How to Check If Windows 11 Is Activated (Settings, CMD and slmgr)

To check if Windows is activated, open Settings > System > Activation and read the Activation state line. “Active” or “Windows is activated” means your licence is valid. For more detail, run slmgr /xpr to see whether activation is permanent or expires, and slmgr /dli to see the licence type and the last five characters of the key.

How to check if Windows is activated in Settings

Select Start, open Settings, choose System and then Activation. The status beside Activation state tells you whether Windows 11 is activated and how. Microsoft uses four messages, and the best one to see is “Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account”, because that licence reactivates automatically after a reinstall.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Select System, then scroll down and select Activation.
3. Read the Activation state line (labelled Activation status in some versions) and expand it if a message is shown.
4. Check the Edition shown at the top matches the licence you bought (Home or Pro).

These four states come from Microsoft’s own Activate Windows support article. The quickest shortcut to the page is to press Windows + R, type ms-settings:activation and press Enter.

How to check Windows activation status with slmgr

Open Terminal or Command Prompt and run slmgr /xpr. A pop-up states either “The machine is permanently activated” or an expiry date. Run slmgr /dli for the licence channel and last five characters of the key, and slmgr /dlv for the full detail. None of these commands needs administrator rights.

Microsoft’s slmgr.vbs options reference notes that /xpr is mainly useful for KMS clients, since MAK and retail activations are perpetual. That single line is the key to reading your results correctly.

Reading the /dli output

Look at the Description line. “RETAIL channel” means a standalone key, “OEM_DM channel” means a manufacturer licence stored in firmware, and “VOLUME_MAK” or “VOLUME_KMSCLIENT” means an organisation’s volume licence. “License Status: Licensed” confirms activation.

How to check activation with PowerShell

Run Get-CimInstance SoftwareLicensingProduct -Filter "PartialProductKey IS NOT NULL" | Select-Object Name, Description, LicenseStatus in PowerShell. A LicenseStatus of 1 means Licensed (activated). Any other number means Windows is unlicensed, in a grace period or in notification mode. This method suits scripts and checking several PCs.

The status codes are defined in Microsoft’s SoftwareLicensingProduct class documentation:

• 0 Unlicensed
• 1 Licensed
• 2 Initial grace period (OOBGrace)
• 3 Grace period after a hardware change (OOTGrace)
• 4 Non-genuine grace period
• 5 Notification mode (not activated)
• 6 Extended grace period

The filter matters. Without it, PowerShell lists every edition Windows knows about, including dozens of uninstalled ones that all show 0, which can make an activated PC look unlicensed.

Why PowerShell is useful beyond slmgr

Microsoft has announced that VBScript, which slmgr.vbs relies on, is being phased out as an optional Windows feature. PowerShell reads the same licensing data directly, so it is the more future-proof habit if you check activation regularly.

What do the activation results actually mean?

A retail, OEM or MAK licence shows as permanently activated and needs nothing further. A KMS licence shows an expiry date because it must renew with an organisation’s KMS server at least every 180 days. On a work PC that’s expected; on a personal PC it usually means Windows was activated by an unofficial method.

Microsoft’s KMS activation planning guide explains that KMS clients try to renew every seven days and lose activation if they can’t reach the host for 180 days. Genuine KMS servers sit on corporate networks, not the open internet.

A common support ticket we see is a second-hand PC that says “activated” but shows a KMS expiry date and a VOLUME_KMSCLIENT channel. That pattern usually points to an unofficial activator, which is unsafe and breaches Microsoft’s licence terms. Replacing it with a genuine key removes the risk of the licence lapsing. Our guide to the “Your Windows license will expire soon” message covers this scenario in detail.

What happens if Windows 11 is not activated?

Unactivated Windows 11 keeps working, but it shows an “Activate Windows” watermark, displays regular reminders and locks most Personalisation settings such as wallpaper, colours and themes. More importantly, running Windows without a valid licence breaches Microsoft’s terms, so it’s not a long-term option for any PC.

New installs get a short grace period, which is why a freshly built PC may work normally for a few days before the watermark appears. LicenseStatus codes 2 and 3 in PowerShell correspond to these grace periods.

How do you fix “Windows is not activated”?

Start with the error code shown under Activation state. Run the Activation troubleshooter, confirm your key matches the installed edition, and if the key is valid but online activation fails, use phone activation. If there is no valid licence at all, enter a new genuine key under Change product key.

1. Note the error code in Settings > System > Activation.
2. Select Troubleshoot. After a motherboard swap, choose “I changed hardware on this device recently” and sign in to your Microsoft account.
3. Check the edition: a Pro key won’t activate Home, and a Home key won’t activate Pro.
4. For error-specific steps, see our fixes for error 0xc004f050 and error 0xC004C008.
5. If online activation keeps failing with a valid key, follow our guide to activating Windows by phone.

If you need to reinstall or confirm which key you used, our guide on how to find your Windows 11 product key covers every method.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Windows is genuine and activated?

Open Settings, System, Activation. “Windows is activated” or a digital licence message means activation succeeded. For extra confidence, run slmgr /xpr: a home PC with a retail or OEM licence should say “permanently activated”. An expiry date on a personal PC suggests KMS activation that may not be legitimate.

What does slmgr /xpr do?

slmgr /xpr displays the activation expiration date for the installed Windows licence. Retail, OEM and MAK licences show “The machine is permanently activated”. KMS volume licences show a date, because they must renew with an organisation’s KMS server at least every 180 days. It does not need administrator rights.

What is the difference between slmgr /dli and slmgr /dlv?

slmgr /dli shows basic licence information: edition, licence channel, the last five characters of the product key and the licence status. slmgr /dlv shows the same plus detailed fields such as the activation ID, installation ID and remaining rearm counts. Use /dli for a quick check and /dlv for troubleshooting.

Can I check Windows activation status from Command Prompt?

Yes. Open Command Prompt and run slmgr /xpr for permanent or expiring activation, or slmgr /dli for licence details. Each opens a small Windows Script Host dialog box with the result. For text output in the window, use cscript //nologo %windir%\system32\slmgr.vbs /dli instead.

Does Windows 11 stop working if it is not activated?

No, Windows 11 keeps running without activation, but with a watermark, frequent reminders and locked Personalisation settings. It is still unlicensed use, which breaches Microsoft’s terms. Activating with a genuine product key or digital licence removes the restrictions and keeps the PC compliant.

Why does my PC say activated but show an expiry date?

An expiry date from slmgr /xpr means the PC is using KMS volume activation. That is normal on company devices connected to a corporate KMS server. On a personally owned PC it usually means an unofficial activator was used, and activation can lapse. Installing a genuine retail key replaces it with permanent activation.

The bottom line

Settings tells you whether Windows is activated; slmgr /xpr and slmgr /dli tell you how. Permanent activation with a retail or OEM channel is what a personal PC should show. If anything looks off, our activation FAQs are a good next stop.

Useful links