Windows 11 Is Not Activated: How to Activate Windows 11 OS for Free

As you know, Microsoft has introduced Windows 11 - the newest Windows operating system. When you download Windows 11 and enjoy the new Windows experience, which brings you closer to the people and things you love, you may receive a message. It reads: Windows is not activated.

How to Activate Windows 11 for Free (Step-by-Step Guide)

If you are looking for a solution to the question, you can read this article. You can activate Windows 11 for free with the detailed steps.

Step 1. Click the search icon, type task manager, and click "Open".

Step 2. Then, click "More details" and select "File" to create a new task.

Step 3. After clicking the "Browse" button, navigate to "This PC > C drive > Windows > System32 > cmd.exe" and click "OK".

Make sure that you check the option - Create this task with administrative privilege.

Step 4. Now, you have opened the command prompt as administrator. Type slmgr -rearm and press "Enter".

A message would pop up telling you that the command was completed successfully. Click "OK" and follow the next step.

Step 5. You need to open another command window by clicking search and type run.

Step 6. Type regedit and click "OK" to open "Registry Editor".

Step 7. Now follow this navigation "HKEY_current_USER > Control Panel > Desktop > PaintDesktopVersion". Then, right-click the PaintDesktopVersion and select "Modify".

Step 8. Set the value as 4 and click "OK".

Step 9. After that, click the search button and type cmd, and click "Run as administrator".

Step 10. Open the command and type gpupdate.

You will receive a message telling you that the computer policy update has been completed successfully. Type exit and hit "Enter".

Step 11. Come back to the Registry Editor and navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Services > svsvc". Right-click svsvc and select "New > Key".

Now, name it KMS.

Step 12. Then, right-click the option - (Default), and set the value data as kms_4.

Step 13. Go to svsvc again and select "Start". Then, set the value as 4.

Step 14. Again, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > SoftwareProtectionPlatform > SkipReam". Right-click it and select modify. Then, set the value data as 1.

Now, you can close the Registry Editor and check your Windows 11 version. Right-click the Windows icon and select "Apps and Features". Then, search for About and check your OS version.

Step 15. Go to the slmgr -rearm window and type ipk XXXXXX(Your key). 

You can check your key according to the following picture.

If you fail to activate your Windows 11, you can reopen Registry Editor and check if SkipReam's value data is 1. Then, restart your PC and go to the command window and type slmgr -rearm press enter. Then, type ipk XXXXXX(Your key).

Finally, you activate your Windows 11 successfully.

How to Make Sure That You Have Activated Windows 11

After the activation, how can you check if you have activated your Windows 11 successfully? You can follow the steps below to check your Windows 11.

Step 1. Right-click your mouse and select "Personalize".

Step 2. If you are able to personalize your settings, your Windows 11 is activated.

How to Restore Lost Data After the Windows 11 Activation

After the Windows 11 activation, you may lose data from your hard drive, SSD, or other devices. To restore and protect your data, you can run the data recovery software. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is my recommendation. This data recovery software recovers lost files, pictures, documents, videos, after deleting, formatting, OS crash, and more.

Note: To guarantee a high data recovery chance, install EaseUS data recovery software on another disk instead of the original disk where you lost files. 

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard on your Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, or Windows 7 computer. Select the disk partition or storage location where you lost data and click "Scan".

Step 2. This recovery software will start scanning the disk to find all lost and deleted files. When the scan process completes, click "Filter" > "Type" to specify lost file types.

Step 3. Preview and restore lost Windows files. You can double-click to preview the scanned files. Then, select the target data and click the "Recover" button to save them to another safe spot in the PC or an external storage device.

Conclusion

That's all about the way to activate Windows 11 for free. You may have activated your Windows 11 with this guide. If you have data loss problems, ask EaseUS hard drive recovery software for help.