Step 1- The first step is to stop all SQL Server services. Launch SQL Server Configuration Manager and shut down all services.
Step 2- Copy SQL Server Enterprise/Standard edition setup to your server where you want to change the SQL Server product key. Run Setup.Exe with an Administrator account. SQL Server Installation Center will appear on your screen to proceed. Click on the Maintenance tab from the left side pane. You can see multiple options in the right side pane. Select first option Edition Upgrade as shown in the below image and click Next.
Step3- SQL Server will check all required rules, once all rules will be passed next button will enable you to proceed. Click on the Next button here.
Step 4- Once you click on the Next button of the above screen, the next window will come to enter the License Key or product Key of SQL Server Instance. Enter your Product Key or if EXE has a valid license key to cross-verify then proceed for the Next button with the same License key.
Step 5- Accept License Term and Condition and click on the Next button to proceed.
Step 6- Select MS SQL Server Instance for which you are going to change the license key if you have multiple instances.
Step 7- Click on the Next button of the above screen, it will check all rules for the edition upgrade. If all rules show as Passed you are good to go ahead. If you get any warning or error, verify and try to fix it before going with the next step.
Step 8- Below will be the final window that prompt for Ready to upgrade the edition. Click on the Upgrade button if all looks ok.
Step 9- Once the License will be updated below window will prompt with succeeded status.
You might face an Access Denied error during this edition upgrade, here is the solution to fix this error. You may get access denied error on SQL Server License.rtf file for that you need to uncheck read-only attribute from the file name.
If you have renamed your Data folder before starting this process as suggested in Note section, you can rename back it to Data folder again and then start the SQL Server services. Now, start MS SQL services which you have stopped initially before starting upgrade activity and check SQL Server Instance version and license type . You can see our output looks like below details.
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (SP3) (KB#######) - 11.0.6020.0 (X64) Date and time
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
Enterprise Edition: Core-based Licensing (64-bit) on Windows NT 6.3 <X64>
(Build 9600: ) (Hypervisor)