How to Fix Windows 11 Activation Error 0xC004C003? (4 Ways)

0xC004C003 21H1 Windows 10 or Windows 11

Windows 11 is popular with many users due to its new user interface and new features. Perhaps you have upgraded Windows 10 to Windows 11. Windows 11 offers many editions and you may choose to install the basic edition – Home. Because of some reason, you choose to upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro. However, when you activate the system, error 0xC004C003 happens. This issue is also annoying in Windows 10 (including 21H1).

How to Download Windows 11 Pro ISO and Install It on Your PC

How to free download Windows 11 Pro ISO 64-bit or arm for your PC and install it? Follow the given guide to easily get the ISO image file.

Read More

On the screen, you can see the message “We can’t activate Windows on this device because you don’t have a valid digital license or product key. If you think you do have a valid license or key, select Troubleshoot below. Error code: 0xC004C003”. Besides, you may see Windows 11 Enterprise instead of the updated version.

You know, Windows licensing code component is used to access the registry hive and verify the product key. But if there is incorrect access, the 0xC004C003 error is triggered. Fortunately, you can fix the issue.

How to Fix Error Code 0xC004C003 Windows 11 Pro

Check the Windows 11 Edition

Depending on how you install Windows 11 on your PC, the operating system may change. If you perform an in-place upgrade of Windows 11, Windows will automatically detect the current edition and install a proper edition.

But if you perform a clean install of Windows 11, you may install Pro instead of Home and you get the error code 0xC004C003 when using a license key of Home. So, let’s go to check the Windows edition.

Step 1: Launch Windows 11 Settings via the Win + X menu.

Step 2: Under the System tab, go to About > Windows specifications and you can see the Windows edition.

If it is matched with the previous edition you have installed, skip to method 3. If you buy a Windows 11 Home license key and install Windows 11 Pro, perform a downgrade.

Downgrade Windows 11 Pro to Windows 11 Home

The downgrade process is a bit complicated and two steps are required.

Step 1: Modify Registry to Install Windows 10 Home

1. Type regedit to the search box and click Registry Editor.

2. Go to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion.

3. Locate and double-click on ProductName from the right pane, change the value data to Windows 11 Home Single Language in the pop-up window and click OK.

4. Locate and double-click on EditionID, type CoreSingleLanguage and click OK.

5. Go to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion.

6. Double-click on ProductName, change its value data to Windows 10 Home, and save the change.

7. Double-click on EditionID and change the data to CoreSingleLanguage and save the change.

Step 2: Downgrade to Windows 11 Home

The downgrade process requires an ISO file and an in-place upgrade.

Here is how to do it:

1. Go to the Windows 11 download page from Microsoft.

2. Scroll down to the Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) section, choose Windows 11, click Download, select a language, click Confirm, and click 64-bit Download to download an ISO file of Windows 11.

3. Go to the folder in which the ISO file is saved, right-click the ISO file, and choose Mount.

4. In the drive folder, double-click on the exe file.

5. Click Change how Setup downloads updates > Not right now.

6. After accepting the license terms, make sure Install Windows 11 Home and Keep personal files and apps are displayed.

7. Click Install to start the installation process. Some reboots are required during the process.

After the restart, the downgrade finishes and you can go to go to Settings > System > Activation to activate Windows 11 without any error code.

Use Command Prompt to Activate Windows 11

Sometimes Windows fails to verify and activate your license due to server issues, leading to Windows 11 activation error 0xC004C003. In this case, you can activate the system via Command Prompt (CMD).

Step 1: Launch Command Prompt with admin privileges in Windows 11.

Step 2: Type slmgr.vbs –rearm and press Enter.

Step 3: Click OK to reboot your PC when the activation is successful.

Let Microsoft Reactivate Windows 11 after Hardware Change

After you activate Windows firstly with a license key, it automatically associates with the PC hardware and you won’t need to activate the system after a clean install. But if you replace hardware like motherboard, Windows fails to verify the validity. As a result, Windows 11 0xC004C003 error appears.

To fix this issue, you need to use a digital license to activate Windows 11. This help document from Microsoft – Reactivating Windows after a hardware change shows you much information.

How to Activate Windows 11? Try 2 Ways Here Now!

How to activate Windows 11 Pro or other editions? This post will show you 3 simple ways for Windows 11 activation and just try one.

Read More

Final Words

How to fix error code 0xC004C003? After reading this post, you should easily remove Windows 11 activation error 0xC004C003. If you have any other methods, leave a comment below.