Windows 11 Pro — install and activate

Open Settings. The quickest way is to type settings into the Start menu search box and open the first result.

Choose System in the left-hand column, then scroll down the right-hand side to Activation.

Expand Activation state and select Change, next to Change product key.

Before the key goes in, this screen can read Not active, sometimes with the code 0xC004F213. That only means no key has been entered on this machine yet; it is not a fault.

Type or paste the 25-character key from your delivery email. Include the hyphens. Then select Next.

Windows is activated. That message is the only confirmation that counts — close the dialog and you are done. To check again later, the same screen under Settings → System → Activation will say so at the top.

Go to Settings → System → Activation, open Change product key and select Change, exactly as in the chapter above.

Enter VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T, then select Next and follow the prompts. Windows will switch the machine from Home to Pro and restart.

This is a generic key that only switches the edition. It is not a license and it will not activate anything: its only job is to flip the edition so your real key has something to attach to. Your own key comes next.

Once the machine is back on Pro, return to Settings → System → Activation → Change product key and enter the 25-character key from your delivery email.

The activation screen should read Windows is activated. Windows sometimes asks for one more restart to finish applying the change.

Download Microsoft's free PC Health Check and run it. It answers in one click, and it is worth doing before anything else: Windows 11 checks for TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and a supported processor, and failing any of them stops the upgrade.

If it fails, the cause can be just TPM or Secure Boot switched off in the BIOS rather than hardware that is too old. Write to us with what the tool says and we will read it with you.

Download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant from microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 (opens in a new tab) and run it. Accept the terms and leave it alone — it downloads Windows 11 and upgrades the machine in place, keeping your files and installed programs.

It restarts several times and can take an hour or more, depending on your connection.

Once you reach the desktop, go to Settings → System → Activation → Change product key and enter the key from your delivery email, as in Activate your key above.

Run the media creation tool you downloaded with the Download Windows 11 button at the top of this guide. Accept the license terms to reach the first real screen.

Pick your Language and leave Edition on Windows 11 — that single entry contains both Home and Pro, and your key decides the rest. There is no architecture to choose: Windows 11 is 64-bit only.

Building the stick on the same machine you will install onto? Select the checkbox Use the recommended options for this PC and skip the choosing.

Select USB flash drive. The ISO option is only useful if you intend to burn a DVD or mount the file yourself.

Plug in the USB stick, select it from the list, and continue. Everything on it will be deleted. If your stick is not listed, use Refresh drive list.

The tool downloads Windows and writes it to the stick. This takes a while and needs a stable connection. When it says Your USB flash drive is ready, select Finish.

Plug the stick into the computer you are installing on and switch it on, pressing the key that opens the boot menu. It is usually F12, F2, Esc or Del, and which one it is depends on the manufacturer — the screen normally tells you for a second as it starts.

Choose the USB stick from the list.

Choose your language and keyboard layout, then select Install now.

When it asks for a product key you can enter yours, or select I don't have a product key and do it at the end. If you skip it here, be sure to choose Windows 11 Pro on the next screen — pick Home and your Pro key will not simply activate it; you would then follow Upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Pro.

Select Custom: Install Windows only, then choose the drive. Delete the existing partitions on it if you are wiping the machine, and continue. This is the point of no return for the data on that disk.

Windows copies files and restarts several times on its own. Leave it alone until it reaches the setup questions.

Choose your country and keyboard, connect to the internet, and sign in with your Microsoft account. Using the same account you always use keeps your settings and OneDrive together.

Then set a PIN, answer the privacy questions, and wait for the desktop.

Go to Settings → System → Activation → Change product key and enter the key from your delivery email, exactly as in the Activate your key chapter above.