[Fix] Windows 11 Home to Pro Upgrade Error 0x80070490

Earlier, we saw how to upgrade Windows 11 Home Edition to Pro Edition. The Home to Pro upgrade can be purchased via the Microsoft Store app. However, some users encounter the error code 0x80070490 when upgrading from Home to Professional.

We can't activate Windows on this device right now. You can try activating again later or go to the Store to buy genuine Windows. (0x80070490)

The error code may be the same if you use the generic product key for Pro edition (“VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T“).

Let’s see how to fix the error 0x80070490 when upgrading from Windows 11 Home to Pro.

Cause

0x80070490  (“Element not found”) is a CBS/CSI error, which indicates there is a problem with the component store (i.e., the WinSxS folder and the registry.)

You can resolve this error by running a component store cleanup.

Resolution

To fix the error code 0x80070490 when upgrading from Windows 11 Home to Pro, follow the steps below:

First, ensure that the system is connected to the internet.

Open an admin Command Prompt window and run the following commands one by one:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

SFC /SCANNOW

Screenshots

The output screenshots are provided below for reference. You should see the “The operation completed successfully” output for each DISM command. If the 1st command stalls at 20%, see the article DISM StartComponentCleanup Stops at 20% to fix the issue.

Note:

• The 1st command does a component store cleanup by removing the obsolete updates/packages.
• The 2nd command restores missing files to the component store.
• The 3rd command (SFC) restores missing system files.

 

The above commands should fix the error code 0x80070490.

You should now be able to upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Pro edition successfully.