> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.exy.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Activate Windows or extend the evaluation

> Check the 180-day Windows Server evaluation, activate your own license, or rearm it.

Windows servers run Microsoft's Windows Server evaluation edition. The evaluation lasts 180 days from installation. Licensing Windows is your responsibility.

When the evaluation has ended, Windows shuts itself down every hour until it is activated.

The server page shows when the evaluation of the current installation ends, counted from the day exy.sh installed it (first setup or the last reinstall). It cannot see an activation or a rearm you make inside Windows; `slmgr /xpr` always shows the real state.

## Check the current state

Open PowerShell or a command prompt as Administrator on the server:

```powershell theme={null}
slmgr /xpr
slmgr /dlv
```

* `/xpr` shows whether Windows is activated and when the evaluation ends.
* `/dlv` shows the edition, the license status and the `Remaining Windows rearm count`.

## Activate your own license

An evaluation edition has to be converted to a full edition with your product key first:

```powershell theme={null}
DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition
DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions
DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula
```

Use `ServerDatacenter` instead of `ServerStandard` for a Datacenter key. Windows restarts to finish the conversion. Then activate it:

```powershell theme={null}
slmgr /ato
```

If Windows already runs a full edition, install the key and activate it directly:

```powershell theme={null}
slmgr /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
slmgr /ato
```

## Extend the evaluation

While `slmgr /dlv` shows a remaining rearm count above zero, you can restart the evaluation period:

```powershell theme={null}
slmgr /rearm
```

Restart the server afterwards. Each rearm uses up one of the remaining rearms.

A reinstall from the panel also starts a new 180-day evaluation, but it deletes all data on the server. See [Reinstall a VM safely](/vm-management/reinstall-a-vm-safely).


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