Microsoft is cracking down on KMS-based Windows activation.

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Users have noticed that Microsoft developers last week disabled the offline activation method for Windows 11 and 10 via KMS38, which has been used by hackers worldwide for years. However, these changes are not mentioned in the official release notes.

KMS38 was developed by enthusiasts in the Massgrave (MAS, Microsoft Activation Scripts) project, known as a repository of unofficial tools used to activate Windows and Office.

The essence of this activation method was to trick the GatherOSstate.exe system file (a utility that determines whether the current system is eligible for updating) into extending the KMS (Key Management Service) activation period from the normal 180 days to January 19, 2038. Setting a more distant date was prevented due to the Year 2038 (Y2K38) issue.

The fight against KMS38 began approximately two years ago. The first signs appeared in January 2024, when the gatherosstate.exe file disappeared from the Windows 26040 installation image. This meant that during major updates and reinstalls, the system reset the activation wait time, forcing the user to reconnect to the KMS server.

However, the final blow to KMS38 came with the optional Windows 11 update KB5067036, released in October 2025. In this update, Microsoft completely removed the GatherOSstate function, and after the Patch Tuesday in November (KB5068861 and KB5067112), KMS38 finally stopped working.

Massgrave developers confirmed that this method no longer works. In the latest version of MAS 3.8, KMS38 support has been completely removed.

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Massgrave recommends that users still utilize alternative methods that are still working, such as HWID (Hardware Identifier) ​​and TSforge.

It’s worth noting that in 2023, it was revealed that Microsoft support engineers themselves sometimes resorted to Massgrave’s Windows activation solutions. Furthermore, it has been repeatedly emphasized that Massgrave’s tools are marketed as open source and that the project files are available on GitHub, which has long belonged to Microsoft. However, the company takes no action against software piracy.