How to Activate Windows Server Evaluation for Free and Convert It to a Full Version

When you install Windows Server Evaluation on a virtual server or a dedicated machine, Microsoft gives you 180 days of free usage. Once this trial period expires, the server will no longer work properly, and you may lose access to Remote Desktop (RDP) if it is not activated in time.

To make sure your server remains active, you have two options:

1. Extend the evaluation license (up to 5 times).
2. Convert the evaluation version to a full licensed version.

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Method 1: Extend Windows Server Evaluation License

You can rearm (extend) the evaluation period for another 180 days using the following command in CMD (Command Prompt):

slmgr /rearm

👉 Keep in mind:

• This command can only be used up to 5 times.
• Each time you use it, you get an additional 180 days of usage.

Method 2: Convert Evaluation to Full Version

If you don’t want to rely on rearming and prefer a permanent activation, you can directly convert your evaluation edition into a full version.

1. Open CMD (Run as Administrator).
2. Run the following command, replacing the product key with a valid Generic License Key:

DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula

👉 Important notes:

• Your system will restart automatically.
• No data will be removed during this process.
• If you want the Datacenter edition, replace ServerStandard with ServerDatacenter.
• After converting, you need to activate Windows Server with a valid license key.

Generic License Keys from Microsoft

Microsoft provides generic product keys that can be used for conversion only (not permanent activation). Here are some of them:

• Windows Server 2025 Standard → TVRH6-WHNXV-R9WG3-9XRFY-MY832
• Windows Server 2025 Datacenter → D764K-2NDRG-47T6Q-P8T8W-YP6DF
• Windows Server 2022 Standard → VDYBN-27WPP-V4HQT-9VMD4-VMK7H
• Windows Server 2022 Datacenter → WX4NM-KYWYW-QJJR4-XV3QB-6VM33
• Windows Server 2019 Standard → N69G4-B89J2-4G8F4-WWYCC-J464C
• Windows Server 2019 Datacenter → WMDGN-G9PQG-XVVXX-R3X43-63DFG
• Windows Server 2019 Essentials → WVDHN-86M7X-466P6-VHXV7-YY726
• Windows Server 2016 Standard → WC2BQ-8NRM3-FDDYY-2BFGV-KHKQY
• Windows Server 2016 Datacenter → CB7KF-BWN84-R7R2Y-793K2-8XDDG
• Windows Server 2016 Essentials → JCKRF-N37P4-C2D82-9YXRT-4M63B

Example Command for Windows Server 2022

If you want to convert Windows Server 2022 Evaluation to Windows Server 2022 Standard, use:

DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /productkey:VDYBN-27WPP-V4HQT-9VMD4-VMK7H /AcceptEula

✅ With these steps, you can extend your trial period for free or convert your evaluation version into a full edition without losing your data.