Windows 10/11 E3 activation

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Windows 10/11 E3 activation

Adriaan Bornman 20

I purchased a Windows 10/11 E3 license, but I did not receive a product code. Please assist urgently

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Answer 1

Subba Reddy 76

Hi Adriaan,

When you purchase a Windows 10/11 E3 license in Microsoft 365, you will not receive a traditional product key because it is a subscription-based license that uses automatic activation instead of manual key entry. To activate it, first assign the Windows E3 license to the user in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Then ensure the user’s device is running a genuine and activated Windows 10 or Windows 11 Pro edition, as the E3 license upgrades only from Pro to Enterprise. Next, join the device to Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD join) and have the user sign in with their organizational account. Once signed in and connected to the internet, the system will automatically detect the assigned license and upgrade the operating system to Enterprise edition without requiring any product key. If activation does not occur, verify that the license is properly assigned, the device is correctly joined to Entra ID, and the Pro edition is activated before the upgrade

Adriaan Bornman 20 Reputation points

2026-04-14T10:03:39.9533333+00:00

Dear Subba.

Thank you for your advice, which makes sense. My scenario is slightly different though and I am not sure how to apply your advice. I recently purchased tow Mac Devices (Macbook Pro and Imac).

From my research I understand that the only (authorised) way to rund windows on a Mac device is through a third party provider (Paralles). I purchased the two Paralles subscriptions and Windows was successfully installed on both devices.

I was also able to successfully download and sign in to the necessary Microsoft apps, and although Windows is now running on both computers, its functionality is limited. This limitation seems to stem from the activation of a Windows license, hence I bought the Windows 10/11 E3 license.

I am unable to assign the license to myself from the Admin portal. Although the admin portal shows my e-mail address as a user, it is unable to assign the license. The admin portal does however show the active license as unassigned.

Are you perhaps able to advise in this regard?

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Windows 10/11 E3 activation

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