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Injecting Windows 11 Pro Citizenship Keys with SMART

This article explains how to inject a Windows 11 Pro Citizenship key using the SMART Client.

Before You Start

  • You must have access to Citizenship keys enabled on your SMART account.
  • Citizenship access is available only to eligible organisations/devices.
  • To apply for Citizenship access, email help@smartdpk.com with your eligibility details.
  • The device should have Windows 11 Pro installed.

Why SMART Needs to Be Told to Use a Citizenship Key

Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Pro Citizenship are technically the same Windows edition on the device.

Because of this, the SMART Client needs to be told when you want to consume and inject a Windows 11 Pro Citizenship key instead of a standard Windows 11 Pro key.

You can do this in one of two ways:

  • Enable Citizenship globally in the SMART Client settings.
  • Use a config.json file containing the ForceCitizenKeyInjection override.

Option 1: Enable Citizenship Globally

If you only use SMART to inject Citizenship keys, the simplest option is to enable the Citizenship option globally in the SMART Client settings page.

Use this option when every licence injection for that facility should use Citizenship keys.

If you sometimes inject standard Windows 11 Pro keys and sometimes inject Citizenship keys, use the config.json method instead.

Option 2: Use config.json for Citizenship Injection

If you need to switch between standard Windows 11 Pro keys and Windows 11 Pro Citizenship keys, use a separate Citizenship folder containing a config.json file.

This allows technicians to choose the correct workflow by running SMART from the correct folder.

Recommended Folder Setup

Create two folders:

  • SMART — for standard Windows 11 Pro key injection.
  • SMART Citizenship — for Windows 11 Pro Citizenship key injection.

Folder 1: SMART

This folder should contain:

  • SMART.exe
  • auth.txt

Use this folder when you want to inject a standard Windows 11 Pro key.

Folder 2: SMART Citizenship

This folder should contain:

  • SMART.exe
  • auth.txt
  • config.json

Use this folder when you want to inject a Windows 11 Pro Citizenship key.

Citizenship config.json Example

The config.json file should be placed in the same folder as SMART.exe and auth.txt.

{
  "Client": {
    "AuthFileName": "auth.txt",
    "NetworkConfiguration": {
      "PassPhrase": "",
      "SSID": ""
    },
    "Overrides": [
      "ForceCitizenKeyInjection"
    ]
  }
}

The important part is the ForceCitizenKeyInjection override. This tells the SMART Client to use a Citizenship key.

Injection Process

  1. Install Windows 11 Pro on the device.
  2. Enter Audit Mode at OOBE by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + F3.
  3. Make sure the device is connected to the internet.
  4. Open the correct folder:
  • Use the SMART folder for a standard Windows 11 Pro key.
  • Use the SMART Citizenship folder for a Windows 11 Pro Citizenship key.
  1. Run SMART.exe.
  2. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Important Notes

  • Do not install a separate “Citizenship” edition of Windows. Install Windows 11 Pro.
  • Do not manually enter product keys. SMART injects the correct key automatically.
  • auth.txt is for authentication only. It tells SMART which company and facility to authenticate against.
  • config.json is only needed if you want to override the client behaviour for that folder.
  • If you do not have Citizenship access enabled, SMART will not be able to inject Citizenship keys.

When to Use Global Settings vs config.json

  • Use global Citizenship settings if the facility only injects Citizenship keys.
  • Use config.json if the same facility needs to inject both standard Windows 11 Pro keys and Citizenship keys.

Troubleshooting

  • If SMART injects a standard Pro key instead of a Citizenship key, check that config.json is in the same folder as SMART.exe and contains ForceCitizenKeyInjection.
  • If SMART shows no Citizenship keys available, confirm Citizenship access is enabled on your account and that Citizenship keys are available for the facility.
  • If SMART cannot find auth.txt or config.json, make sure you launched SMART.exe from the folder containing those files.

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