This post shows students and new users steps to deactivate and uninstall Windows 11 activation key. You can install and use Windows once it has been activated using a genuine product activation key from Microsoft. The key is yours and attached to the computer you activated it on.
However, you also have the option to deactivate and uninstall the product key on the computer and transfer it to another PC or simply remove the product key and sell or give away the PC without its Windows product key.
One this to remember is uninstalling the product key on a Windows 11 PC will not remove the digital license for it on Microsoft activation servers. If you then try to reactivate the license key on another PC, you may have call in via phone if the re-activation fails.
The steps below will show you how to uninstall or deactivate Windows 11 product key.
You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to uninstall or deactivate the product key.
To do that, click on the Start button, then search for and open the Command Prompt app as administrator.
One the Command Prompt app opens, run the commands below to deactivate Windows 11.
slmgr /upk
Press Enter to confirm and deactivate.
Once the key is uninstalled and Windows deactivated, you should see similar message as the one below.
Next, run the commands below to clear the product key from registry.
slmgr /cpky
Once the product key is removed, you should get similar message as below that Windows is not activate.
That should do it!
Conclusion:
This post showed you how to deactivate and uninstall Windows 11 product key. If you find any error above or have something to add, please use the comment form below.
