According to Neowin , Microsoft has killed the final method for activating Windows without an internet connection—that is, activation by telephone. It appears to have been discontinued a few days ago. Microsoft hasn’t officially announced the end of telephone activation, and the corresponding menu item in Windows is still available. But users have reported that the corresponding function no longer works, and that only a short voice message is played when calling the telephone number. According to user reports, anyone who calls the Windows activation number in the US will only hear this message: Support for product activation has moved online. For the fastest and most convenient way to activate your product, please visit our online product activation portal at aka.ms/aoh And in this YouTube video , Ben Kleinberg demonstrates this experience: Microsoft still explicitly mentions the option of telephone activation for Windows 11 and Windows 10, and even for Windows 8.1 and Windows 7. Telephone activation is also explicitly mentioned on this Microsoft support page . Nowhere does Microsoft say that it has officially ended telephone activation, but perhaps that announcement is coming.