsoft account on the new PC.
- Click Start -> Settings -> Update & Security -> Activation, and run the activation troubleshooter.
- Select “I recently changed hardware on this device” to activate Windows 10/11 with the activation troubleshooter.
For more information to activate Windows, you can check the official guide from Microsoft: Activate Windows.
Bottom Line
This post teaches you how to deactivate Windows 10/11 by uninstalling the product key. You can use the product key to activate a new computer. For how to activate Windows 10/11, this post also provides some ways for your reference. If you have other computer problems, you may find an answer from MiniTool News Center.
