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3 Ways to Check If Windows 10 Is Activated

There are multiple ways to find if your Windows 10 system is fully activated. When in doubt, here’s how to check if Windows 10 is activated.

If you just bought a Windows 10 PC or a license key, you must check the activation status after installing Windows 10 on your computer. Though Windows makes it easy to know if your system is fully activated or not, it can be not very clear at times. So, here are some sure-fire ways to check if Windows 10 is activated properly or not.

Check If Windows 10 Is Activated

As I said earlier, there are multiple ways to check if your Windows 10 is activated properly or not. All the methods shown below will give you the same result. Follow the one you like. For quick navigation, use the jump links below.

Jump to:

  1. Settings app method
  2. Command prompt or PowerShell method
  3. System app method

1. Check If Windows 10 Is Activated Using the Settings App

The Settings app can show if Windows 10 is activated or not. Additionally, the settings app also tells you the activation method. i.e., digital license or product key.

Digital License: The digital license is given if you’ve upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 in the free upgrade period or if you bought or upgraded Windows 10 from the Microsoft store.

Product Key: Product key license type is seen when you bought a physical or digital copy of Windows 10 from an authorized seller or bought a pre-installed Windows 10 system. This license type is also applicable to volume licensing and MSDN subscription.

  1. Press Win + I to open the settings app.
  2. Go to “Update and Security -> Activation“.
  3. On the right panel, you will see the activation status under the “Windows” section.
  4. You can also see the activation method. i.e, digital license or product key right next to the “Activation“.
  5. In my case, Windows is activated via digital license.
    Check if windows is activated 2

If Windows is not activated, you will see the “Windows 10 is not activated” message next to “Activation.”

Related: How to find Windows 10 version number

2. Check Windows Activation Status using Command Prompt or PowerShell

You can also use the Command Prompt or PowerShell to check if Windows is activated or not. In this method, you will also see what edition of Windows you are using. i.e., Home or Professional.

Note: I’m showing in the Command Prompt, but the same command will work in PowerShell.

  1. Open the start menu.
  2. Search for Command Prompt or PowerShell.
  3. Enter the following command and press Enter.
    slmgr /xpr
  4. If Windows is activated properly, you will see “The machine is permanently activated” dialog box.
    Check if windows is activated 3
  5. You can also see your Windows editon right on top of the activation status line. In my case, I’m using Windows 10 Pro edition.

If Windows is not activated, you will see the “Error: product key not found” message in the dialog box.

3. Check Windows Activation Status from System App

This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to check if Windows is activated or not. This method works in Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Note: This method no longer works in Windows 10 or Windows 11 because the old System tool is replaced with the “About” page in the Settings app.

  1. Open the start menu.
  2. Search for “Control Panel” and open it.
  3. In the control panel, find “System” option and click on it.
  4. Under the “Windows Activation” section, you should see “Windows is Activated” if Windows 10 is activated properly.
    Check if windows is activated 1

If Windows is not activated, you will see the Windows activation status as “Windows is not activated.”

That is all. It is that simple to check if Windows 10 is activated or not. If you like this article, you might also like to learn how to delete component store files to free up C drive space and change command prompt or PowerShell cursor size, color, and shape.

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