[SOLVED] Reuse Windows License on New Build

[BenWVU]

I'm upgrading my mobo, CPU, and RAM and selling my old mobo, CPU, and RAM to a friend. My friend has a used PC with Windows 10 installed on an HDD. However, he is also buying a new SSD to put the OS on.

Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I'm unsure of how the OS install will go. I'm unsure of whether his current Windows 10 license is tied to his mobo or the last user's Microsoft account . (The last user was his brother and we know he was signed in with a Microsoft account.) Either way, we won't be using the mobo or the last user's Microsoft account, so how will we be able to activate Windows when we do a fresh install with a new (my old) mobo and a new SSD?

Will the Windows key already be associated with my friend's Microsoft account, now that he's signed in and the administrator?

I've done fresh installs of Windows before, but never with both used hardware and multiple Microsoft accounts involved.

Also, would we be able to jump straight to a fresh install of Windows 11 or would we need to upgrade his current PC to Windows 10, before we do the hardware upgrade? Obviously, the new mobo and CPU are Windows 11 compatible. (I'm currently running Windows 11 on them.)

 

[USAFRet]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...nt-selling-gifting-windows-10-device-xbox-one

Redirecting

So your friend has a valid license, and you have a valid license. Each associated with the systems you currently have?
Correct?

 

[BenWVU]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...nt-selling-gifting-windows-10-device-xbox-one

Redirecting

So your friend has a valid license, and you have a valid license. Each associated with the systems you currently have?
Correct?

Yes, we both have valid licenses; mine being Win11 (upgraded from Win10) and his being Win10.

Your second link seems to imply we should ask his brother to make sure he removed this device from his Microsoft account, right?

 

[USAFRet]

Yes, we both have valid licenses; mine being Win11 (upgraded from Win10) and his being Win10.

Your second link seems to imply we should ask his brother to make sure he removed this device from his Microsoft account, right?

Get the system and license associated with the person who will be using it.

Then, with a new system, you tell it that you are using this new system.

And get it working with Win 10 first.
Then consider the upgrade to Win 11.

 

[BenWVU]

Get the system and license associated with the person who will be using it.

Then, with a new system, you tell it that you are using this new system.

And get it working with Win 10 first.
Then consider the upgrade to Win 11.

Alright.

It doesn't look like Microsoft provides much information about an account's Windows licenses, though.

For example, I can log in to my account and see that my desktop and laptop are both tied to my account, but I don't see any details about the Windows licenses. I happen to know that my desktop has a retail license that I bought and that the laptop has an OEM license from Dell, but none of that information is shown.

I guess we just have to get his current PC to show up in his Microsoft account devices list.

I wonder what would happen if you had multiple retail licensed devices on your account. Would Windows ask you which one you want to transfer to the new device when doing a fresh install on a new build?

Thanks for the help.