Moving your license to a new computer

A license is used on one PC at a time. If you replace or rebuild your computer, release the key on the old one and activate it on the new one. If activation is rejected after several changes, write to us with your order number.

Every listing on this site states its license type and how many PCs it covers before you pay. If you are unsure what you have, check your order email or read the comparison.

The order matters: remove it from the old machine first

1. On the old computer, open the Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run slmgr /upk. This uninstalls the product key and frees it. The machine will report itself as not activated, which is expected.
3. Run slmgr /cpky to clear the key out of the registry, so it cannot be read off the old machine later.
4. On the new computer, go to Settings > System > Activation, open Change product key, and enter the same 25-character key.

If the old computer is broken, sold or gone, go on to step 4 anyway. If the activation server refuses the key, it returns 0xC004C003: write to us with your order number and we will look at your case.

Office is different

Office 2024 is activated inside Office itself. If you replace your computer, uninstall Office on the old one, install it on the new one with the same installer, then open Word and go to File > Account > Change Product Key and enter the same key. One active installation at a time.

If it will not activate on the new machine

Send us your order number and the exact error code. Our chat answers at any hour and our team is on hand 24/7 for anything it cannot solve. If the key still will not activate, the lifetime activation guarantee applies.