Windows Upgrade Help and more

Yeah, that slmgr command usually does the trick. Also, double-check you're signed into the Microsoft account linked to your license—that catches people sometimes.

Can confirm. You could also try a clean install using the Windows 11 installation media, as the upgrade process sometimes leaves activation files behind.

Has anyone else had activation issues after upgrading to Windows 11? My Windows 10 was properly licensed, but now I’m getting a watermark saying “Windows is not activated” and error code 0x803F7001 in Settings. The activation troubleshooter just says it can’t activate right now. I upgraded through the official Windows Update, not a clean install. Any ideas on how to fix this without a full reset?

First, try running the Activation troubleshooter again, but this time right-click the Start button, choose Windows Terminal (Admin), and paste this command: slmgr /rearm. Hit Enter and restart. If that doesn't work, double-check your Microsoft account is linked to your digital license in Settings > Accounts. Sometimes it just needs to re-sync. If you're still stuck, you might need to use the Activation support page to get help from Microsoft—they can often push the license through on their end.

+1 If that doesn't work, can you check if your Microsoft account is linked to your digital license in Settings > Accounts > Your info?

You could also try manually re-entering your Windows 10 product key in the activation settings to see if it re-links your license.

Yeah, that's a solid fix. Sometimes just restarting after you type it in helps it finally click.

Having the same issue here. Any updates?

Same here. I had the same problem. I ran the activation troubleshooter a few times and eventually it just fixed itself after a couple of days.

Can confirm. Yeah, that worked for me too. A quick restart after running the troubleshooter sometimes helps it along.