Wondering if I can build a Win11 VM to try the product before I upgrade to it on my home machine.

Gerald T Revier 1 Reputation point
2022-06-28T16:33:04.427+00:00

This maybe out of scope for this forum. Wondering if I can build a Win11 VM to try the product before I upgrade to it on my home machine. I would like to use the 30 day 200.00 credit for it if possible. I own a couple peices of software that I would like to try before upgrading and then have to downgrade

This is the VM creation question I am struggling with "I confirm I have an eligible Windows 10 license with multi-tenant hosting rights."

thanks

Jerry

Azure Virtual Machines
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An Azure service that is used to provision Windows and Linux virtual machines.
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Windows 11
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A Microsoft operating system designed for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.
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  1. kobulloc-MSFT 23,181 Reputation points Microsoft Employee
    2022-06-28T17:04:59.883+00:00

    Hello, anonymous user!

    Using virtual machines as a sandbox to experiment is one of the benefits of the easy to create and delete nature of a VM. There are a couple things to be aware of before you start.

    Can I run this software on a VM?
    Different software has different licensing requirements related to running the software on a virtual machine or in a cloud environment. Some software can be used freely anywhere, some software requires a special license or certain conditions for virtual machine or cloud use, and other software may prohibit virtual machine and cloud use altogether. Check your software before installing it to see what the requirements are.

    What qualifies for Windows 10 multi-tenant hosting rights?
    Licensing for Windows 10 is a bit complicated as it is per user rather than per machine or vCPU like Windows Server. Windows 10 multi-tenant hosting rights were designed to be used by businesses with multiple users and are likely overkill for what you are trying to do.

    As a result, it's not possible to pay for a Windows 10 license as part of your subscription fee (as you would with Windows Server)--the license must be purchased separately. There are a couple options to do this including a Windows 10 Enterprise VM (multi-tenant) or Azure Virtual Desktop, but you're likely looking for a Windows 10 client image. One of the most cost effective ways to get a Windows 10 client image license is through a Visual Studio subscription.

    What alternatives are there?
    Windows Server includes the license fee in the hourly rate which can be paid for with your trial account credit and may be an alternative if that works for what you are interested in. There also are several Linux images that are available without a licensing fee.

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