You installed Windows Server Evaluation to try it out, test it, or learn how to use it. Now you want to enter a license key, but it’s not working, and you see an error. This happens because you need to change from the Evaluation version to the Full Version first. After that, you can enter your license key. In this article, you will learn how to upgrade from the Windows Server Evaluation version to the Full Version.
The Windows license is valid for 180 days from the start of the evaluation period.
Note: You can extend the Windows Server Evaluation period 6 times, allowing you to use it for a total of 3 years.
Step-1
Use the Get-ComputerInfo command to see the name and edition of your Windows Server.
Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName, WindowsEditionId
The output is below
Step-2
Find out which versions of Windows Server you can upgrade to.
DISM /Online /Get-TargetEditions
The output is below
Step-3
Look at the table below to find the Windows Server OS editions and their GVLKs (Generic Volume License Keys).Make sure to copy the correct key for your edition from the table. You will use this key to upgrade your Windows Server to that edition.
In example, we want to upgrade to Windows Server 2019 Standard.
Operating system edition Generic Volume License Key (GVLK)
Windows Server 2022 Standard VDYBN-27WPP-V4HQT-9VMD4-VMK7H
Windows Server 2022 Datacenter WX4NM-KYWYW-QJJR4-XV3QB-6VM33
Windows Server 2019 Standard N69G4-B89J2-4G8F4-WWYCC-J464C
Windows Server 2019 Datacenter WMDGN-G9PQG-XVVXX-R3X43-63DFG
Windows Server 2016 Standard WC2BQ-8NRM3-FDDYY-2BFGV-KHKQY
Windows Server 2016 Datacenter CB7KF-BWN84-R7R2Y-793K2-8XDDG
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard D2N9P-3P6X9-2R39C-7RTCD-MDVJX
Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter W3GGN-FT8W3-Y4M27-J84CP-Q3VJ9
Step-4
Convert your Windows Server from the evaluation version to the full version using one of the commands listed below.
Server Datacenter version:
DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerDatacenter /productkey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula
Server Standard version:
DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /productkey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula
In this example, we will use the command below to upgrade to Windows Server 2019 Standard.
DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /productkey:N69G4-B89J2-4G8F4-WWYCC-J464C /AcceptEula
Note: After you run the command, it will take a bit of time to complete. It's normal if the progress seems stuck at 10% for a while. Just wait for it to finish.
Press Y to restart the computer.
Step-5
After the computer restarts, use the command to check the Windows Server version.
Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName, WindowsEditionId
The results show that the Windows Edition ID is Server Standard.
Conclusion:
You learned how to change your Windows Server from a trial version to a full version. Make sure to activate your Windows Server with a license within the 180-day trial period. If you don't, your Windows Server will stop working. It's important to do this on time to avoid losing access.
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