Install a Product Key

  • Article

Applies To: Windows 8, Windows 8.1

You can use the Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) to install retail, Multiple Activation Key (MAK), and KMS Host key (CSVLK).

  1. Open VAMT.

  2. In the left-side pane, click the product that you want to install keys onto.

  3. You can use the Filter function to narrow your search for computers by clicking Filter in the right-side pane to open the Filter Products dialog box.

  4. In the Filter Products dialog box, you can filter the list by computer name, product name, product key type, license status, or by any combination of these options.

    • To filter the list by computer name, enter a name in the Computer Name box.

    • To filter the list by Product Name, Product Key Type, or License Status, click the list you want to use for the filter and select an option. If necessary, click clear all filters to create a new filter.

  5. Click Filter.

  6. In the products list view in the center pane, sort the list if needed and then select the products that need to have keys installed. You can use the CTRL key or the SHIFT key to select more than one product.

  7. Click Install product key in the Selected Items menu in the right-side pane to display the Install Product Key dialog box.

  8. The Select Product Key dialog box displays the keys that are available to be installed. Under Recommended MAKs, VAMT might display one or more recommended MAK based on the selected products. You can select a recommended product key or a product key from the All Product Keys list. Use the scroll bar if you need to view the Description for each key. When you have selected the product key you want to install, click Install Key. Note that only one key can be installed at a time.

  9. VAMT displays the Installing product key dialog box while it attempts to install the product key for the selected products. When the process is finished, the status appears in the Action Status column of the dialog box. Click Close to close the dialog box. You can also click the Automatically close when done check box when the dialog box appears.

    The same status is shown under the Status of Last Action column in the product list view in the center pane.

Note

Product key installation will fail if VAMT finds mismatched key types or editions. VAMT will display the failure status and will continue the installation for the next product in the list. For more information on choosing the correct MAK or KMS Host key (CSVLK), see How to Choose the Right Volume License Key for Windows.

See Also

Concepts

Manage Product Keys
Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) Technical Reference