Using a Windows 10/11 Pro OEM product key to upgrade from Home to Pro.

So you find a Windows 10/11 Pro OEM product key for like $10 from an online seller. There should be a disclaimer: OEM product keys cannot be used to upgrade to Pro. Well, that is not exactly true. I first conducted this test to verify that Windows 10 upgrade from Home to Pro with an OEM product key works the same as it always did, and it does. So then I repeated the test with Windows 11:

Start with Windows 11 Home fully activated (that really does not matter), up-to-date, and connected to the internet:



Now, I am going to change the product key to the generic retail product key for Windows 10/11 Pro and I get an error:



Next, I will try the Windows 10/11 Pro OEM product key while connected to the internet, and it errors:



Next, I disconnect from the internet (turn off WiFi, unplug ethernet cable), and if I try the same product key above, I still get the same error. But, if I change the product key to the generic Windows 10/11 retail product, I get an upgrade, but it is not activated:



I connect to the internet, still no activation:



Now, I change the product key to the Windows 10/11 OEM product key I tried before, and I get this error because I had just tried this test successfully on a Windows 10 VM:



Finally, I change the product key to an old Windows 7 Pro OEM product key, and I get activation!



Note, because I used a Windows 7 product key, when Windows 11 activated it automatically replaced it with the generic OEM product key for Windows 10/11.

@NavyLCDR

Is there a "short version". Like 2-3 steps?

Ghot said:

@NavyLCDR

Is there a "short version". Like 2-3 steps?

Click to expand...

1. Disconnect from the internet
2. Change the product key to VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
3. After the upgrade to Pro is finished, reconnect to the internet
4. Change the product key to the Windows 10/11 Pro OEM product key that you purchased (or Windows 7 or 8/8.1 Pro product key)

NavyLCDR said:

1. Disconnect from the internet
2. Change the product key to VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
3. After the upgrade to Pro is finished, reconnect to the internet
4. Change the product key to the Windows 10/11 Pro OEM product key that you purchased (or Windows 7 or 8/8.1 Pro product key)

Click to expand...

As of 4/21/2024 this still works, at least for my Win 11 Pro OEM key. Thanks.

NavyLCDR said:

1. Disconnect from the internet
2. Change the product key to VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
3. After the upgrade to Pro is finished, reconnect to the internet
4. Change the product key to the Windows 10/11 Pro OEM product key that you purchased (or Windows 7 or 8/8.1 Pro product key)

Click to expand...

As of 2/12/2025 this still works!

Yes, I have also discovered this inconvenience. If you want to upgrade to a higher version you must be disconnected from the internet so the key cannot be checked and fail, then type the generic key for the version you want to upgrade to. The same is true if you want to downgrade to a lower version. If you run Windows 11 Pro, disconnect from the internet and type the generic Home key to downgrade to Home. Useful if you want to upgrade to Pro to test it and then return to Home without activating Pro. Since Home is already activated and you have a digital license, once you connect to the internet again, Windows 11 Home will be automatically activated.


Generic Windows 10/11 Home key: YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7

Generic Windows 10/11 Pro key: VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

The language used and the architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) make no difference.