Can I use Win 7 key for new Win 11 install?

HummuH1

HummuH1

HummuH1

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Hi all, wondering if you can help.

I'm building a new PC and plan to install Windows 11 Home. I have an old laptop with a Windows 7 Home licence/key that I no longer use.

Can I use the key from the Windows 7 laptop to activate the new install of Windows 11?

Thanks!
 
Apparently Microsoft just stopped you
From doing it a few days ago
Though does say

"This modification specifically pertains to fresh installations of Windows. If you have previously upgraded to Windows 10 or 11 using a Windows 7 or 8 product key, there is no cause for concern as your digital license remains legitimate. But now you must now acquire a new license key."

And not personally tried to do it recently
So am just going by what's been posted on a few sites
In last few days
 
I just tried it last night on a fresh PC build. Had three original Windows 7 retail keys and none of them would work. This is despite one of them having successfully been upgraded to Windows 10 on the computer I was replacing. Got in touch with Windows support and asked if they could give me a Windows 11 key given I had three Win 7 retail keys but they said no dice. Timing is very unfortunate as apparently it would have been ok even two or three weeks ago :( If your old key has already been updated to Win 10, maybe could extract the serial and try that?
I'm probably going to go hunting for a grey key, but at the moment system works fine without activation - just have watermark on everything and limits personalisation options.
 
lepercorn said:
I just tried it last night on a fresh PC build. Had three original Windows 7 retail keys and none of them would work. This is despite one of them having successfully been upgraded to Windows 10 on the computer I was replacing. Got in touch with Windows support and asked if they could give me a Windows 11 key given I had three Win 7 retail keys but they said no dice. Timing is very unfortunate as apparently it would have been ok even two or three weeks ago :( If your old key has already been updated to Win 10, maybe could extract the serial and try that?
I'm probably going to go hunting for a grey key, but at the moment system works fine without activation - just have watermark on everything and limits personalisation options.
Click to expand...
Yeah that tallies with what
I had been reading then
To be fair to Microsoft though
I believe originally we were only going to be
Given 1 year before they stopped allowing it
So we certainly got way more time than that
 
This is why when a new OS comes out and its a "free" upgrade I do the upgrade for the entitlement and then roll back to the previous OS until I am ready to move over (I always give it awhile before upgrading for the bugs\issues to be fixed)

I've only just started using Windows 11 but did the upgrade to it and made sure it was activated when it came through Windows update.

Shame that you have just missed it
 
ED209 said:
This is why when a new OS comes out and its a "free" upgrade I do the upgrade for the entitlement and then roll back to the previous OS until I am ready to move over (I always give it awhile before upgrading for the bugs\issues to be fixed)

I've only just started using Windows 11 but did the upgrade to it and made sure it was activated when it came through Windows update.

Shame that you have just missed it
Click to expand...
I'll need to remember that. I've no interest in Win11 right now, so will stick with WIn10 as long as I can I think, or maybe will try Win11 when I replace current PC build.
 
nade said:
I'll need to remember that. I've no interest in Win11 right now, so will stick with WIn10 as long as I can I think, or maybe will try Win11 when I replace current PC build.
Click to expand...
Im not a fan of Windows 11 but use explorer patcher to make it look like Windows 10.

If I did not have this I would still be on Windows 10 lol
 
Windows Update is trying very hard to get me to upgrade to Win 11 on this Win 10 install which was activated via a Windows 7 key, can you not do the same? Installing windows is very easy these days download install media "burn" onto USB stick reboot, install its all over in ten minutes creating the media install tool takes longer than the install itself once your win 11 install is registered to your microsoft account you should be able to do a clean install if you wish then activate via your account
 
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Mr Paul said:
This is odd because I've just upgraded from Windows 10 to 11 with no issue yesterday.
Click to expand...

The change is to using 7 or 8.1 keys, which haven't already been upgraded to 10 or 11, to activate 10 or 11. Upgrading from an already activated 10 is fine wherever the key came from originally.
 
I don’t think M$ care that much anymore about the home user.

They make their big monies from volume licensing and the store offering it seems.
 
Rroff said:
The change is to using 7 or 8.1 keys, which haven't already been upgraded to 10 or 11, to activate 10 or 11. Upgrading from an already activated 10 is fine wherever the key came from originally.
Click to expand...

I've bought a laptop without an OS. I have win 10 on a PC which I'm getting rid of. The win 10 was upgraded from a win 7 key.

Can I format my PC and put win 10 on the laptop then use my old win 7 key to activate? Then possibly upgrade it to win 11?
 
Nobody knows now because something is broken with what Microsoft has done.

Some activate some don’t. There is no way to tell now what’s working and what isn’t.

Only way is to try it. If it works it works. If it doesn’t then contact Microsoft to see if they will activate it for you. They might, or might not.

I’m not sure if you can telephone activate now, someone else can verify that. I’ve never had to do it.
 
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sprite1275 said:
I've bought a laptop without an OS. I have win 10 on a PC which I'm getting rid of. The win 10 was upgraded from a win 7 key.

Can I format my PC and put win 10 on the laptop then use my old win 7 key to activate? Then possibly upgrade it to win 11?
Click to expand...
Only way to know is to try
But since Microsoft put the block in place
Some people who did the free upgrade before the block
If they change hardware it's deactivating their windows
Since what you want to do
Is a full hardware change you may have issues
Assuming it's not an oem windows on the pc to start with
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
Only way to know is to try
But since Microsoft put the block in place
Some people who did the free upgrade before the block
If they change hardware it's deactivating their windows
Since what you want to do
Is a full hardware change you may have issues
Assuming it's not an oem windows on the pc to start with
Click to expand...

Mcnumpty2323 said:
@sprite1275
Depending what physical size/sort of drives are involved
Shove the pc drive in the laptop /or vice versa
And find out first
Or clone the pc drive
Or image the pc drive and load the image
Onto the laptop
Multiple ways to test before wiping/installing
Click to expand...

I'm not that tech savvy I don't think. Prob best just do a clean install on the new laptop.

My key is an original win7 OS on disc.
 
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