Windows 10 and 11 - Enterprise Activation

Windows 10 and Windows 11 Enterprise Editions do not use an individual product key like retail Home or Pro editions. Windows Enterprise activates against the KMS server on campus.

To properly activate Windows, your computer will need a valid network connection on MIT's network. This can be an on-campus wired connection, on-campus wireless (connected to MIT Secure), or connected to MIT's VPN.

An activation is good for 180 days and the system will attempt to renew that activation automatically.

Verify KMS Status

To confirm that your computer is picking up the KMS server, which is required for activation:

1. Open a command prompt and run:

   

2. Verify that the KMS machine name is KMS.MIT.EDU:1688

Manually Set KMS Server

If the KMS server is not automatically picked up via DNS, you can try to manually set the server name

1. Open a command prompt and run:
2. Then try to activate Windows using the command: