How To Transfer Windows Xp License To Another Computer

Can you transfer your Windows license between PCs? It depends–the answer isn't then cut and dried.

Microsoft makes this stuff confusing on purpose. Windows Activation has unclear rules to make piracy harder, while the System Builder license agreement forbids things real users exercise every mean solar day.

Why You Might Want to Move a License

RELATED: Tin can You Motion a Windows Installation to Another Computer?

Transferring a Windows license (aka production cardinal) isn't something the average PC user volition e'er need to do. Nigh people volition purchase a estimator with a Windows license preinstalled. When they upgrade to a new computer, the new figurer comes with its own Windows license.

Note that transferring a Windows license is different from actually moving an entire Windows installation to a new computer. That's a lot harder to do, and it's usually ameliorate to just perform a fresh install on the new computer if that's what y'all need.

Here are a few examples of situations where you might desire to move a your license to a new computer:

• You lot're building a new computer from scratch and desire to use your existing Windows license rather than paying $120 for a new 1.
• Your reckoner's motherboard failed and you needed to replace it. Windows activation considers a PC with a new motherboard to be an entirely new PC.
• Your calculator died and you desire to use its license to upgrade some other computer running an older version of Windows.
• You've installed Windows in Boot Camp on a Mac and you want to motion your Windows installation to another Mac.
• You've installed Windows in a virtual machine and yous want to move it to a different virtual auto on some other estimator.

In other words: if you lot already accept a valid license lying around and don't desire to buy a new one, you'll want to transfer it.

A License Can Only Be Installed on I PC at a Time

RELATED: How To Uninstall Your Windows Production Cardinal Earlier You Sell Your PC

No matter what type of license you accept, you can but accept it installed on ane PC at a fourth dimension. That's Microsoft'southward rule. So, while you may be able to motion a license to another PC, yous're supposed to remove it from the first PC before you do that. You can do that past wiping the PC's hard drive or even uninstalling the key from your Windows organization.

Large organizations tin learn special "book licenses" that allow them to activate multiple computers with the aforementioned license key. However, that's the just exception to this rule.

Ever Allowed: Replacing a Motherboard Because It's Broken

You tin upgrade a lot of hardware components without Windows freaking out, including the graphics card, RAM, and hard bulldoze. Merely Windows doesn't normally allow yous to replace your computer's motherboard. When your computer gets a new motherboard, Windows considers that an entirely new computer and will deactivate itself.

While Windows won't unremarkably allow you to upgrade your calculator'southward motherboard, there's one exception, equally far as nosotros know: If your motherboard fails and needs to be replaced, you can move your Windows installation to the "new calculator" with the new motherboard.

This exemption should exist available no affair which blazon of license you're using. It ensures you don't have to buy a new Windows license for a PC if its motherboard breaks. However, to take advantage of this exemption, you'll have to contact Microsoft via the telephone activation process. You may take to talk to a representative and explain what you're doing, or the automatic system may just work.

Never Allowed: Moving a Preinstalled License to a New PC

When you lot become a reckoner that comes with Windows organization preinstalled by the manufacturer, the Windows license will always remain tied to that computer.

At that place'south no exception to this, aside from the exception for replacing the calculator's motherboard if it failed, as discussed above

Manufacturers become these not-transferable licences for less than you'd pay for a transferable license, hence the restriction.

Ever Allowed: Moving a "Full Version" or "Retail" License to a New PC

If you buy a "retail" "full version" license–this is more often than not only something y'all practice if you're edifice your own PC, installing Windows on a Mac, or using a virtual car–you can move e'er move it to a new PC.

After you move your license several times, Windows may give you an activation error and ask you to call Microsoft to activate your estimator. Microsoft's representatives volition allow it. They just want to brand certain y'all aren't installing the same license on multiple PCs at a fourth dimension. As long every bit you but accept the product key installed on one PC at a time, you're good.

Perhaps Allowed: Moving an "OEM" or "Arrangement Architect" License to a New PC

RELATED: What's the Difference Between the "System Builder" and "Total Version" Editions of Windows?

If you built your own computer and purchased a "organisation builder" or "OEM" license of Windows–which is slightly cheaper than the full retail license–that OEM license is supposed to become tied to the first computer yous install it on. Specifically, this license becomes associated with that particular motherboard.

According to the license understanding, you aren't supposed to install that System Builder license on a new figurer. Just that's merely what the license says. While your System Architect license will likely fail to actuate when yous enter the production cardinal on a 2nd reckoner, there may be a style around this.

After your product key fails, you can choose to activate via other methods and employ Microsoft's automated phone organization. We've seen reports that this system will often activate the Windows installation for y'all where a normal product primal fails. This isn't technically allowed according to the license agreement, so it's non guaranteed. Don't count on this working! But we've heard enough real-world reports to know that this is a possibility.

Never Allowed: Moving a Windows 10 Upgrade "Digital Entitlement" to a New PC

RELATED: Get Windows 10 for Free After July 29th, with a Picayune Prep At present

if you've taken advantage of the free Windows 10 upgrade offer, Microsoft registered your PC's hardware as having a "digital entitlement". Y'all don't actually receive a Windows license cardinal. Instead, when you reinstall Windows x on that computer in the future, it volition be automatically activated.

There'due south no way to move this "digital entitlement" license to a new reckoner. It's associated with that particular hardware y'all upgraded to Windows ten. Yes, even if y'all upgraded a system that was running a Retail license of Windows 7 or 8.one that allowed you to move it to other PCs, you can't move the resulting Windows 10 license to a new PC. All the same, Microsoft should permit you lot to reactivate Windows x on a PC if you lot had to supercede the motherboard considering it was broken. Information technology won't automatically actuate–you'll take to contact Microsoft and explain y'all replaced the motherboard because it was broken.

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If you want the ability to movement a Windows license between PCs equally many times as you want–although information technology can merely exist installed on one PC at a time–be sure to get the "Retail" or "Full Version" license rather than the cheaper System Builder license. The Organization Builder license may migrate, only there's no guarantee, and so information technology's worth the extra money for a license that'due south designed to exist moved.

Of course, you don't actually need a Windows production fundamental to install and apply Windows 10.

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/261053/when-can-you-move-a-windows-license-to-a-new-pc/

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