Click on the one of the options below that best describes your current setup:
💡 Important
If you purchased your Windows Server license from us, our support team is happy to help. Microsoft Customer Support cannot provide assistance for product keys purchased from third-party retailers.
Before You Begin
Before starting, make sure you have:
✅ Your Windows Server product key
✅ A stable internet connection
✅ Administrator access to the server
✅ A backup of any important data (recommended)
Already Have Windows Server Installed?
If Windows Server is already installed and you simply want to upgrade to a newer version, follow Microsoft's official upgrade documentation:
Upgrade overview for Windows Server
Step 1 – Download Windows Server
Download the Windows Server version that matches your license.
Note: Microsoft provides 180-day Evaluation editions. After installation, you'll convert the Evaluation edition to a fully licensed Retail edition using your product key.
Windows Server 2025
Standard or Datacenter
Windows Server 2022
Standard or Datacenter
Windows Server 2019
Standard or Datacenter
Windows Server 2019 Essentials
Windows Server 2016
Standard or Datacenter
Windows Server 2016 Essentials
Step 2 – Install Windows Server
Create a bootable USB drive or mount the downloaded ISO.
Boot your server from the installation media.
Select your preferred:
Language
Time and currency format
Keyboard layout
Click Install Now.
Choose the edition that matches your purchased license.
Accept the Microsoft license terms.
Select Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).
Choose the destination drive and begin the installation.
Wait for Windows Server to complete installation and restart.
Once installation is complete, sign in with the Administrator account you created during setup.
Step 3 – Convert the Evaluation Edition to Retail
After installation, the Evaluation edition must be converted to a Retail edition before it can be permanently activated.
1. Open Windows PowerShell as Administrator
Click Start
Search for PowerShell
Right-click Windows PowerShell
Select Run as administrator
2. Convert the Edition
Replace:
XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
with your Windows Server product key.
Windows Server Standard
DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /AcceptEula /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
Windows Server Datacenter
DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerDatacenter /AcceptEula /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
The conversion may take several minutes.
Your server will prompt you to restart after the process completes.
Restart the server when prompted.
Alternative Method (If the Above Command Fails)
If Windows does not accept the combined command, perform the conversion in two steps.
Step 1 – Change the Edition
For Windows Server Standard
DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /AcceptEula
For Windows Server Datacenter
DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerDatacenter /AcceptEula
Restart the server if prompted.
Step 2 – Install Your Product Key
DISM /Online /Set-ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula
Restart the server if requested.
Step 4 – Activate Windows Server
Once the Retail edition has been installed, activate Windows.
Open an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:
slmgr /ato
If activation is successful, Windows Server is now permanently activated.
Step 5 – Verify Activation
To confirm your license status, run:
slmgr /xpr
If activation was successful, you'll see a message similar to:
The machine is permanently activated.
You can also verify activation by going to:
Settings → System → Activation
If you have any problems with activation, please contact our customer support team via email and include the error description and order number.
Please note: Microsoft customer support cannot be used if the license was not purchased directly from them. Customer support is provided by EM Digital Group - the legal owner of Lisenshuset.no