2 ways to activate Windows 10 for FREE without additional software

As you know, Microsoft notified Windows 10 is “the last version of Windows” and explained that they will be focused on the development of powerful and new features under the guise of software updates instead of building a new version. This means there will be no Windows 10.1 or 11 in the future(*). So if you are thinking about an upgrade, this is the best time to get it.

(*) New update: An expected release of version 11 was launched in late 2021. Read this post for more information.

Windows 10 free upgrade

The representative of Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10 is a free upgrade for all customers using a genuine copy of Windows 7 or higher. But this offer officially will expire on Friday so do not hesitate to own it before it is too late. Your time is running out. After July 29, the upgrade will cost up to $119 for the Home edition or $199 for the Professional one. Personally, that amount of money is enough to pay my rent this month so there is no reason for me to deny that.

Should you upgrade to Windows 10

“Do not upgrade to Windows 10”. This seems to contradict the above analysis but that is the statement of security experts. They said that Microsoft has been violating users’ privacy by collecting their personal information like gender, age, hobby, and Internet habits… without your permission. The options relating to sending feedback and data to Microsoft were enabled automatically from the moment that you installed Windows 10 successfully so most people don’t know about them. However, you can disable them in Settings/Privacy easily.

Install Windows 10 using ISO file instead of an upgrade

You can get the latest version of Windows 10 Professional here if you don’t have it already. If you have ever installed any versions of Windows before, I am sure you will have no difficulty getting started with Windows 10. If you are looking to install it with a USB flash drive, please search for “how to install Windows 10 from a bootable USB stick”. There are many detailed instructions for installing Windows 10 on the web.

Activate Windows 10 without using any software

Windows 10 is not activated
Windows 10 is not activated

If you are using another version of Windows, please navigate to the Windows OS category and select a suitable article.

Method 1: Manual activation

Step 1.1: Open Command Prompt as administrator.
Click on the start button, search for “cmd” then run it with administrator rights.

Open cmd as admin
Open cmd as admin

Step 1.2: Install KMS client key.
Use the command “slmgr /ipk yourlicensekey” to install a license key (yourlicensekey is the activation key that corresponds to your Windows edition). The following is the list of Windows 10 Volume license keys.

Home: TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99
Home N: 3KHY7-WNT83-DGQKR-F7HPR-844BM
Home Single Language: 7HNRX-D7KGG-3K4RQ-4WPJ4-YTDFH
Home Country Specific: PVMJN-6DFY6-9CCP6-7BKTT-D3WVR
Professional: W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX
Professional N: MH37W-N47XK-V7XM9-C7227-GCQG9
Education: NW6C2-QMPVW-D7KKK-3GKT6-VCFB2
Education N: 2WH4N-8QGBV-H22JP-CT43Q-MDWWJ
Enterprise: NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43
Enterprise N: DPH2V-TTNVB-4X9Q3-TJR4H-KHJW4

Note: You need to hit [Enter] key to execute commands.

Install Windows license key
Install Windows license key

Step 1.3: Set KMS machine address.
Use the command “slmgr /skms kms8.msguides.com” to connect to my KMS server.

Set KMS server
Set KMS server

Step 1.4: Activate your Windows.
The last step is to activate your Windows using the command “slmgr /ato”.

Run command slmgr ato
Run command slmgr ato
0xC004F074 error code
0xC004F074 error code

If you see the error 0xC004F074, it means that your internet connection is unstable or the server is busy. Please make sure your device is online and try the command “ato” again until you succeed.

Windows activated successfully
Windows activated successfully

Now check the activation status again.

Windows 10 is activated successfully
Windows 10 is activated successfully

Method 2: Using a batch file

This one is not recommended anymore due to the new update of Microsoft.

Step 2.1: Copy the code below into a new text document.

@echo off
title Activate Windows 10 (ALL versions) for FREE - MSGuides.com&cls&echo =====================================================================================&echo #Project: Activating Microsoft software products for FREE without additional software&echo =====================================================================================&echo.&echo #Supported products:&echo - Windows 10 Home&echo - Windows 10 Professional&echo - Windows 10 Education&echo - Windows 10 Enterprise&echo.&echo.&echo ============================================================================&echo Activating your Windows...&cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ckms >nul&cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /upk >nul&cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /cpky >nul&set i=1&wmic os | findstr /I "enterprise" >nul
if %errorlevel% EQU 0 (cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43 >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk DPH2V-TTNVB-4X9Q3-TJR4H-KHJW4 >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk YYVX9-NTFWV-6MDM3-9PT4T-4M68B >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk 44RPN-FTY23-9VTTB-MP9BX-T84FV >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk WNMTR-4C88C-JK8YV-HQ7T2-76DF9 >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk 2F77B-TNFGY-69QQF-B8YKP-D69TJ >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk DCPHK-NFMTC-H88MJ-PFHPY-QJ4BJ >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk QFFDN-GRT3P-VKWWX-X7T3R-8B639 >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk M7XTQ-FN8P6-TTKYV-9D4CC-J462D >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk 92NFX-8DJQP-P6BBQ-THF9C-7CG2H >nul&goto skms) else wmic os | findstr /I "home" >nul
if %errorlevel% EQU 0 (cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99 >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk 3KHY7-WNT83-DGQKR-F7HPR-844BM >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk 7HNRX-D7KGG-3K4RQ-4WPJ4-YTDFH >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk PVMJN-6DFY6-9CCP6-7BKTT-D3WVR >nul&goto skms) else wmic os | findstr /I "education" >nul
if %errorlevel% EQU 0 (cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk NW6C2-QMPVW-D7KKK-3GKT6-VCFB2 >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk 2WH4N-8QGBV-H22JP-CT43Q-MDWWJ >nul&goto skms) else wmic os | findstr /I "10 pro" >nul
if %errorlevel% EQU 0 (cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk MH37W-N47XK-V7XM9-C7227-GCQG9 >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk NRG8B-VKK3Q-CXVCJ-9G2XF-6Q84J >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk 9FNHH-K3HBT-3W4TD-6383H-6XYWF >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk 6TP4R-GNPTD-KYYHQ-7B7DP-J447Y >nul||cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ipk YVWGF-BXNMC-HTQYQ-CPQ99-66QFC >nul&goto skms) else (goto notsupported)
:skms
if %i% GTR 10 goto busy
if %i% EQU 1 set KMS=kms7.MSGuides.com
if %i% EQU 2 set KMS=kms8.MSGuides.com
if %i% EQU 3 set KMS=kms9.MSGuides.com
if %i% GTR 3 goto ato
cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /skms %KMS%:1688 >nul
:ato
echo ============================================================================&echo.&echo.&cscript //nologo slmgr.vbs /ato | find /i "successfully" && (echo.&echo ============================================================================&echo.&echo #My official blog: MSGuides.com&echo.&echo #How it works: bit.ly/kms-server&echo.&echo #Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.&echo.&echo #Please consider supporting this project: donate.msguides.com&echo #Your support is helping me keep my servers running 24/7!&echo.&echo ============================================================================&choice /n /c YN /m "Would you like to visit my blog [Y,N]?" & if errorlevel 2 exit) || (echo The connection to my KMS server failed! Trying to connect to another one... & echo Please wait... & echo. & echo. & set /a i+=1 & goto skms)
explorer "http://MSGuides.com"&goto halt
:notsupported
echo ============================================================================&echo.&echo Sorry, your version is not supported.&echo.&goto halt
:busy
echo ============================================================================&echo.&echo Sorry, the server is busy and can't respond to your request. Please try again.&echo.
:halt
pause >nul

Create a new text document.

Create a new text document
Create a new text document

Step 2.2: Paste the code into the text file. Then save it as a batch file (named “1click.cmd”).

Save the text file
Save the text file
Set name of the batch file
Set name of the batch file

Step 2.3: Run the batch file as administrator.

Run the batch script with admin rights
Run the batch script with admin rights

Please wait a minute.

Your Windows is activated
Your Windows is activated

Note: If you guys see three times the same error message saying that the connection to the KMS server was unsuccessful, please read this post.

Check the activation status again.

Check out activation status of Windows 10
Check out activation status of Windows 10

If you would have any questions or concerns, please leave your comments. I would be glad to explain in more details. Thank you so much for all your feedback and support!

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3,451 Comments

    1. Top community, click in.

      Create a question, put down your problem in detail with activation picture, Guang or other will help you to solve your problem.

  1. Thanks,
    You are a genius
    it works like charm
    i used the 1click.cmd
    hopefully will buy you a coffee soon
    Thanks again

  2. First and foremost, many thanks for the information, you guys are doing great job in your field. Please I need to ask a question totally different from the initial topic. What could be the reason for windows 10 to automatically/randomly go on sleep or hibernation even while using it. Disable hibernation, it will automatically go on sleep, while enable hibernation, automatically placed it on hibernate randomly without a specific time

        1. Change control panel any setting, must use admin ID right without restriction.

          Create a new Admin Id , without change any setting, try again.

        2. Power Option

          Balanced(recommended) on the right hand side

          Click in change plan settings

          Put the computer to sleep:never

          saved change

  3. I keep getting “The Connection to my KMS server failed”. I followed both methods and same result. What to do? Thanks!

    1. Command Prompt activation method must run by admin Id right without restriction online, otherwise will come up all kind of error.

        1. Admin ID right must without restriction, otherwise fail is the only result.

          Create a new amin ID, without change any setting, try activate again.

    1. Activation will through KMS Server. It will automatic activate back to 180 days every seventh days when you online.

      Update is from Microsoft as retail version.

      You browsing online every day, click in any web page, download any free music, video, software has risk hacking by hacker to steal your belonging such as credit card detail etc. So must install firewall on PC to protect all solve of hacking.

      When I use this web site activation method, I’m not getting any warning message from my firewall. It is safe to use.

    1. Google: Download Windows 10 Disc Image (ISO File) – Microsoft

      Download Tool, run it, choose Windows 10 Pro to save On DVD or USB.

      Run it and install.

  4. After years of Linux at home, I had to install a Windows 10 for work, but your activation worked on first time! Kudos to you and keep up the good work!

  5. Hello Dear Guang and team!
    You guys rock!
    Id like to thank you all, used the manual method and after some runabouts I was able to activate Win10 pro. I was between a rock and a hard place just as my finals were coming close and my old desktop just gave up on me. I’m a IT student and I just hope I can be as good as you guys are.
    Thank you ! keep on the good work.

    **sorry if my english is weird, not a native speaker.