How do I activate W10 ESU on Windows Enterprise Edition?

Question

How do I activate W10 ESU on Windows Enterprise Edition?

Masciari, Marco 0

Hello Team,

I purchased and attempted to install ESU for Windows 10.

When activating W10 ESU on a PC running Windows Enterprise Edition, I get the error shown below. What should I do?

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Jason Nguyen Tran 4,175 Independent Advisor

Hi Masciari, Marco,

The error 0xC004E016 appears because Windows 10 ESU (Extended Security Updates) cannot be activated on the standard Windows 10 Enterprise Edition you’re currently using. ESU is supported only on the following editions: Windows 10 Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations, and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC. Since your device is running a non-core Enterprise build (SAC), the ESU key will always fail with this error.

To resolve this, you have two options:

Reinstall or convert the device to Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC, which fully supports ESU activation.
Install Windows 10 Pro, activate ESU successfully, and then upgrade back to Enterprise using your organization’s license if needed.

Before proceeding, feel free to share your exact Windows version (run winver) and I can guide you on the safest migration path. Once the device is on a supported edition, your ESU key will activate without issues.

Please let me know how you’d like to proceed. I'll help you through each step. If you find this answer helpful, please consider hitting “Accept Answer”. 😊 It lets us know your issue is resolved.

Jason.

Masciari, Marco 0 Reputation points

2025-12-01T10:38:12.0066667+00:00

This is my Windows 10 version... is activated fully ESU support?
Jason Nguyen Tran 4,175 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-12-01T10:50:31.91+00:00
Hi Masciari, Marco,

Thank you for providing the licensing details. Your system is running Windows 10 Enterprise S edition, build 17763, which corresponds to Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019. That Enterprise LTSC 2019 is fully eligible for Windows 10 ESU, and Microsoft officially supports ESU activation on this edition. Your activation status also shows the system is properly licensed (“License Status: licensed”), so you meet the base requirement.

To complete ESU activation, make sure you have installed the ESU Preparation Package for LTSC 2019 (KB5034239 or the latest equivalent), as ESU keys will not activate without it. Once the prep update is installed, run the ESU activation command again using your ESU MAK key:

slmgr /ipk <your ESU key> slmgr /ato

If activation still fails, let me know the exact error code and I’ll guide you through the next steps. Your edition is compatible and we just need to align the updates and key activation.

Feel free to keep me updated, and if this helps clarify your ESU eligibility, please click “Accept Answer” to support the community 😊.

Jason.

Answer 2

Jason Nguyen Tran 4,175 Independent Advisor

Hi Masciari, Marco,

Just checking in, were you able to get the issue resolved? If so, it would be great if you could mark the answer as Accepted so others in the community can benefit from your experience. Thank you!

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How do I activate W10 ESU on Windows Enterprise Edition?

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