Retail Win7 product key or ShowKeyPlus product key to install Win11?

mck · Jan 8, 2025

I installed Win10 on my self-built PC using the product key from my retail copy of Win7.
I now want to dismantle the Win10 PC and use the power supply and SSDs for a new DIY Win11 PC.

I ran ShowKeyPlus on the Win10 PC. The "Installed Key" is different from the Win7 product key I used.
Searching tenforums, I found a post that said: "When you install win10 with a win7 key, it changes the key to a win10 key".

So when I'm ready to install a downloaded win11 media creation on the new PC, I'll first deactivate win10 on the old PC.
Then I'll take the PS from the old PC and install it on the new PC plus a new 256 GB SSD for win11 and installed programs only.
I'll install the data SSDs from the old win10 PC after I get win11 working on the new DIY PC.

But when I install win11 on the new DIY PC, which product key should I use to activate win11? The retail win7 key or the ShowKeyPlus key?

hsehestedt · Jan 8, 2025

I normally use a different approach:

Install Windows with no product key (select the option that says that you have no key during installation). After installation, when you try to activate and it fails it will give you an option to troubleshoot. You can tell it that you recently changed hardware. It should offer you the ability to transfer the license (assuming that you had a MS account that the previous system was linked to).

bobkn · Jan 8, 2025

More detail on what "hsehestedt" refers to:

Reactivating Windows after a hardware change - Microsoft Support

Learn how to prepare your Windows device for a hardware change and find help reactivating Windows after a hardware change is complete.

support.microsoft.com

I've never verified it, but I have read that with the digital license, the difference between retail and OEM licenses has been eliminated.

I've wished that Windows had an explicit deactivation, but MS now seems to allow easy transfers (if you have an MS account), as long as the number of activated installs is kept the same.

dacrone · Jan 8, 2025

you can try this tool but i dont know if it still works in 24h2

GitHub - nixxoq/Windows-Product-Key-Switcher: A simple program that allows you to switch Windows 7/8/10/11 editions to another

A simple program that allows you to switch Windows 7/8/10/11 editions to another - nixxoq/Windows-Product-Key-Switcher

github.com

mck · Jan 8, 2025

hsehestedt said:
I normally use a different approach:

Install Windows with no product key (select the option that says that you have no key during installation). After installation, when you try to activate and it fails it will give you an option to troubleshoot. You can tell it that you recently changed hardware. It should offer you the ability to transfer the license (assuming that you had a MS account that the previous system was linked to).

So your method does not involve the need to enter any product key at all to activate Win11?

BTW, I'm not sure if I used a MS account or local account when I installed Win10 on my current PC. How can I verify whether I used a MS account or not?

mck · Jan 8, 2025

bobkn said:
More detail on what "hsehestedt" refers to:

Reactivating Windows after a hardware change - Microsoft Support

Learn how to prepare your Windows device for a hardware change and find help reactivating Windows after a hardware change is complete.

support.microsoft.com

I've never verified it, but I have read that with the digital license, the difference between retail and OEM licenses has been eliminated.

I've wished that Windows had an explicit deactivation, but MS now seems to allow easy transfers (if you have an MS account), as long as the number of activated installs is kept the same.

I'll check out that link this evening. Gotta do some "Honey do chores now"

. Thanks

mck · Jan 8, 2025

dacrone said:
you can try this tool but i dont know if it still works in 24h2

GitHub - nixxoq/Windows-Product-Key-Switcher: A simple program that allows you to switch Windows 7/8/10/11 editions to another

A simple program that allows you to switch Windows 7/8/10/11 editions to another - nixxoq/Windows-Product-Key-Switcher

github.com

I'll check out that link this evening. Gotta do some "Honey do chores now"

. Thanks.

hsehestedt · Jan 8, 2025

mck said:
So your method does not involve the need to enter any product key at all to activate Win11?

That is correct. I use a product key to install on a machine for the very first time, then I toss the key because I will never need it again.

cereberus · Jan 8, 2025

hsehestedt said:
That is correct. I use a product key to install on a machine for the very first time, then I toss the key because I will never need it again.

Yep - although digital licences have been around for a decade now (first started on 2015), it is amazing how few people do not realise the basic point about digital licences i.e. once a device is granted a digital licence (upon first activation), you no longer need the original activation key, as you say.

As a clarification, this fundamental property of digital licences is independent of using a local or MS account. However, if you use an MS account, it enables the ability to transfer the digital licence to a new unlicensed pc.

dacrone · Jan 8, 2025

Only thing I would add here is that if you need an offline pc imaged, keeping your key is necessary. Depends on what type of environment you’ll be using it in.

mck · Jan 10, 2025

mck said:
I'll check out that link this evening. Gotta do some "Honey do chores now" . Thanks

@bobkn,
Your link on "Reactivating windows after a hardware change" is very good. It also contained a link on how to verify if one's copy of Windows is linked to a Microsoft account. That link confirmed that my current copy of Win10 is linked to a MS account.

Using both links, I should be able to transfer activation from my current Win10 to a new Win11 PC.
Thanks!

mck · Jan 10, 2025

mck said:
I'll check out that link this evening. Gotta do some "Honey do chores now" . Thanks.

@dacrone,
I think bobkn's link will do the job. Thanks for your support though.

MisterEd · Jan 10, 2025

A few weeks ago I rebuilt two computers

Computer #1: Windows 11
* Windows 10 Pro Retail -> Windows 11 Pro

Computer #2: Dual-boot Windows 7 & 10
* Windows 7 Home Retail
* Windows 7 Ultimate Retail > Windows 10 Pro

I replaced the motherboards with entirely different ones for each. However, I kept the same boot drives.
Each of the three versions of Windows on the two computers at first showed needing activation. However, the reactivation only took a few seconds. No product keys were needed.

mck · Jan 11, 2025

MisterEd said:
A few weeks ago I rebuilt two computers

Computer #1: Windows 11
* Windows 10 Pro Retail -> Windows 11 Pro

Computer #2: Dual-boot Windows 7 & 10
* Windows 7 Home Retail
* Windows 7 Ultimate Retail > Windows 10 Pro

I replaced the motherboards with entirely different ones for each. However, I kept the same boot drives.
Each of the three versions of Windows on the two computers at first showed needing activation. However, the reactivation only took a few seconds. No product keys were needed.

Was a clean fresh copy of Win11 installed on Computer #1 or was Win10 upgraded to Win11? Thanks.

Retail Win7 product key or ShowKeyPlus product key to install Win11?

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