I want to keep the Windows license after format. Do I need to log out or delete it or do anything else before formatting? Will it automatically activate when I log in to my Microsoft account after I format the drive?
The retail Windows license (the license you purchased separately) is encoded into your account. If you are using Windows 10, even if you reset your computer, it will not affect Windows activation. And you will not have to purchase a new key. Your Windows license is already preserved.
Also, if you only format the drive, you will not lose your product key.
If you format or delete the computer, including the operating system, all information about the old operating system will be removed. Reinstallation will require the user to enter the license key. You can recover your product key from your Microsoft account if you forget it.
So you can safely format your drives and partitions. You will still keep your Windows license after formatting.
To avoid computer crashes and formatting failures, I recommend you use a professional and reliable tool: Qiling Disk Master Free, for safe and fast formatting.
Qiling Disk Master is highly compatible with Windows systems, hard disks, and file system formats. After formatting the partition, you can also use your unallocated space to extend Windows 10.