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So we tried calling the number and waited on hold for a few minutes. This was not an 'online activation' version so the instructions on the product page warned that we might need to call Microsoft’s activation phone number to make the key work and, indeed, the first time we tried using the key, Windows wouldn’t accept it.

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At one time, we bought a Windows 10 Home key from Kinguin to activate a copy of the OS on a newly-built PC. We've bought keys from Kinguin a few times.

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Once you complete a purchase, you’ll be emailed a product key that you can use either during the Windows install process or to activate an unactivated copy of the operating system you already have installed. 'There are no legal issues with buying it from us. It would be like buying Adidas or Puma or Nike from a discounter, from TJ Maxx,' Jordan said. Mark Jordan, Kinguin’s VP of communications, told Tom's Hardware in 2019 that Kinguin's merchants acquire the codes from wholesalers who have surplus copies of Windows they don't need. Kinguin has more than three dozen merchants worldwide selling Windows keys. While we can't vouch for all of them, websites selling cheap Windows 10 or 11 keys are likely offering legitimate codes. Now, let's address the elephant in the room. Windows 10 / 11 Product Key Prices (Kinguin) at Press Time Version The representative may even ask for your Microsoft account, which is not great for your privacy. Keys that aren't marked for 'online activation' may force you to call Microsoft, wait on hold and ask a phone representative for help activating. We recommend paying a little extra to get a key that has 'online activation,' which means that it should activate automatically over the Internet. These are all OEM keys and likely can't be used on another computer after you activate them on the first one. You might be able to get them for less with a Kinguin discount code though. Windows 10 Pro started at $24.28 and Windows 11 Pro was $29.70. At the time of writing, Kinguin, a popular key marketplace, was selling Windows 10 Home for as little as $20.81 or Windows 11 Home for $26.76.

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If you don’t have any way to get a Windows 10 or 11 product key for free and you don’t want to live with the drawbacks of an unactivated copy of Windows, there are some third-party sellers that offer keys starting at around $20. Windows 11 Education is actually more full-featured than Windows 11 Home and has most of the same features as Windows 11 Pro, including BitLocker encryption, Remote Desktop and Hyper-V virtualization. Microsoft offers students attending certain universities and high schools the ability to get Windows 11 Education at no cost (it’s unclear if you can get Windows 10 this way anymore). If you’re in college, you may be able to get Windows 11 for free, just by being enrolled. Microsoft Student or Teacher Discount: Free We’ve known folks who used unactivated Windows for months or years without a problem, but we can’t guarantee that Microsoft won’t crack down and limit functionality further in the future. Other than those inconveniences, unactivated Windows should work just fine and receive automatic updates too. But come on does anyone actually do that? You also can’t get tech support from Microsoft should you call for help with Windows. Microsoft blocks out your personalization options if you get Windows 10 for free and don't activate it.

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See our article on how to transfer a Windows 10 or 11 license to a new PC for step-by-step information on how to retrieve and move your key.

However, you must first make sure it's deactivated on the old PC it came from. If you have an old, retail (non-OEM) copy of Windows 7, 8 or 10 you are no longer using on another PC, you can likely use the product key when you do a fresh install of Windows on your new PC. Use an Old Windows 7, 8 or 10 Key From Another PC: Free

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Whether you’re going from 7 / 8 to 10 or 10 to 11, you can upgrade either by using an install disk (created with the media creation tool) or with Windows update.

If you are still on Windows 7 or 8, you can upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Windows 7 and 8 will upgrade to 10 and Windows 10 will upgrade to 11, if your computer meets Windows 11’s stringent system requirements, which include TPM 2.0 support, at least 4GB of RAM and at least 64GB of storage space (you can bypass Windows 11’s TPM and RAM requirements but we don't recommend it). If you already have a prior version of Windows installed on the computer and you just want a newer version of the OS on the same hardware, you can likely upgrade it for free (obviously this method doesn’t help if you are building a new PC). Upgrade from a Prior Windows Version: Free