Don't lose your Windows 10 license

23.11.2023

Electronics stores are inundating us with offers to buy a laptop with Windows 10 pre-installed. This is a good bonus, but one day the computer will start to slow down and a clean installation of the OS will be necessary. So how to reinstall Windows 10 without losing your license? You will find the answer below.

There are two ways to use a PC as a “clean slate”. Let's look at each in detail.

Reinstalling Windows 10

So, in front of you is a laptop (computer) with licensed Windows 10. Naturally, there is no installation disk or key. And they are not needed.

In the Threshold 2 update, the developers implemented a useful feature: now, the first time an officially activated system is updated, the physical address of the PC is added to a single database of authenticated devices. Those. When reinstalling Windows 10, you need to skip the activation step and during the first update, your operating system will be activated automatically.

Attention! The key only applies to the same OS version. If you had Home Edition 32bit, then Professional 64bit version is not activated! Install only the one that was originally preinstalled. Also, the license only applies to the device from which the system was updated.

Now let’s write the image onto the media from which Windows 10 will be installed. You can find out how to create a bootable USB flash drive in the article: “”.

Attention! Before installing a “clean” system, create a backup copy of the boot and system partitions. Although the method works in 98% of cases, anything can happen. Backup has never hurt anyone.

Once the bootable media is ready, proceed with installing the OS. To reinstall Windows 10:

Boot from the flash drive. Restart your computer and enter the boot menu (on most laptops and PCs this is by holding down the F8 or F9 key at the start of boot). Select the USB storage device to boot.
Click the “Install” button, select localization in the new form and click “Next”.
Skip the system activation window.
Format the system partition (mainly Drive C).
Select the same partition for installation and click “Next”.
Follow the installer's instructions.

After launch and the first update, your OS is automatically activated.

Windows 10 System Restore

If you have a laptop, then each manufacturer provides a function to restore the system to its original state without reinstallation (Recovery Mode). To do this, find out the hotkey with which you enter recovery mode. For example, for HP laptops it is F11, and for Samsung laptops it is F4. More detailed information about the device can be found on the official website of the computer manufacturer.

Attention! Keys from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are suitable for activating Windows 10.

I'll end here. Now you know how to reinstall Windows 10 without losing your license. And don’t forget to make backups, they will once again protect you from losing your license.

This process can be difficult for many users. There are several methods for reinstalling the system, each of which has its own advantages. Let's look at the most common methods for reinstalling Windows 10.

How to back up your data

It is strongly recommended that you back up your data before reinstalling your system. Windows 10 has built-in tools that make this task much easier—you don't even need to install additional programs. All you need to do is follow the simple steps of the “File History” component.

Step 1: Type “Windows Updates” into the Windows search bar, select “Windows Update Options” from the list of results, and go to the “Backup” menu. You can also access the settings by going to the Settings app > Update & Security > Backup.

If the Automatically backup files switch is set to On, File History is already backing up files, including contacts, desktop items, and files in your OneDrive folder. This feature automatically creates copies of files in your Documents libraries. , Videos, Music, Pictures, so place the desired folders and files in these directories.

Step 2: If the “Automatic file backup” switch is set to “Off”, then the first step is to add a disk.

Click the Add Disk button and Windows 10 will automatically search for an external drive that you can use to store your backups.

Select the drive you want to use for File History, and Windows 10 will look for external hard drives for backup.

After selecting the drive, the archiving service will start automatically. You can click the “Other options” link to change how often files are copied and how long the backups are retained. You can also configure in detail which folders and libraries need to be copied. Depending on the amount of original data, the backup process may take some time, but you can continue with your normal activities while the task is completed.

You can check the current status of the backup service by clicking the “View advanced options” link on the “Backup Options” page. As a result, the “File History” window will open in the control panel, where you can view the service status and additional options.

If you prefer to store backups on an external drive or cloud storage, then you have that option! No matter which method you choose, make sure that all important files are included for copying.

How to restore Windows 10 to its previous state

Sometimes when solving computer problems, restoring the system to a certain point in the past can be a great help - say, resetting the OS to a few days or weeks ago. This is an ideal solution to get rid of errors associated with recently installed applications. Windows 10 offers several options to roll back the system to an earlier state.

Step 1: In the “Update and Security” window, go to the “Recovery” tab. On the page that opens, you will see the option “Return to a previous version of Windows 10.” Click the “Start” button and wait a bit.

Step 2: After briefly asking why you are reverting to a previous build and checking for updates that might fix the problem, Windows will begin analyzing the information available for recovery. Follow the onscreen instructions until the build selection screen appears. In some cases, the operating system cannot find the necessary files that are used to roll back to a previous version, especially if you have recently performed a disk cleanup. In such cases, it is better to look for another solution.

Step 3: If the preparatory operations were completed successfully, then you can roll back the system to the previous build. This measure will help get rid of problems caused by the recent system update. If possible, choose the most stable and working build of Windows 10. In some cases, you will have access to previous operating systems on your computer, such as Windows 8.1.

Using system restore points

You can restore the state of Windows 10 using a system restore point. This method is especially useful when you want to go back to previous versions of Windows 10, instead of skipping back all the builds.

Step 1: Go to Control Panel by typing "Control Panel" in Windows Search. Turn on “View > Large or Small Icons and select the “Recovery” section, and then click on the “Run System Restore” link. Then, confirm that you want to switch to this mode. Users can also create new restore points and configure the recovery procedure here .

Step 2: By default, the recommended restore point will be selected, with a description of what action was performed before the specific point was created. You can also select other restore points on this screen. Select the “Select a different recovery point” option and click “Next” if you want to see other recovery options.

Note that Windows typically creates a restore point after major changes, such as installing a new program, driver, or update. If you don't see any recovery options available, then system protection may be disabled. In this case, you will have to perform a complete reinstallation or look for another solution to the problem.

Step 3: Find the restore point that preceded the problems in the system. Then click “Next” and confirm to start the recovery operation by clicking “Finish”. Please note that this operation should not delete personal files.

How to reinstall Windows 10

Sometimes recovery operations may not solve problems that are too extensive and you may need to perform a full system reset to remove corrupted data or to prepare your computer for sale.

Step 1: Go back to the “Recovery” section in the “Update & Security” section of the “Settings” application and select the first available option – “Reset this computer to its original state.” Click the “Start” button to continue.

Step 2: You will be given several options that allow you to customize what data you want to clear. If you want to fix the problem while continuing to use your computer, then select the “Keep my files” option (and be prepared for the second option if the first doesn’t work). If you want to perform a full system reset and have already double-checked the integrity and safety of your backups, then select the “Delete everything” option. If you are selling your computer, you should perform a factory reset, which will return your computer to its original state. Please note that the latter option is not always available. In this case, the programs that were preinstalled when you purchased the computer will be reinstalled.

Step 3: Confirm your choice and wait for a while. If you are performing the reset on a laptop or mobile device, make sure it is connected to the network. The system will automatically reboot after the recovery is complete.

Typically, activation is automatic and does not cause difficulties, regardless of whether you reinstall or restore Windows 10. If you're using a local account, link your Windows 10 key to your Microsoft account for easier reactivation when you update your PC configuration.

If you have problems with activation, open the Update & Security section in the Settings app and go to the Activation tab. Here you can see your activation status or add another product key. Follow the onscreen prompts to reactivate your Windows 10 installation.

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There are two ways to use a PC as a “clean slate”. Let's look at each in detail.

Reinstalling Windows 10

So, in front of you is a laptop (computer) with licensed Windows 10. Naturally, there is no installation disk or key. And they are not needed.

Now let’s write the image to the media from which Windows 10 will be installed. You can find out how to create a bootable USB flash drive in the article: “Creating a Windows 10 installation flash drive in various ways.”

Once the bootable media is ready, proceed with installing the OS. To reinstall Windows 10:

Boot from the flash drive. Restart your computer and enter the boot menu (on most laptops and PCs this is by holding down the F8 or F9 key at the start of boot). Select the USB storage device to boot.
Click the “Install” button, select localization in the new form and click “Next”.
Skip the system activation window.
Format the system partition (mainly Drive C).
Select the same partition for installation and click “Next”.
Follow the installer's instructions.

After launch and the first update, your OS is automatically activated.

Windows 10 System Restore

Attention! Keys from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are suitable for activating Windows 10.

I'll end here. Now you know how to reinstall Windows 10 without losing your license. And don’t forget to make backups, they will once again protect you from losing your license.

Windows 10 is perhaps the best version from Microsoft, but this does not mean that everything is in order and will not work slower over time. Any version of Windows begins to work slowly over time due to a number of reasons. You can try, but it is considered better to reinstall Windows 10.

Many users who switched to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 using a free upgrade often ask how to reinstall Windows 10 without losing their license? Or activate Windows 10 after reinstallation? Microsoft has made it clear that you can reinstall Windows 10 and activate the license key after reinstallation without any problems on the same computer, without making significant hardware changes.

Link Windows 10 license to Microsoft account

Which will save you from many problems with activation after a clean reinstallation of Windows 10. If you already have a license on your computer and you are under a local account, then all this can be linked into one account. Your Microsoft account will store a digital signature of your license key, which will help you reinstall Windows 10 without losing your license key. When you reinstall Windows 10 again, simply go to Account Settings and log into your account.

Troubleshoot Windows 10 license activation after changing hardware

If for some reason one or another part on your computer breaks down. For example, you decide to replace the motherboard or replace the old HDD with an SSD, then activating Windows 10 can be problematic. The license is tied to the computer hardware, and the created Microsoft record can easily simplify the activation of the license after changing the equipment on the computer, but as a rule, nothing is perfect and everywhere has its own jambs.

Go Settings > Update & Security > Activation and Troubleshooting.

Important: Before you change hardware, you must create or register your licensed Windows 10 with a Microsoft account by simply creating it.

How to remove a license key in Windows 10

Many people probably need to remove the Windows activation key for various reasons. One of the most common reasons is to enter your license key on another computer that already has its own key or you simply want to sell your computer.

Open the command line by writing in the search, near the start CMD and right-clicking Run as administrator. To remove a Windows 10 activation key, enter the following commands:

Delete key slmgr / upk
Delete a key entry from the registry slmgr/cpky

Perhaps many PC users do not know that you can reinstall Windows 10 without losing documents, photos, music and other personal data. In this guide, we will look at how to properly reinstall Windows 10 without losing data.

Having been using Windows 10 since the pre-release versions, I won’t say that often, but periodically I received various troubles with the operating system, some could be solved easily, others simply left no options and I had to reinstall the system. As a result, the most reliable tool for dealing with system errors has been developed, no matter how funny it sounds - reinstalling Windows 10.

Reinstalling is guaranteed to help if your Windows 10 system is constantly crashing, or you are getting one or more errors when opening programs or applications. In short, you will have to reinstall the OS if you encounter problems that are fatal. For example, if Windows 10 is running very slowly even after trying possible solutions from the internet, you may want to consider reinstalling Windows 10.

The presented method for reinstalling Windows 10 does not require you to enter a product key, which means you can reinstall Windows 10 without a key.

Guide to reinstall Windows 10 without losing data.

This method is only applicable if Windows 10 is booting. If your computer won't boot, you need to do a clean install of Windows 10.

Step 1: Connect the Windows 10 bootable flash drive to your computer. If you have a Windows 10 boot DVD, insert it into your optical drive.

And if you have an image file, go to the folder containing the ISO file, right click on it and then click To plug to open the contents of the ISO image in Windows Explorer.

Those of you who do not have a Windows 10 USB, DVD or ISO file must download the Windows 10 ISO image from Microsoft using the official tool. The tool, with default settings, will download the same version of Windows 10 as the one installed on your computer (32-bit or 64-bit).

Step 2: Open This computer(My Computer), right-click on the USB or DVD drive, click .

Likewise, if you have mounted a Windows 10 ISO image, right-click on the mounted drive and click .

Step 3: Double click on the file Setup.exe. Click Yes in the User Account Control dialog box.

Step 4: After a few seconds, you will see a window - Get important updates with two options:

# Download and install updates (recommended)
# Not now

If your computer is connected to the Internet, we recommend that you select the first one - Download and install updates (recommended).

You can uncheck I want to help improve Windows, to avoid sending anonymous data to Microsoft about the installation process.

Step 5: After pressing the button Further, the installation will check for updates. If option is selected Not now in the previous step, you will not see this screen.

It may take several minutes to check for updates.

You may see the following screen within a few minutes - Let's see if you're ready to install. At the moment, it is being verified that the computer can work with Windows 10, and the space required to perform the operation is also checked.

Step 7: And finally, you will see a window - .

By selecting - we will reinstall Windows 10 without deleting files, check before clicking Next.

Advice: You can also select the first option Keep personal files and apps if you don't want to lose installed apps from the store. But! If you have problems with one or more modern applications such as Edge, or Store, Photos, Mail, please select the option - Keep my personal files only.

Step 8: You will see the window again - this time feel free to click on the button Install.

Click on the Install button to begin installing/reinstalling Windows 10. During the installation of Windows 10, your computer may restart several times.

Step 9: The next step is to configure the parameters. You can choose either Use Standard Settings or Customize Settings, which allows you to change the default privacy settings in Windows 10. Of course, you can change these settings later on the system itself.