- Customers have noticed Microsoft’s phone lines aren’t supporting Windows phone activation anymore
- Support documentation still indicates it’s possible despite ongoing struggles
- Looks like you now need internet and a Microsoft account
Microsoft seems to have quietly removed its phone-based, offline Windows activation option, which means that internet access is now effectively required for any users to activate Windows including a Microsoft account,
Although Redmond has not officially announced the removal of phone activation, reports have been circulating the internet for some weeks, with Neowin observing reports in December 2025.
However, a support page does indicate that phone activation is still possible for Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7.
Has Microsoft quietly removed Windows phone activation?
Either the company is yet to update its documentation, or the current unavailability of phone activation could be an erroneous mistake.
One user cited by Neowin – Ben Kleinberg – failed to achieve phone activation. Instead, the phone line returned an automated message: “Support for product activation has moved online. For the fastest and most convenient way to activate your product, please visit our online product activation portal at aka.ms/aoh.”
Cybernews has separately confirmed that the phone line continues to relay that same automated message.
With all of the evidence pointing towards Microsoft’s removal of phone activation, it’s likely that updated support documentation has just been delayed. The shift also reinforces Redmond’s push towards account-linked and internet-dependent licensing.
On another support page, Microsoft explains that digital licenses or product keys can be used to activate Windows, and that the operating system can be bound to a Microsoft account.
Failure to activate Windows will result in watermarks and feature restrictions, which could be bad news for customers who don’t have reliable access to the internet.
TechRadar Pro has asked Microsoft to confirm whether phone activation has indeed been pulled, but we did not receive an immediate response.
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