How to Turn Off Windows Activation
This wikiHow teaches you how to temporarily remove the Windows activation notifications and watermark from an unactivated version of Windows. You can do this by changing a value in the Services menu, or by editing the Windows Registry....
Method 1 of 3:
Using Services
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How to Turn Off Windows Activation Picture 1
Open StartHow to Turn Off Windows Activation Picture 2
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Type services into Start. Doing so searches for the Services app, which lets you control which system processes run. -
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Click Services. It's a gear-shaped icon at the top of the Start window. The Services window will open. -
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Scroll down and click Software Protection. You'll find this service in the "S" section of the window.- On some computers, this will say sppsvc instead.
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Click the "Properties" icon. It's the folder-shaped icon just below the View tab in the upper-left side of the window. A new window will open. -
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Click Stop. This option is in the middle-left side of the window. Doing so will prompt the Software Protection service to stop running.- If this button is greyed out, you will need to use the Registry instead.
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Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Your activation will remain off until you restart or update your computer, at which point you will need to disable it again.
Method 2 of 3:
Using Registry Editor
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Open StartHow to Turn Off Windows Activation Picture 10
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Type regedit into Start. This will search for the Registry Editor command. -
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Click regedit. It's a collection of blue blocks at the top of the Start window. -
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Click Yes when prompted. Doing so will open the Registry Editor window. -
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Expand the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" folder. ClickHow to Turn Off Windows Activation Picture 15
- If you see an indented column of folders below "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE", it's already expanded.
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Expand the "SYSTEM" folder. It's near the bottom of the list of folders inside of the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" folder. -
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Expand the "CurrentControlSet" folder. -
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Expand the "Services" folder. This will result in a long list of folders appearing. -
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Scroll down and select the "sppsvc" folder. Click this folder to prompt its contents to display on the right side of the window. -
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Select the "Start" file. It's near the bottom of the list of files that's on the right side of the window. -
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Click the Edit tab. This option is near the top-left corner of the Registry window. A drop-down menu will appear. -
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Click Modify. It's at the top of the drop-down menu. A new window will open. -
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Type 4 into the window. This value change will disable the activation notifications. -
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Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Your activation will remain off until you restart or update your computer, at which point you will need to disable it again.
Method 3 of 3:
Activating Windows
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Open StartHow to Turn Off Windows Activation Picture 26
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Open SettingsHow to Turn Off Windows Activation Picture 28
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Click Update & security. This circular arrow-shaped icon is at the bottom of the Settings window. -
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Click Activation. It's a tab on the left side of the window. -
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Activate your copy of Windows. You can do this in one of two ways, depending on whether you have to buy a key or already upgraded for free on a different computer:[1]- Free Upgrade - Click Troubleshoot, enter your Microsoft email address and password if prompted, click Activate Windows, and click Activate when prompted.
- Purchased Key - Click Go to store, click Buy below your preferred version of Windows, and enter your payment information.
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Restart your computer. Click StartHow to Turn Off Windows Activation Picture 33
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