

To install a client product key, open an administrative command prompt on the client, and run the following command and then press Enter: slmgr /ipk įor example, to install the product key for Windows Server 2022 Datacenter edition, run the following command and then press Enter: slmgr /ipk WX4NM-KYWYW-QJJR4-XV3QB-6VM33

If you're converting a computer from a KMS host, MAK, or retail edition of Windows to a KMS client, install the applicable product key (GVLK) from the list below. Get help to find your Windows product key and learn about genuine versions of Windows.

You will need to use another method of activating Windows, such as using a MAK, or purchasing a retail license. If you want to activate Windows without a KMS host available and outside of a volume-activation scenario (for example, you're trying to activate a retail version of Windows client), these keys will not work. If you don't already have a KMS host, please see how to create a KMS host to learn more.

Same goes for major updates, like upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11. If you ever need to reinstall Windows, you might need to enter it. Your product key is important for a few reasons. Every Windows computer has its own unique 25-character product key, and it's formatted like this: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX. Your Windows 10 product key is a special receipt that shows you have an "activated" copy of Windows. But without a receipt, how do you prove that you actually own Windows? Windows 10 is installed thousands of times a day on computers both new and old.
