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Upgrading Windows 10/11 Home to Windows 10/11 Pro

Upgrading from Windows Home to Pro can be done during the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) or after setup. Below are the different methods for upgrading:

Option 1: During OOBE (Out of Box Experience)

  • Press Ctrl + Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt.

    • If Command Prompt does not show up, press Win + R to open the Run dialog, type cmd, and press Enter to manually open Command Prompt.

  • Enter the upgrade key using the following command in the Command Prompt:

    Changepk.exe /ProductKey XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
    ChangePK_PK1.png
    Replace XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX with your actual upgrade key.

Option 2: Ctrl + Shift + F3 Method

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + F3 to boot into audit mode. This will skip the OOBE and allow you to perform administrative tasks before the user account is created.

  2. Open Activation Settings and click Change Product Key.

    • Enter the upgrade key to initiate the upgrade.

  3. After updating, you may encounter a situation where you are locked out of your account. In this case:

    • Restart the computer instead of shutting it down.
    • You will be logged back into your account automatically.

    Note: If you see a blank screen, wait for a few minutes to ensure all updates are completed, and then force shutdown the computer.

Option 3: Regular Mode Upgrade

If you're already in the regular user mode of Windows (not during OOBE or audit mode):

  1. Go to Activation Settings:

    • Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
    • Navigate to Update & Security > Activation.
    • Click Change Product Key.

  2. Enter the upgrade key in the prompt.

  3. If you encounter any issues, you can open Command Prompt with administrative privileges and enter the following command to apply the key manually:

    Changepk.exe /ProductKey XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

    Replace XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX with your upgrade key.


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