Remove Windows 10 Product Key (Cleaning Up)

You are here because no matter where you get your Windows 10 product key, it just does not work. It fails every single time.

Here’s one of the common reasons. You are probably using a very old copy of Windows 10 that used to be activated but has expired. This copy is usually activated by your workplace and so it would eventually become expired. In order to change the product key into a new one you will have to remove that key first.

Has my key expired? How do I tell?

Go to Start > Activation and look at the activation screen. Is there a product key attached to the PC? See the error code, and Google it to find out more.

How to remove Windows 10 Product Key

Make sure your Windows 10 is updated. Go to Windows Updates and install all updates including the optional ones. All updated? Great! Let’s proceed.

1. Go to Start > type in ‘CMD’ > Run CMD as an Administrator.
2. Type this in and Press Enter. (You may copy and paste these commands)

slmgr /rearm

This step is to re-arm your Windows 10. You have to restart your PC after the re-arm.

3. Once restarted, run ‘CMD’ as an administrator again. Type in:

slmgr /upk

This is to remove the product key. Then, finally this:

slmgr /cpky

the last command is for removing the product key from the registry. Restart again.

Try activating Windows again using your product key. Hopefully this will fix the issue. If you are one of our customers and need extra help, just ask.