Digital entitlement: a new method of activation in Windows 10

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Published onSeptember 26, 2015

published onSeptember 26, 2015

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Windows 10 has been available for quite some time now but one aspect of the new operating system still has people scratching their heads — activation. Gone are the days of requiring a product key to activate your copy of Windows. Microsoft is introducing a new term called “digital entitlement.”“Activation helps verify that your copy of Windows is genuine and hasn’t been used on more devices than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow. Depending on how you got your copy ofWindows 10, activation will use either a digital entitlement or a 25-character product key,”Microsoft explains.The following scenarios fall under digital entitlement and will not require a 25-character product key:

The following scenarios will require a 25-character product key:

So there you have it. Upgrading for free to Windows 10 from a genuine copy of Windows 8.1 gives you digital entitlement, whereas purchasing a retail boxed copy of Windows 10 will require a product key to activate. Hopefully this clears up some confusion regarding activation on Windows 10.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

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Radu Tyrsina

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Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

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Digital entitlement: a new method of activation in Windows 10