Does reinstalling a fresh Windows 11 reset the product key?

Question

I built my PC like a year ago. And I installed Windows 11. And I feel like I will need to reinstall a fresh copy of Windows 11 because its getting slower. And I already activated my Windows 11 Pro. Does it reset the product key or is it saved?

If you need it, here's my pc specs.

ASROCK B660 Pro RS Motherboard

16 GB of RAM

1 terabyte of Samsung SSD

RTX 3060

I have never upgraded from these parts. Will it affect my license key or am I okay?

Answer 1

Follow the procedure described in https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/reactivating-windows-after-a-hardware-change-2c0e962a-f04c-145b-6ead-fb3fc72b6665#:~:text=If%20Windows%2011%20wasn%27t,then%20enter%20the%20product%20key.

Make sure to note your product key - use that information to reactivate the installation

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hth

Marcin

Answer 2

Hello,

If you reinstall Windows 11 on your PC, your Windows 11 Pro license key should remain activated and tied to your hardware configuration. Microsoft's activation servers recognize your motherboard ID and other hardware components, so reinstalling Windows on the same PC hardware should not affect your license key activation. However, it's always a good Official Site practice to ensure your Windows is properly activated after reinstalling by checking the activation status in the Settings app. If you encounter any issues with activation, you can typically reactivate Windows using your existing product key.

Thanks.

Answer 3

If you've OEM license, it is tied to motherboard. Hence even if you clean install Windows again on same device, you license will be automatically activated.

If you've retail license product key, you can sign in to same Microsoft account and you system should be activated after clean install. If not, you can manually re-insert product key to activate.

If you perform reset (not clean install), you don't need to re-activate.