How to transfer Windows 10 license to another computer

If you've ever built a computer and bought a Windows license, you probably don't want to buy another license for the next computer, right? With the slmgr command , users can deactivate copyrighted Windows on the old PC and then reactivate on a new computer.

Deactivate copyrighted Windows on an old PC instead of buying a new license

License of Windows license is very expensive. With prices ranging from $ 100 to $ 200 (2,300,000 - 4,600,000 VND), an official Microsoft product key costs the same price as a 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM or a motherboard. Therefore, paying for another license to use on a new computer when you want to stop using an old machine is not a good idea. The good news is, it is possible to disable the license on the PC that is no longer intended to be used, then transfer that license to a new computer.

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The slmgr command helps to do this simply, but there are a few limitations to keep in mind. The slmgr command does not work for OEM keys (the key that came with the computer you purchased in the store). Manufacturers that embed these keys into the original hardware and transferring them to new devices will not help. And although slmgr can deactivate any retail key (the key the user has purchased separately), it will only activate a key that matches the installed operating system.

Windows 7 and 8 keys will still activate Windows 10, but only through the standard activation process and not the slmgr command . Entering the key of the 'Pro' version on the 'Home' version with slmgr will also fail. To keep things as simple as possible, transfer the Windows 10 Home key to a Windows 10 Home device and transfer the Windows 10 Pro key to a Windows 10 Pro device. If not, users will have to perform some additional steps.

How to cancel Windows copyright on old PC

Before you start, make sure you've saved Windows Key somewhere. If there is a product box or digital receipt, get the key from there. On the other hand, there are a number of ways that users can recover product keys from the old PC, including using Nirsoftult's Produkey.

To deactivate copyright on the old PC, users will need to open the Command Prompt with admin rights. Having an admin account is not enough. Users will need to click on the Start button and enter cmd in the search box. Then click the 'Run as administrator' option on the right.

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In the Command Prompt that appears, run the following command and then restart the computer:

 slmgr.vbs /upk 

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If you plan to sell or give it away, users can also delete the key from the registry. It is not necessary to deactivate, but it is a good idea to protect the key.

Enter the following in the Command Prompt:

 slmgr.vbs /cpky 

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If the commands are successful, the old PC will be deactivated the Windows license. Users can still use Windows, but it is no longer considered a genuine copy of Windows and certain features will no longer work (such as personalizing the desktop, for example). If you want to activate Windows, users can buy a new key (probably from the Windows Store) and import it into the machine.

How to activate Windows license on a new PC

To enable Windows license with slmgr, open Command Prompt with admin rights and run the following command:

 slmgr.vbs /ipk #####-#####-#####-#####-##### 

Replace ##### - ##### - ##### - ##### - ##### with key.

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If you try to use a key that has not been deactivated from the previous PC, everything seems to work at first. But in the end, the activation process will fail and users will receive notifications like 'not genuine' and 'renew your PC'.

Again, this command will only work if the key exactly matches the operating system in use. If there's Windows 10 Pro key, but installing Windows 10 Home, users will encounter the 'Microsoft Windows non-core edition' error.

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And if you try to use the previous version key, such as Windows 7 or 10, users will receive an invalid key error.

The best thing to do in those cases is to open the settings, click the 'Activate Windows' option , then enter the key manually.

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Note that if you use the Pro version key and to activate a copy of installed Windows 10 Home, using this method will automatically upgrade to the Pro version.

Remember that users can only use Windows keys with one installation. If you want to keep the old machine after building a new machine, you will need to purchase a second Windows license.

Hope you are succesful.