After upgrading to Windows 10 or after reinstalling Windows 10, you might want to check if your Windows 10 installation is activated.
Generally, Windows 10 automatically connects to Microsoft servers and activates itself after upgrading to or reinstalling Windows 10. That said, if you are not sure, you can check the activation status to make sure that the Windows 10 is activated.
After upgrading to Windows 10 or reinstalling Windows 10, you can follow the below-mentioned methods to check if your Windows 10 copy is activated.
Note that this method is useful only to check the activation status of Windows 10, which means this will not confirm that the Windows 10 copy in question is genuine.
Check Windows 10 activation status
Method 1
Step 1: On Windows 10, click the Start button and then click or tap the Settings app icon on the left side of the Start menu to open the same.
Alternatively, you can quickly open the Settings app using Windows + I keyboard shortcut.
Step 2: Once the Settings app is launched, navigate to Update & Security > Activation page.
Step 3: Now, on the right side, you can see your edition of Windows 10 and the activation status of your Windows 10. If your Windows 10 license is linked to Microsoft account, you will see “Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account” message. And if you are on a local account, you will see “Windows is activated with a digital license” message instead.
On the same page, you can also find an option to change the Windows 10 product key.
NOTE: If you are getting any error message indicating that Windows 10 is not activated, refer to our know why Windows 10 is not activated guide for all activation error messages and solutions.
Method 2
Another way to check if your Windows 10 is activated
Step 1: Open System window using Windows + Pause/Break keyboard shortcut.
Or, open File Explorer (Windows Explorer), in the left pane, right-click on This PC icon, and then click Properties option to open the same.
Step 2: Here, scroll down to see the Windows Activation section.
Step 3: If your copy of Windows 10 is activated, you will see Windows is activated message.
Method 3
Using Command Prompt to check Windows 10 activation status
Step 1: Open the Command Prompt by typing CMD in the Start/taskbar search field and then hitting the Enter key. No need to launch the Command Prompt with admin rights.
Step 2: At the Command Prompt window, type the following command and then press the Enter key.
slmgr /xpr
Once you press the Enter key, you will get a dialog showing your Windows 10 edition and activation status.
Good luck!
Always use a genuine copy of Windows 10!
Justin says
Good question. I had a genuine version of Windows 8.1 on my ASUS laptop. Did the upgrade to Windows 10 and everything looked good. Until I tried to connect to my network. Under the network sharing center there was devices listed. My wi-fi, ethernet port, and a wireless nano plug no where to be found. They showed up under device manager with no bangs. After not being able to get any network connection I did a clean install. It worked like a dream NIC’s all work. But now I cannot activate even with my product key direct from my Windows 8.1 BIOS and calling Microsoft reading the numbers to reactive. Their solution is to reinstall Windows 8 and then do another upgrade to Windows 10. You have to be kidding me!
cristian says
so… what happen if my windows copy is not activated ?