Hardware upgrade of your PC, like changing the motherboard, or even upgrading your BIOS may sometimes deactivate Windows 11. Don’t worry! You can reactivate Windows 11 through a digital license or product key.

In this tutorial, we will take you through the process step by step.

Step 1: Ensure Your Device is Online

Be sure to check first if your PC is already online. This is required by Windows to confirm your activation.

Step 2: Activation Using a Digital License

If you initially activated Windows 11 using a digital license, you must run the Activation Troubleshooter to fix your activation.

Connecting Your Microsoft Account (If Not Already Done)

You have to associate your digital license with your Microsoft account before you can utilize the troubleshooter.

• Sign in to your Microsoft account on the device.
• Go to Settings > System > Activation.
• If your license isn’t linked, click Add an account and log in.

After linking your account, you can use the Activation Troubleshooter in the following ways:

Using the Activation Troubleshooter

If you lost Windows 11 activation after a hardware change, just do the following:

1. Login as an administrator (Refer to user settings if required).
2. Click Start and go to Settings > System > Activation.
3. Click Troubleshoot. The troubleshooter will show an error message if your Windows is not activated.
4. Click on I changed hardware on this device recently, then click Next.
5. Type your Microsoft account and password and click Sign in.
6. From the list of connected devices, check the box next to This is the device I’m using now.
7. Press Activate.

If you don’t see your device, make sure you’re signed in with the right Microsoft account the one that’s linked to your Windows 11 digital license.

Step 3: Reinstalling using a Product Key

If you hadn’t associated a Microsoft account with your license before hardware change or if you started Windows 11 with a product key, you’ll need to input your key.

1. Go to Settings > System > Activation.
2. Click Change product key.
3. Type your 25 character Windows 11 product key.
4. Click Next and continue with instructions to reactivate.

If your key is genuine but activation doesn’t work, try reaching out to the key provider support or looking for activation faults.

What if Activation Still Doesn’t Work?

If you continue to have issues with activation, go to Microsoft’s activation error codes support page and methods to resolve them.

Final Reflections

Reactivating Windows 11 after a hardware change is usually straightforward, especially if you have your digital license linked to a Microsoft account. If you have a product key, reentry of the same should fix this issues.

If you still have problems, the Activation Troubleshooter or contacts your windows keys provider support will help get it working again.

Have you ever had trouble reactivating Windows 11? Let us know in the comments!