Can somebody explain Windows 10 licenses/activation to me?

[Jamesin_x]

NOTE: In this thread, I'm talking about full licenses ONLY, not about OEM ones.

How does Windows 10 activation and, more importantly, reactivation after hardware changes work? From what I've understood, your hardware specs are store in Microsoft's activation servers, so activation on the same system after reinstallation is easy. But if you activate it on a completely different system (with the first one deactivated), do you have to contact Microsoft? If not, when exactly is phone activation necessary?

Another thing I don't understand is the "linking license to Microsoft account" thing. What exactly does it do to make reactivation supposedly easier? Do you just have to sign in to your Microsoft account when activating on another machine?

According to this site (https://pureinfotech.com/how-activation-works-windows-10-digital-entitlement-vs-product-key/), if you buy a physical key version of Windows, you'll have a "product key activation" and if you buy it from Microsoft Store, you'll have a "digital license." I've bought a boxed copy, but it says "digital license" for me.

If I buy Windows digitally, from Microsoft Store, will that copy of Windows be permanently tied to the account I bought it with? Would I be able to activate that same copy of Windows if I ever switched to a different Microsoft account?

Thanks!

 

[USAFRet]

With WIn 10, after the 1607 Anniversary release, the line between OEM and Retail is significantly blurred.

For a real Retail license, you buy the specific license key. You can, just as in previous Windows versions, install that on new hardware. Of course, only one system at a time.

Now, with a "digital license", you can link that to a MS account as well.
What this does is tie it to a human, instead of just the hardware.
So an MS account would list YourPC. Later, if you change major hardware (the motherboard), you can go into your account, and delist "YourPC", and tell it "MyNewPC" is the one to use.

Read and do this before you change any parts:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3164428/windows-build-1607-activation.html

 

[Jamesin_x]

With WIn 10, after the 1607 Anniversary release, the line between OEM and Retail is significantly blurred.

For a real Retail license, you buy the specific license key. You can, just as in previous Windows versions, install that on new hardware. Of course, only one system at a time.

Now, with a "digital license", you can link that to a MS account as well.
What this does is tie it to a human, instead of just the hardware.
So an MS account would list YourPC. Later, if you change major hardware (the motherboard), you can go into your account, and delist "YourPC", and tell it "MyNewPC" is the one to use.

Read and do this before you change any parts:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3164428/windows-build-1607-activation.html

So if I buy a digital version, I can't use it without signing in to Windows with the account I bought it with, is that correct? If I wanted to use a different MS account, could the license be transferred?

 

[USAFRet]

With WIn 10, after the 1607 Anniversary release, the line between OEM and Retail is significantly blurred.

For a real Retail license, you buy the specific license key. You can, just as in previous Windows versions, install that on new hardware. Of course, only one system at a time.

Now, with a "digital license", you can link that to a MS account as well.
What this does is tie it to a human, instead of just the hardware.
So an MS account would list YourPC. Later, if you change major hardware (the motherboard), you can go into your account, and delist "YourPC", and tell it "MyNewPC" is the one to use.

Read and do this before you change any parts:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3164428/windows-build-1607-activation.html

So if I buy a digital version, I can't use it without signing in to Windows with the account I bought it with, is that correct? If I wanted to use a different MS account, could the license be transferred?

The only time you need to use a MS account if you need to mess with the license transfer. All my systems here are local accounts, both regular user and Admin.
Like right now..logged in to this PC with a standard user account.

I don't know about transferring a license to a different MS account.
But that shouldn't be necessary. If you need to transfer that license to a different PC, log in with the original account and change it. Then log out.
Thereafter, just log in with a local account.

 

[Jamesin_x]

With WIn 10, after the 1607 Anniversary release, the line between OEM and Retail is significantly blurred.

For a real Retail license, you buy the specific license key. You can, just as in previous Windows versions, install that on new hardware. Of course, only one system at a time.

Now, with a "digital license", you can link that to a MS account as well.
What this does is tie it to a human, instead of just the hardware.
So an MS account would list YourPC. Later, if you change major hardware (the motherboard), you can go into your account, and delist "YourPC", and tell it "MyNewPC" is the one to use.

Read and do this before you change any parts:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3164428/windows-build-1607-activation.html

So if I buy a digital version, I can't use it without signing in to Windows with the account I bought it with, is that correct? If I wanted to use a different MS account, could the license be transferred?

The only time you need to use a MS account if you need to mess with the license transfer. All my systems here are local accounts, both regular user and Admin.
Like right now..logged in to this PC with a standard user account.

I don't know about transferring a license to a different MS account.
But that shouldn't be necessary. If you need to transfer that license to a different PC, log in with the original account and change it. Then log out.
Thereafter, just log in with a local account.

Okay, so if I buy a digital license from Microsoft Store, how will I be able to use it without that account I bought it with? Since the MS Store version gives you a digital license and NOT a product key (which you get when you buy physical), how exactly will you be able to activate the Windows installation without that specific Microsoft account? At first, I assumed you'd be mailed a product key, but it is explicitly said that you do NOT get a key with a digital license.

 

[USAFRet]

Okay, so if I buy a digital license from Microsoft Store, how will I be able to use it without that account I bought it with? Since the MS Store version gives you a digital license and NOT a product key (which you get when you buy physical), how exactly will you be able to activate the Windows installation without that specific Microsoft account? At first, I assumed you'd be mailed a product key, but it is explicitly said that you do NOT get a key with a digital license.

You install it.
Log in with a MS account (if needed) to activate it.
After that, create a local account, and never use the MS account again (until you absolutely need it for something).
I honestly can't remember the last time I logged in with an MS account on any of my systems. Probably early last fall, when I upgraded my wife's system and transferred the license over to the new i3-8100 system.

It remains activated.

On all of my systems, there are 3 accounts to log in with.
Local Standard user - daily activities
Local admin - for admin stuff
MS account - for license manipulation (rarely used)

 

[Jamesin_x]

Okay, so if I buy a digital license from Microsoft Store, how will I be able to use it without that account I bought it with? Since the MS Store version gives you a digital license and NOT a product key (which you get when you buy physical), how exactly will you be able to activate the Windows installation without that specific Microsoft account? At first, I assumed you'd be mailed a product key, but it is explicitly said that you do NOT get a key with a digital license.

You install it.
Log in with a MS account (if needed) to activate it.
After that, create a local account, and never use the MS account again (until you absolutely need it for something).
I honestly can't remember the last time I logged in with an MS account on any of my systems. Probably early last fall, when I upgraded my wife's system and transferred the license over to the new i3-8100 system.

It remains activated.

On all of my systems, there are 3 accounts to log in with.
Local Standard user - daily activities
Local admin - for admin stuff
MS account - for license manipulation (rarely used)

Okay, about the second step you listed:
The MS Account you'll have to log in with is the account you bought it with, right? I want to know whether that license is transferrable. Or is it permanently only usable with that MS account you bought it with?
And why do you say if needed? If I install W10 for the first time on a machine it'll definitely need activation, right?

 

[USAFRet]

Okay, about the second step you listed:
The MS Account you'll have to log in with is the account you bought it with, right? I want to know whether that license is transferrable. Or is it permanently only usable with that MS account you bought it with?
And why do you say if needed? If I install W10 for the first time on a machine it'll definitely need activation, right?

If needed to activate. I am unsure if you need to be logged in with that account to activate it, or whether it will activate on its own.
You absolutely are NOT limited to using only that Windows account to use the PC and OS.
At most, it is only to manipulate the license.

As said...I never use my MS account to log into this PC.
Only if I needed to transfer this license to some new system.

 

[stdragon]

I thought Windows Software Assurance on a per-user basis was for Windows 10 Enterprise for Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3 or E5 accounts.

Is that not the case? Is per-user Windows licensing now available for Home/Pro editions as well? If I recall, you still can purchase online with Microsoft, but then you get the key.

 

[USAFRet]

I thought Windows Software Assurance on a per-user basis was for Windows 10 Enterprise for Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3 or E5 accounts.

Is that not the case? Is per-user Windows licensing now available for Home/Pro editions as well? If I recall, you still can purchase online with Microsoft, but then you get the key.

"per user"?
Don't need Enterprise. You can have multiple logins on your PC. Home, Pro...you, the kids, the wife. Each with their own "account".
Some Standard users (the kids), local users for Mom and Dad, and an Admin account, that only mom and dad know.
Of course, only one person at a time.
It's always been this way.

Enterprise "per user" licensing would be for multiple simultaneous users.
For instance...1 local, and multiple RDC.

 

[stdragon]

I'm not referring to concurrent per-user RDS licensing. I was specifically asking about the volume licensing Software Assurance program from Microsoft.

Anyways, what you said earlier is correct. It's not you. It's Microsoft.

To digress for a bit - Microsoft pulled the same move on OEM Office 2016 licensing. Legally, it's licensed to the machine. Technically, it *required* a Microsoft online account to bind the OEM key on the included key card (paper). Only then, could the suite be activated. Now, you just activate it online, the OEM COA card is no longer included. What you described and based on the links you've provided is something similar. It's licensed to the machine, but you manage it with an online account. If it sounds confusing, it's because apparently it is.