Repeated installs and activation on the same hardware?

Hi all,

I've got an activation/re-activation question I was wondering about if anybody can help.

My main rig still runs Windows 7, which is good for what I'm usually running. I needed to get 10 or 11 on there for something I occasionally run, so I installed 10 on an external USB3 M.2 drive, and bought a Windows 11 Pro key for it. The activation worked out fine, but I needed to narrow down some issues I was having elsewhere, so I cleared the partition and put 11 on it. At this point, I'm undecided as to whether or not I'll stick with 11, so I avoided trying to activate it with that key, as I'm not sure if it would allow me to go back.

If the hardware (drive/partition/MB/RAM/CPU) remains unchanged, can you bounce around between Windows 10 and 11 Pro installations (or re-installs of either) using your key, without it kicking you off the system or decrementing some sort of install count? I keep partition images of my initial installs for that reason, but I don't want to kill my key, and the time and personalization limitations of running unactivated obviously won't work long-term.

Thanks! (and please, no comments on my choice of OS)

Jidis said:

Hi all,

I've got an activation/re-activation question I was wondering about if anybody can help.

My main rig still runs Windows 7, which is good for what I'm usually running. I needed to get 10 or 11 on there for something I occasionally run, so I installed 10 on an external USB3 M.2 drive, and bought a Windows 11 Pro key for it. The activation worked out fine, but I needed to narrow down some issues I was having elsewhere, so I cleared the partition and put 11 on it. At this point, I'm undecided as to whether or not I'll stick with 11, so I avoided trying to activate it with that key, as I'm not sure if it would allow me to go back.

If the hardware (drive/partition/MB/RAM/CPU) remains unchanged, can you bounce around between Windows 10 and 11 Pro installations (or re-installs of either) using your key, without it kicking you off the system or decrementing some sort of install count? I keep partition images of my initial installs for that reason, but I don't want to kill my key, and the time and personalization limitations of running unactivated obviously won't work long-term.

Thanks! (and please, no comments on my choice of OS)

Click to expand...

Hi @Jidis & welcome,

I have never encountered any issues switching between 10 & 11, and back to 10.
And I don't believe you will either.

Thanks OAT, that's what I was hoping!

I never really understood what the newer systems considered a "significant change". BTW- I actually looked, but somehow just noticed that "activation explained" thread. It's probably got most of the details in it already.

Looking forward to getting my personalization happening tonight.

Take Care

For clarification, there is no differentiation any way shape or form between a Windows 10 and a Windows 11 key. A Windows 10 key IS in fact, also a Windows 11 key.

Also, once activated, you should be able to reinstall over and over again without any difficulty. To be on the safe side, I always create a hybrid account so that my system gets tied to my Microsoft account even if I do not sign in with a Microsoft account.

I do a heck of a lot of testing so I have systems on which I have installed 100+ times (no, I am not exaggerating) and have yet to ever have a difficulty with this.

Jidis said:

I never really understood what the newer systems considered a "significant change". BTW- I actually looked, but somehow just noticed that "activation explained" thread. It's probably got most of the details in it already.

Click to expand...

This one? @Kari's post is the most detailed explanation of activation that I know of.

You can format and reinstall Windows 10 or 11 on the same computer as many times as you like. Once either Windows 10 or 11 is activated, it keeps a record (aka digital license) in Microsoft servers. You don't need they key anymore. In fact, if you do a new installation (format and reinstall), you can select "I don't have a key" and then select the SAME version (Home or Pro) and proceed with the installation. When online, Windows will contact Microsoft servers, verify that this computer already has a digital license for that version and activate automatically. This is even with minor changes, such as larger SSD or more RAM, or faster CPU. You will encounter activation issues only with a major change, such as motherboard. You said you installed Windows on an external USB 3.2 M.2 drive, probably Windows-to-Go, since standard Windows wouldn't allow you to install on external drive. Just keep booting from the same drive (storage controller). If you install the M.2 inside the motherboard, the storage controller changes and this could be a major change that affects activation. Also Windows-to-Go can receive all updates but not upgrade to a higher version (at least that was the case with Windows 10, I don't know for sure about Windows 11). So if you want a new version, such as 25H2 next year, you have to do a clean installation or temporarily install the M.2 inside the computer (not USB), convert Windows-to-Go to standard version (see Tutorials or other relevant threads), upgrade and then convert to Windows-to-Go again. If your motherboard doesn't have M.2 slots, you need an M.2 PCIe card. Make sure you install the card and the drivers before moving the disk, so Windows already has the driver available and you can boot.