I recently built a new PC and initially tried out Linux, but I wiped it to install a fresh copy of Windows 11 from the official website. I selected the option that I don't have an activation key, but to my surprise, the menu indicates that my activation status is ACTIVE and that it says Windows is activated with a digital license linked to my Microsoft account. Can someone explain how this happened? I never purchased a key for it.
3 Answers
You should check your license status in the settings. It will show how it was activated. It might be activated with a digital license because someone had your motherboard in use before you; they could have registered it with Microsoft.
At some point, it seems a Windows license was tied to your Microsoft account based on your hardware. If your motherboard has been registered before, that’s likely how it got activated without you paying for a key.
Did you log in with a Microsoft account during the installation? That could be the reason why it activated automatically. Windows sometimes activates if your hardware was registered previously, even if you made your account just a few hours ago.
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