Microsoft product activation problems

Having the same issue. Tried to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro from Windows 11 Home from the Microsoft store, getting 0x errors. Windows said not activated and now showing as Windows 11 Enterprise. I found this link that worked. Downgraded to Windows 11 Pro and now says Windows is activated with a digital license linked to my Microsoft account. How do you downgrade, where is that option in Windows 11 settings? I'm having the same problem as others, upgraded from 10 home to 11 home, then bought Pro from the store, only to have it show I have the Enterprise edition, and receive the activation error code as others.

Upgrading to Windows processor requirement. Why is my Surface Laptop i7 not compatible with Windows Intel Core i 7th Generation Processor are capable for windows 11? Should microsoft re-consider the minimum requirements for windows 11? Skip to main content. Find threads, tags, and users Error code: 0xCC What am i doing wrong?

Current Visibility: Visible to all users. Hello GeorgeCrosbie , Thank you for your question. Or, you might see this error if you're trying to activate your work device but aren't connected to your workplace's network. If you're connected to your work network and still see this error, you might need to change the network settings. If your organization doesn't have a support person, you might need to enter your product key again:.

Select Change product key , and then type your character product key. You might be asked for an admin password or to confirm your choice. You might see this error if the date and time for the device is incorrect, or Windows has trouble connecting to the online activation service and can't verify your product key.

Verify date and time in Settings. In the search box on the taskbar, type network troubleshooter , then select Identify and repair network problems from the list of results. If the network troubleshooter didn't find any problems with your network connection, try restarting your device to see if that fixes the problem.

You might see this error after installing third-party software that changed system files. Windows activation needs certain system files to complete activation.

You can try to restore the system files back to an earlier point in time. This removes any software you installed after that point in time without affecting your personal files. For more info, see the section about how to restore from a system restore point in Recovery options in Windows. For more info about the troubleshooter, see Using the Activation troubleshooter.

If this doesn't work, you might need to reset your device. For more info, see the section in Recovery options in Windows. An error occurred with our activation server or licensing service. If the Microsoft Store app shows there was a problem, select Try again. After a few minutes, you should see a message that thanking you for activating genuine Windows, followed by another message showing that Windows was activated.

This error can occur if the update components are missing or corrupted on the computer. This error might also occur due to poor network connectivity received by the system.

Use the Windows update troubleshooter to check for the corrupted or missing updates or components. Running the troubleshooter will help find and in some cases fix the issue. Go to Windows Help , enter the error code in the Search for Help box at the top-right, and run the search.

Browse through the search results carefully to make sure you try only those that apply to your situation. See Reactivating Windows after a hardware change for more info about reactivating Windows 10 after making a significant change to your device's hardware.

If you're having trouble activating Windows 10, follow these steps to fix activation errors:. Confirm that your device is up to date and running Windows 10, version or later. Not running Windows 10, version or later? Learn how to update your device at update Windows Not running Windows 10 yet? If you're running Windows 10, version or later, the Activation troubleshooter might help reactivate Windows if you recently made a significant hardware change such as replacing the motherboard or reinstalled Windows.

For more info about how activation works in Windows 10, see Activate Windows. If the troubleshooter detects a valid Windows 10 digital license for an edition not currently installed, it will let you know and show you how to install the correct edition. Windows 10 Pro volume license clients are used by large organizations that deploy Windows 10 to hundreds or thousands of computers.

You upgraded to Windows 10, but the activation servers were busy. You upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer, but Windows 10 isn't activated after a reinstall. Your copy of Windows 10 should automatically be activated as long as you didn't make any significant hardware changes to your device such as replacing the motherboard. If you bought a device from a reseller of Windows 10 and expected the key to be valid, contact the reseller.

If your device was purchased with Windows 10 preinstalled and you received this activation error upon turning it on for the first time, contact your device manufacturer. If your device was recently repaired at an independent repair facility, contact them to see if the repairs require a new Windows 10 license. Enter a valid product key that matches the version and edition of Windows 10 installed on your device.

You might also see this error if you previously upgraded to Windows 10, but the current edition of Windows installed on your device doesn't match the edition of your digital license. You can either enter a valid product key that matches the edition of Windows installed on your device or reinstall the edition of Windows 10 that matches your digital license. If your device is running Windows 10 Version or later , the Activation troubleshooter can help you install the correct edition of Windows on your device.

For example, a product key for the Enterprise edition of Windows 10 can't be used to activate Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Core editions. For more info about reactivating Windows 10 Version or later after a hardware change, see Reactivating Windows after a hardware change. You might see this error if you entered a product key for the Enterprise edition of Windows to activate Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro.

Windows 10 Windows 7 Windows 8. Activating Windows See Activate Windows for general info about activation, including how to choose your activation method. Notes: If you don't see Go to Microsoft Store on the Activation page, contact your organization's support person. Need more help?

Join the discussion. Was this information helpful? Yes No. Thank you! Any more feedback? But in the past few days when I'm loading some documents in Word and Excel though not all documents I get a red bar at the top of the document or spreadsheet saying, 'Product Activation failed.

From Category view, under Programs, select Uninstall a program. Click the Office , and then click Change. In Change your installation,select Enter a Product key and click Continue button. Enter your 25 character. This article is intended for technical support agents and IT professionals. If you're looking for more information about Windows activation error messages, see Get help with Windows activation errors.

Look for the error code in the following table, and then select the link to see more information about that error code and how to resolve it. For more information about volume activation for current and recent versions of Windows, see Volume Activation [client].

This tool is intended to help fix Windows activation problems on computers that run Enterprise, Professional, or Server edition of Windows. Download the diagnostic tool from here.

This tool will try to activate Windows. If it returns an activation error code, the tool will display targeted solutions for known error codes. This issue can occur for several reasons. The most likely reason is that language packs MUI have been installed on computers that are running Windows editions that are not licensed for additional language packs.

This issue is not necessarily an indication of tampering. Some applications can install multi-lingual support even when that edition of Windows is not licensed for those language packs.

This issue may also occur if Windows has been modified by malware to allow additional features to be installed. This issue may also occur if certain system files are corrupted.

Run slmgr. To do this, on the Start menu , right-click cmd. The product key that you entered didn't work. Check the product key and try again, or enter a different one. This issue occurs because the MAK that was entered was not valid, or because of a known issue in Windows Server Troubleshoot network connections and DNS. Verify that the key is the MAK that was provided by Microsoft.

For additional assistance, contact the Microsoft Licensing Activation Centers. After you obtain the new MAK, try installing and activating Windows again. The KMS key has exceeded its activation limit.

A KMS host key can be activated up to 10 times on up to six different computers. The MAK has exceeded its activation limit. By design, MAKs can be activated a limited number of times. The grace period expired before the system was activated. Now, the system is in the Notifications state.