Cannot activate windows 11 after transferring to new motherboard

Media Computer 0 Reputation points
2026-10-19T13:08:48.8633333+00:00

I have replaced the motherboard in my PC as the old one cannot support Windows 11.

Before changing the old motherboard, I checked that it had a retail licence for windows 10 and that it was registered in my Microsoft account [PII Removed]

I have installed Windows 11 on the new motherboard and now both old and new machines show in my account under "devices". Both have the same name Media-PC
When I try and activate Windows 11 on the new machine, it says:

"We can’t find any devices linked to your Microsoft account that can be used to reactivate the device that you’re using at the moment. Make sure that you’re signed in with the same Microsoft account that you linked to the Windows 10 digital licence on this device, or try again later."

Why can't I transfer my old Windows 10 licence to my new installation?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Licensing and activation
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  1. Dio Xavier 298.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-10-19T14:16:22.2233333+00:00

    Hello,

    Welcome to the Microsoft Windows Community!

    How are you? In order for us to help you more effectively, we need some additional information. First, could you tell us how your Windows 10 license was obtained and what specific error message is appearing?

    For a detailed analysis, follow the steps below:

    Press Win+X and select Command Prompt (Admin). At the command prompt, type the command and press Enter. When the window with the information appears, take a screenshot and paste it here for us to analyze. 

    slmgr /dlv

    (Print and paste)

    2. Download and run this tool and take a screenshot of the main screen and paste it here for us to analyze (Hide the activation key with Paint):

    https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/showkeyplus/9PKVZCPRX9NV?hl=pt-br&gl=br 

    Was this answer helpful?

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