KMS38 Activation is Broken: Microsoft Removes License Transfer Mechanism in Windows 11

According to MAS activation team, Microsoft has modified the KMS activation mechanism in Windows 11 and other systems, removing the KMS38 method by making the grace period resets unavoidable after upgrades. KMS is Microsoft’s licensing model for enterprises, allowing a local KMS server to issue activation licenses valid for 180 days and renewable on expiration.

The original system used a fragment-based KMS licensing mechanism that migrated the remaining grace period during upgrades, meaning 100 days of validity could be carried forward; KMS38 exploited this to extend activation toward 2038.

Beginning with Windows 11 Build 26040, Microsoft removed gatherosstate.exe from ISO images, the component that transferred KMS license information, so after an in-place upgrade the grace period resets to zero and reconnecting to a KMS server now restores only the standard 180-day window.

Starting with Windows 11 Build 26100.7019, Microsoft has fully deprecated the license-transfer mechanism, so KMS38 activation no longer functions in any later versions, though earlier builds remain unaffected and systems already activated via KMS38 will continue to operate.