My school installed Windows 11 Education on my Surface Laptop 3 for academic purposes.
After completing my studies, the school removed their software, but the Windows 11 Education edition still appears when I log in.
To switch back to Windows Home, do I need to use my original product key? Any help is appreciated.
Hey there, so it sounds like you’ve got a Surface Laptop 3 with Windows 11 Education installed, and now you want to switch back to Windows Home Edition. Since the school removed their software, you’re left with the Education edition still activated.
To make the switch, yes, you will need your original product key for Windows Home. Here’s what you should do:
Get your original product key: You can try using the methods in this video to recover your Windows Home product key. The video explains four methods, including using the Microsoft Store and running a command in PowerShell.
Download the Media Creation Tool: Once you have your key, download the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft’s site.
Clean Installation: Perform a clean installation of Windows 10 Home using the Media Creation Tool. Do not enter a product key during the installation.
This will install the generic Windows 10 Home key initially, and then when you go online, your system should auto-activate using your digital license that’s associated with your hardware.
Activate with your key: After the clean install, go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation. Click on Change Product Key and enter your original Windows Home product key.
This should get you back to the original Windows Home Edition with your own product key. If you’re having trouble with activation, you can also check out Microsoft’s support articles for additional help.