- Customers have noticed that Microsoft phone lines no longer support Windows Phone activation
- The support documentation still indicates that it is possible despite ongoing issues.
- It looks like you now need the Internet and a Microsoft account
Microsoft appears to have quietly removed its offline, phone-based Windows activation option, meaning Internet access is now required for any user to activate Windows, including a Microsoft account.
Although Redmond has not officially announced the removal of phone activation, reports have been circulating on the Internet for a few weeks now, with neowin observation reports in December 2025.
However, a support page indicates that activation by phone is still possible for Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7.
Has Microsoft quietly removed Windows Phone activation?
Either the company has not yet updated its documentation or the current unavailability of phone activation could be an erroneous error.
A user cited by neowin – Ben Kleinberg – failed to activate the phone. Instead, the phone line returned an automated message: “Product activation support has moved online. For the fastest and most convenient way to activate your product, visit our online product activation portal at aka.ms/aoh.”
cyber news has separately confirmed that the phone line continues to transmit the same automated message.
With all the evidence pointing to Microsoft’s removal of phone activation, it’s likely that updated support documentation has been delayed. The change also reinforces Redmond’s push toward account-linked and Internet-dependent licenses.
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 linked 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 Internet access.
TechRadar Pro has asked Microsoft to confirm whether the phone’s activation has indeed been removed, but we did not receive an immediate response.
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