Official message
Microsoft original
The Software Protection Service reported that the computer could not be activated. No Key Management Service (KMS) could be contacted.What this means
Windows did not find a usable KMS host while trying to activate. This is the most common error in a volume-licensing environment, and it is almost always about the network, the host address, or the state of the host.
Common causes
- The device is not on the organization network and is not connected to a VPN.
- The client has no KMS host address, or that address no longer works.
- The KMS host is not running, is not activated, or a firewall is blocking the port.
Do this first
Run slmgr /dlv and check whether "KMS machine name" has a value.
What to do next
- 1If an address is present but activation fails, first check that you can reach the organization network, then ask IT to check the host.
- 2If there is no address, ask IT for the correct KMS host name. Do not guess one, and do not use a third-party address.
Continue diagnosis from this code
Take what you know into the KMS diagnosis. It will ask a few more questions to narrow this down.
Sources
Related articles
About this data
The meaning and the original message come from the documents listed above. The same error code can have more than one cause. This site gives an order of checks. It does not decide your exact situation from the code alone.