Windows Activation

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Windows Activation

Mohammed Sajid 0

I have a user with a Microsoft 365 license. The user received a new laptop that was joined to Entra ID and signed in using their username and password. However, when we checked the activation status, it showed that Windows was not activated. As far as I know, a Microsoft 365 E5 license includes a Windows 11 Enterprise license. Could you please help me with this issue?

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Answer 1

Darren-Ng 4,820 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear @Mohammed Sajid,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your description, it sounds like the user with a new laptop that was joined to Entra ID then when you checked the activation status, it showed that Windows was not activated. You’re correct that Microsoft 365 E5 includes entitlement to Windows 11 Enterprise.

Could you please help us to verify that Is the new laptop running Windows 11 Pro or Home?

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Check Activation Status:

Press Win+I to open Settings, then go to Update & Security > Activation to check your activation status.

Troubleshoot Activation:

Click on the Troubleshoot option in the Activation settings. If you recently changed hardware, select "I changed hardware on this device recently" and sign in to your Microsoft account linked to the digital license

Sign-in state

Confirm the device is Entra ID joined and the licensed user is signed in with their UPN (e.g., ******@contoso.com), not a local account.

License assignment

In Microsoft 365 admin, ensure the user has Microsoft 365 E5 and that the Windows Enterprise service plan is enabled. (E.g., not disabled via toggles.)

For more detail information, you can refer these links
Why can't I activate Windows?

Get help with Windows activation errors

I hope information above helpful, if you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out.

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Mohammed Sajid 0 Reputation points

2025-11-10T11:58:46.8566667+00:00

Hi Darren, Thank you for the reply. OS is Windows 11 Enterprise and I did the steps you mentioned above but didn't get any option you mentioned. please find the attached screenshot. Activation_1.png . I click the troubleshoot button but it is giving error only, no option that you mentioned above not appearing.
Darren-Ng 4,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-12T06:38:01.0466667+00:00

Dear @Mohammed Sajid,Thank you for your reply and provide us more detail information, based on the error code in your screenshot, it seems as relative to Hardware. Could you please let us know that have you tried to restart your device then try the article Get help with Windows activation errors as I mentioned above to check whether it works or not
Mohammed Sajid 0 Reputation points

2025-11-12T11:41:38.85+00:00

I have checked all the steps again after restarting the laptop, but it’s still not working.

Let me explain the scenario again for clarity: The user (for example, user1) was previously using a PC that was joined to Microsoft Entra ID. We recently purchased a new laptop for the same user, which came with Windows 11 Pro installed but not yet activated.

Before setting up the new device, we disconnected the old PC from both Entra ID and Intune. Then we joined the new laptop to Microsoft Entra ID and enrolled it in Intune.

When the user signed in with their Microsoft 365 E5 credentials, Windows automatically upgraded from Windows 11 Pro to Windows 11 Enterprise, as expected.

Since the Microsoft 365 E5 license includes the Windows 11 Enterprise entitlement, the device should automatically activate. However, the laptop still shows “Windows not activated.”

Could you please help me understand why the activation is not occurring?
Darren-Ng 4,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-13T02:27:55.63+00:00

Dear @Mohammed Sajid,

Thank you for providing more detail information for us.

In this situation, you have tried all the methods, but the issue still persists. I recommend you contact and raise support ticket to Intune Support Team via this link How to get support in the Microsoft Intune admin center so they can remotely assist you and collect background logs for the root cause. As a forum moderator with a limited scope of Intune knowledge, I hope you find my answer helpful and can help you to resolve the issue ASAP. Please know that I've done my best to assist you.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out us again.

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