We purchased a new PC and we want to reuse the same license on our old Windows computer "> How to download Windows for free and legally How to move the Windows 10 license
Before seeing all the procedures to move the Windows license, we will show you the types of license that Microsoft provides for personal PCs, so as to understand how to act in both cases.License types Windows 10 for personal PCs
As explained in another article, the number of PCs on which you can install the same copy of Windows varies depending on the type of license. In general, there are several types of Windows licenses:- Retail license : this type of license can be purchased on the Microsoft website or in electronics stores, is valid for multiple computers simultaneously and is transferable (the one that will be the subject of the guide).
- OEM license : this type of license is valid only for the PC in use and may not be transferable if you change the motherboard of the computer (Windows 10 still allows you to make an attempt to recover the license).
- Volume licenses: these types of licenses are provided at company level to activate multiple Windows workstations with a single license, so as to facilitate management by the administrator. They can only be transferred in some special cases.
How to move the license via online account
If the Retail license that we have is for the Windows 10 operating system, it is really very simple to reuse it on new PCs, since it can be linked to our Microsoft account (and can be restored automatically).First start the old PC with Windows 10, open the Settings app, go to the Update and security> Activation path and check that the wording Windows is activated with a digital license connected to your Microsoft account .
If the wording Windows is activated with a digital license appears, the license is valid, but we will have to combine it with a Microsoft account in our possession, going to Settings -> Account -> Your info and logging in with the account.
Once this check has been carried out, all we have to do is start the installation procedure of Windows 10 on our new PC, ignore the request for a Product Key and, when the screen shown below appears, immediately log in with the Microsoft account to which we had combined the Retail license.
Automatically Windows 10 will be activated with the digital license associated with the account and we won't have to do anything else! To check the actual activation of the license just go to Settings -> Update and security -> Activation .
How to move the license manually
If we have a product key license for Windows 10, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, we can move it manually by deactivating it on the old computer and reinstalling it on the new PC.To deactivate a product key from the old Windows PC, open the Start menu at the bottom left, search for and open the command prompt with administrator rights ( right click on the program -> Open as administrator ).
Once the prompt is opened, type the following command:
slmgr.vbs / dlv
On the window that appears, we obtain the activation ID and write it on the notepad or on a sheet of paper (you cannot copy and paste). In this screen you can also read if you have a copy of Windows Retail, which is the transferable one. Before continuing, download the Nirsoft ProduKey program, so that we can obtain the Product Key in use on our old computer.
To deactivate the activation code from the old computer, type the command on the prompt:
slmgr / upk (Activation ID)
For example, slmgr / upk 7bfd7696-d962-4afc-ag3d-ff3f1b26j6i8
At the end of the deactivation, bring us to the new computer (with the system ready and installed), open a command prompt and activate the product key by typing the command:
slmgr / ipk (Product Key)
For example slmgr / ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
Alternatively we can install the product key directly from the Windows 10 menu, taking us to the path Settings -> Update and security -> Activation and clicking on the item Change Product Key .
How to move OEM license
As mentioned in the introductory chapter, the OEM license binds to the motherboard, so it cannot be transferred easily if we update this component of our computer or try to use the license on a new PC. However, if the OEM license is linked to your Microsoft account (because the hardware manufacturer has released a license that allows this type of operation), we can try to install the old Windows 10 OEM license by taking us, on the new computer, in the path Settings -> Update and Security -> Activation and clicking on the item Troubleshooting . The system will try to activate Windows and, in case of further error, press on I have changed the hardware of this device recently .
In the following screen we log in with our Microsoft account, select the old computer among the licenses available for our account and press on This is the device that I am currently using .
Windows will try to reuse the old OEM license on the new PC too, so that you can use that license without problems.
NOTE : The OEM manufacturer may block the license at any time if used on hardware other than the original.
Conclusions
As also explained in another article, transferring the Windows 10 license to a new computer has become very simple, since on the latest version of the operating system it binds to our Microsoft account; simply log into our account on the new PC to immediately install the Retail licenses.If we have a simple product key or an old version of Windows, we can always proceed with the uninstallation and manual movement of the license, by running some commands from a prompt.
In case of problems with license activations, we can read our dedicated articles on How to activate Windows 10 and solve product key errors and Activate Windows after a new installation or PC change .
