HWID vs KMS — Which Activation Method Wins in 2026?

HWID — Hardware ID digital license

• Ties a permanent license to your motherboard hash on Microsoft's servers
• Survives Windows reinstalls automatically when the hardware is the same
• Requires a brief internet connection (one-time)
• Works on Windows 10 22H2, Windows 11 (incl. 24H2), Windows 11 ARM64
• Does NOT work on Enterprise / LTSC / IoT / Server SKUs

KMS38 — Local KMS until 2038

• Activates the local KMS service until January 19, 2038 in one shot
• No 180-day renewal cycle, no internet required
• Works on every Windows SKU including Enterprise, LTSC, Server, IoT
• Does NOT register with Microsoft — license stays local
• Survives reboots and updates but not full reinstalls

Side-by-side

• Permanence: HWID = permanent / KMS38 = until 2038
• Internet: HWID = required once / KMS38 = never
• SKUs: HWID = client only / KMS38 = all SKUs
• Survives reinstall: HWID = yes / KMS38 = re-run script
• Recommended for home users: HWID
• Recommended for enterprise / air-gapped: KMS38

What about Online KMS (180-day)?

Online KMS is the classic method — points your machine at a public KMS server (port 1688) and auto-renews every 7 days. Use it only as a fallback when neither HWID nor KMS38 applies, e.g. on older Office 2016/2019 volume installs.