Step-by-Step Guide on How to Activate Windows 10 with CMD

Do you need to activate Windows 10? In this post, NewsPivot will show you a step-by-step guide on how to activate Windows with CMD. Please follow the guide. Also, it also shows how to check if Windows 10 is activated.

Windows 10 Is Not Activated

Windows 10 is a major version of the Microsoft Windows NT operating system released in 2015. Available as a free upgrade to the retail version for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users through the Microsoft Store, and through Windows Update for Windows 7 users.

After you install or reinstall Windows 10, it will ask you to activate Windows 10. If your Windows 10 system has not been activated, a watermark will appear in the lower right corner of the screen saying “Activate Windows. Go to Settings to activate Windows.“

This watermark is very annoying. Furthermore, if you do not activate Windows 10, you cannot change Windows personalization settings such as lock screen, wallpaper, theme, etc.

Therefore, to use more Windows 10 features, you need to activate Windows 10. When activating Windows 10, the easiest way is to use the Settings app or purchase a license from the Microsoft Store. However, if you are in an enterprise environment, you can also activate Windows 10 with CMD. Follow the steps below now.

Also read: How to Access Advanced Startup Options on Windows 10? 6 Ways!

How to Activate Windows 10 with CMD

To activate Windows 10, you can use a KMS (Key Management Services) activation key in Command Prompt. Just follow the steps below to complete the operation.

Step 1: Type Command Prompt in the Windows Search box, right-click on Command Prompt in the results to select Run as administrator.

Step 2: After entering into Windows Command Prompt, type the slmgr.vbs /upk command line and then press Enter to execute the command.

Step 3: To install the Windows 10 product key, type the following command line and press Enter. Note that replace <Windows 10 activation key> with your real license key for the Windows operating system.

slmgr /ipk <Windows 10 activation key>

Step 4: Type the following command line and press Enter.

slmgr /skms zh.us.to

Step 5: At last, type slmgr /ato and press Enter to activate Windows 10 with CMD.

The steps of activating Windows Pro with CMD are similar.

How to Check If Windows 10 Is Activated

After you have performed the above steps, you can check whether your Windows 10 computer has been activated. The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Press the Win + R key to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2: In the Run dialog box, type slmgr.vbs-xpr in it and press Enter.

Step 3: A Windows Script Host dialog box will pop up telling you if the Windows 10 is activated. If it is activated, you will receive the “This machine is permanently activated” message. If it is not activated, you will receive the “Windows is in Notification mode” message.

Further reading: Fix “Not Recognized As an Internal or External Command” in Win 10

Bottom Line

This post shows you a step-by-step guide on how to activate Windows 10 with CMD. You can have a try if you need to.