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First Time Guide: Injecting Your First Windows Licence with SMART

Updated

This guide explains the basic first-time process for injecting a Windows licence using SMART after you have purchased licences.

For a normal setup, the only two files you need on the device are:

  • SMART.exe — the SMART Client application.
  • The generated authentication .txt file, usually auth.txt — this tells SMART which company and facility to authenticate as.

You do not need to manually type, copy, or download individual Windows product keys. SMART injects the licence automatically from your available licence inventory.

Before You Start

  • Make sure you are signed in to the SMART account that purchased the licences.
  • Make sure the licences are assigned to the correct facility.
  • Install the correct edition of Windows on the device, for example Windows 11 Pro if you purchased Windows 11 Pro licences.
  • Make sure the device is connected to the internet before running SMART.

Step 1: Sign In to SMART

  1. Go to https://app.smartdpk.com.
  2. Sign in using the account that purchased the licences.

If licences were purchased by another user in your company, sign in with that user or ask your administrator to make sure your user has access to the correct company/facility.

Step 2: Download the SMART Client Files

  1. Open the Client tab.
  2. Download SMART.exe.
  3. Download or regenerate the authentication .txt file for the correct facility.

The authentication file is not a product-key list. It contains an encrypted token that lets the SMART Client authenticate against the correct company and facility.

Step 3: Put the Files on a USB Drive

  1. Copy SMART.exe to a USB drive.
  2. Copy the authentication .txt file to the same folder as SMART.exe.

Both files must be in the same folder. For a standard first-time injection, config.json is optional and is only needed for custom configuration, overrides, or Wi-Fi profiles.

Step 4: Prepare the Device in Audit Mode

  1. Install Windows on the device.
  2. When you reach the Windows setup screen, also called OOBE or the “Welcome to Windows” screen, press CTRL + SHIFT + F3.
  3. The device will restart and sign in automatically as Administrator in Audit Mode.

Audit Mode is important because the device has not been set up for the end customer yet.

If a refurbisher continues through OOBE and reaches the normal Windows desktop, they may effectively accept the Microsoft licence terms and choose privacy, telemetry, diagnostics, or other setup options on behalf of the end customer. Those choices should be left for the customer.

For this reason, refurbishers should run SMART from Audit Mode before completing OOBE.

Step 5: Run SMART

  1. Plug in the USB drive.
  2. Open the folder containing SMART.exe and the authentication .txt file.
  3. Run SMART.exe.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

SMART will authenticate, check the device, check drivers depending on your settings/plan, and inject the Windows licence if the device is eligible.

What Happens After Injection

When SMART injects a Windows licence, it submits a Computer Build Report (CBR) as part of the Microsoft refurbishment workflow.

The device may not activate immediately at the point of injection. This is expected.

At the end of the SMART process, SMART runs Sysprep to prepare the device for the end customer. The normal workflow is:

  1. SMART injects the licence and submits the CBR.
  2. SMART runs Sysprep.
  3. The device shuts down or returns to OOBE ready for the customer.
  4. By the time the customer receives the device and connects it to the internet, Windows should activate automatically.

You normally do not need to wait 4 hours and reboot the device after injection just to confirm activation.

When to Wait Before Shipping

You may choose to wait if the device previously had a Windows Autopilot profile and you want to confirm any locally cached Autopilot profile has cleared before the device reaches the customer.

In that case, wait until the device shows the relevant completed status in the SMART Dashboard, such as Activation Enabled, or allow up to 4 hours, then reboot the device while connected to the internet.

This waiting step is mainly for checking local Autopilot cache behaviour. Injecting the licence submits the required information to Microsoft as part of the Autopilot removal process, but Windows may still need to refresh local cached profile information.

If You Cannot See Your Licences

  • Check that you are signed in to the same SMART account that purchased the licences.
  • Check that the licences are assigned to the facility used by your authentication .txt file.
  • If the SMART Client shows 0 Keys Available, the client cannot see any licences available for that facility.

Common Mistakes

  • Signing in with the wrong SMART account.
  • Using an authentication file from the wrong facility.
  • Putting SMART.exe and the authentication .txt file in different folders.
  • Trying to manually enter Windows product keys instead of letting SMART inject the licence.
  • Running SMART on a device that is not connected to the internet.
  • Completing the normal Windows setup process instead of entering Audit Mode first.

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