Top 4 Ways to Fix Windows Activation Error 0xC004F012

Effective way to solve Windows activation error 0xC004F012

Windows activation error 0xC004F012 is a common problem and may appear when upgrading to Windows 10/11. While this error does not affect the operating system operation, it may appear repeatedly. Complete error messages may include:

• "Windows is not activated now. Please try to activate later. If it still cannot be activated, please contact support. Error code: 0xC004F012"
• "We cannot activate Windows on this device because you do not have a valid digital license or product key. If you think you have a valid license or key, please select the "Troubleshoot" below. Error code: 0xC004F012"
• "Software License Services report that the call failed because the value of the input key was not found."

This error is usually related to the missing or corrupted tokens.dat file on the system. The following are four effective solutions:

Important tip: Back up important data in advance!

Before trying any workaround, it is highly recommended to back up important data on your computer. In case of problems, you can use backup to restore data. MiniTool ShadowMaker is a free PC backup software that is easy to use, and even if you are not a computer expert, you can easily back up and restore files, systems, partitions and even entire disks.

How to fix error code 0xC004F012?

Method 1: Run Windows activation troubleshooting

When encountering Windows activation issues, priority is given to running the built-in troubleshooting tool to automatically fix activation errors. The steps are as follows:

1. Press the Win I key to open Windows settings .
2. Find updates and security and click.
3. In the Activation tab, click Troubleshoot .

Method 2: Rebuild the tokens.dat file

tokens.dat file is a digitally signed file that stores most Windows and Office activation files. If this file is corrupted, it may cause a 0xC004F012 error. The method to rebuild this file is as follows:

1. Enter "Run" in the search bar and press Enter to open the Run dialog box.
2. Enter services.msc and press Enter to start the service .
3. Find Software Protection , right-click and select Stop .
4. Press Win E to open File Explorer . Navigate to: C:\\Windows\\System32\\SPP\\Store\\2.0 and find the tokens.dat file.

5. Rename this file to tokens.old and close File Explorer .

6. In the command prompt for elevated permissions, run the following commands:

   net start sppsvc

   cscript.exe slmgr.vbs /rilc

7. After completion, restart the computer to see if the error disappears.

Method 3: Run SFC and DISM

Corrupt system files may also cause 0xC004F012 error. Running SFC and DISM can repair corrupt system files. The steps are as follows:

1. Enter "cmd" in the search bar, find the command prompt , right-click and select Run as administrator .
2. In the command window, enter sfc /scannow and press Enter .

3. When finished, restart the computer. If the error persists, run the following command in the elevated command prompt:

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Method 4: Change Windows product key

Activating Windows 10/11 via a command prompt is also a workaround:

1. Run command prompt as administrator.

2. Run the following command to find the product key:

   wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

3. Run the following command and enter your product key:

   slmgr.vbs /ipk

4. Run the following command to activate the product key:

   slmgr.vbs /ato

Summarize

Hope the above method can help you solve the problem. Again, use MiniTool ShadowMaker and other backup software to back up data regularly to prevent accidental data loss.

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