Microsoft has started blocking Windows 10/11 activations using old Windows 7/8 keys

[Navjot Singh]

Microsoft will stop old Windows product keys from activating new Windows installs

Windows 7 and 8 keys still seem to work for now, but that may be ending.

arstechnica.com

At least for now, though, it seems like this change will only apply to future Windows versions. We were able to activate a fresh Windows 11 Pro 22H2 install with a Windows 8 Pro product key as of this morning, as was Neowin. But Neowin could not activate a newer Insider Preview build of Windows, suggesting that the change will mostly affect newer Windows versions. We've asked Microsoft for clarification and will update this story if we receive any.