I was using the Windows Home version on my laptop and planned to upgrade to Windows 11/10 Professional or Enterprise. However, when I used the key to activate, it returned a rather strange error saying, “The product key you entered did not work.” Along with this message, there was an additional error code 0xC004F050.
Fix Error 0xC004F050, The product key you entered did not work
I was pretty sure that the product key was just fine, and for some reason, Windows could not recognize it. While it resolved for me quickly, here is the list of things to try.
- Restart Windows PC
- Check for incorrect key
- Run Activation Troubleshooter
Try each of them, and see what works for you. If nothing works, you can always connect with the Microsoft Support team.
Fix Windows Activation Error 0xC004F050
1] Restart Windows PC
It immediately worked for me because I realized that the key had changed; it was not reflecting. When I visited the Microsoft Store to buy a new key, it clearly displayed that the key had been activated. That made me realize that a simple restart could resolve this, and it did. When the reboot was complete, Windows was activated with the new key, and I could see Windows 10 Enterprise.
2] Check for incorrect key
If there is the slightest chance that the Windows Key is wrong, it’s a good idea to check for that. Usually, the keys arrive by email, and the chance of copying incorrectly is low, but a check doesn’t take much time. If you have noted down the somewhere and are trying to activate using it, the key might be wrong by an alphabet.
3] Run Activation Troubleshooter
The Activation Troubleshooter appears only when there is a problem with activation. So now that you have the error, Go to Settings > Update and Security > Activation. Click on the Troubleshoot button. Windows will start looking for solutions that can fix the problem. Strangely, it did not work for me when I had the error, but it’s worth a try.
According to Microsoft, the error occurs when the activation servers get busy or if you have upgraded using an offer. In either case, once the connection is made to the server, the key will be activated. If you do not want to wait, Windows will automatically reactivate if you restart.
I hope the post was easy to follow, and you were able to resolve this Windows Activation error.
