What will happen if you don't activate Windows 11?

 

Well, the short answer is that nothing will happen. If you install Windows 11 on your device and do not activate it, Microsoft will allow you to use it on your device forever without activation, although if you look at the license terms of the Windows system, you will find Microsoft stating regarding the issue of activation: “No You may use this software only if you are properly licensed and the software is properly activated using a genuine product key or by any other authorized method. Fortunately, it seems that Microsoft is not strict in enforcing this rule. But this is not the complete answer to the question "What will happen if you do not activate Windows 11?" There are still other negative consequences of using Windows 11 without activating it, which we will learn about in this article.

 

1 The Windows Activation watermark will stay with your forever

 

If you haven't activated your copy of Windows 11, the first thing you'll notice is the "Activate Windows" watermark, which will appear on your device's desktop and accompany it until your copy of Windows is activated. I know this is not a big issue and can be ignored because this watermark does not disturb your use of the device, but some people like me get annoyed by this watermark and cannot ignore it even though it does not leave the bottom right corner of the screen.

 

Of course, there are some methods that you can use to delete the Windows Activate watermark on Windows 11 without having to activate it, but you will have to modify registry entries (Registry Editor), and this step is rather dangerous for your device. the system, especially if you are not an expert, and may cause errors. And the problems that appear on the device later, and are not 100% guaranteed, and the watermark may appear again.

 

2 You will not be able to freely customize your system

 

As a daily user of Windows 11 on your device, you will want to customize the visual appearance of your device according to what you like, and this includes customizing backgrounds, themes, colors... etc., but unfortunately, if you do not activate your Windows 11 system, you will not be able to change the Personalization settings Including the general theme, wallpapers, colors, start menu, transparency and all other customization settings found in the Personalization side.

 

And if you go to Personalization settings on a device that has a non-activated version of Windows 11, you will see the following message: "You need to activate Windows before you can customize your computer." For me and many users, this is reason enough to make me activate Windows 11 without delay just to enjoy using a custom operating system as I like it.

 

3 Activation request pop-ups will meet you always and everywhere

Like other users, you don't like pop-ups and no one else does, they are very annoying and disturb you in what you are doing, and unfortunately, this seems to be what will happen if you do not activate your copy of Windows 11. As the pop-ups asking you to activate the copy of Windows 11 will meet you everywhere and all the time, no matter what you are doing on the device, expect a pop-up with an activation request to appear at any moment.

 

This is not all, even Microsoft will follow you when using the Settings application on Windows 11 and will remind you again that Windows 11 is not activated and you must activate it, by constantly displaying an activation request notification to you while you are using the Settings application.

 

Which is better; Activate Windows 11 or not?

 

In conclusion, I think the remaining question now is, is it better to activate Windows 11 if you haven't activated it yet? Or is it better to leave it without activation? In fact, there is no simple answer to this question, as the matter depends on the user himself and what he prefers. If you do not use your device frequently and do not care about all the negative dependencies that we mentioned earlier, then I think that you will not benefit from activating Windows 11 a lot. But if you are a person who uses his device frequently and intensively and can provide an activation key, it is better for you to activate your copy of Windows 11 and enjoy all the features without restrictions or inconvenience.