Change Windows 8.1 Product Key, Activate Using A New Product Key [Complete Tutorial]

Windows 8.1 has changed a lot of things in the Windows world. Windows 8.1 fixed a few things which were present in Windows 8. Starting from the user interface to a number of features Windows users were accustomed to. Microsoft has also made few changes in the way Windows 8.1 activates. So, here we will show you how to change Windows 8.1 product key and activate Windows 8.1 using the new product key. Follow the steps below to enter a new Windows 8.1 product key replacing your existing Windows product key to activate Windows 8.1.

Note: Using this process you cannot interchange product keys of different Windows 8.1 edition. So, if you have Windows 8.1 installed you cannot use a Windows 8.1 Pro product key, or the other way round. You have to use the product key of the same Windows edition which you have installed.

How to change Windows 8.1 product key, the easiest way?

Press Windows + Pause Break to open System Properties. You can also open System properties from Control Panel > All Control Panel Apps > System. After the System window opens up, click or tap (if you are using touch device) on Change Product Key.

change windows product key

Windows will open a modern dialog box which will let you type in a new Windows product key. Now, simply follow the wizard to activate Windows 8.1 using the new product key.

change windows product key

How to change Windows 8.1 product key, the easy way?

Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows + R hot key, type slui.exe 3 and click or tap on OK.

change windows product key

In the Windows Activation wizard, type in your 25-digit Windows 8.1 product key, verify that you have correctly typed the key, and click or tap on the Activate button.

How to change Windows 8.1 key using the Command Prompt?

Note: This process is for advanced users, and we assume here that you know what the technical terms refer to. So, we’re not explaining everything in details here.

Open an elevated command prompt (Right-click on the new Start Menu and select Command Prompt (Admin)) and type the command below.

slmgr.vbs /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

change windows product key

Verify that the Windows product key you entered, replacing the XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX with your actual product key, is correct and press Enter. Upon successful activation, you will receive a confirmation. Click or tap on the dialog box and close the elevated command prompt.

Want to Activate Windows 8.1 offline? How to activate Windows 8.1 using the telephone?

Microsoft provides an offline method to activate Windows 8.1 for users who are facing problems activating online. You can use the automated telephone system to activate Windows 8.1 offline. To do so, you need to first open the Windows Activation Wizard.

To open the wizard, open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows + R hot key.

Type slui.exe 4 and click or tap on OK.

change windows product key

Follow the wizard to activate Windows 8 using the telephone.

change windows product key

Now, isn’t that easy to do?

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