using a single digital license for both Win 10 and 11 on the same PC

Dan Perl 1

I already have 2 separate drives on the same PC, each one with Win 10 Pro activated with the same digital license. Can I upgrade one of the instances to Win 11 and still be able to run the Win 10 instance? Or can the license be activated with only one Windows version?

EckiS 831 Reputation points

2022-01-02T10:35:58.9+00:00

you already needed to have 2 licenses for the two Windows 10 installations.
license-requirement-for-a-dual-boot
Dan Perl 1 Reputation point

2022-01-02T14:29:33.21+00:00

I have been wondering about that too but I am not convinced you are right. The post you mention is from 2016 and the answer there is based on information from 2010. Windows licensing was very different back then and I have seen explanations that a present day digital license is tied to the Microsoft account and that you need only one such license per PC.
Dan Perl 1 Reputation point

2022-01-02T14:40:48.443+00:00

Just checked, Win 10 was already available in 2016 (released in 2015), so digital licenses were available then. Still, the answer is based on information from 2010.
Dan Perl 1 Reputation point

2022-01-02T15:08:41.48+00:00

FYI, I have the 2 separate drives because I am replacing an old one with a new one. I cloned the old one to the new one and I am looking for a use for the old one. So I'm thinking of using it to try out Win 11 or eventually as an external drive for backup. Also, my question refers especially to the technical aspects, less to the legal ones (although that matters too).

My main concern is whether the Win 10 activation becomes invalid after upgrading one of the installs to Win 11, either right away or after the 10 day period. Has anyone tried a scenario like this?

3 answers

Andreas Baumgarten 102.2K Reputation points MVP

2022-01-02T14:38:03.127+00:00

Hi @Dan Perl ,

based on the license terms at 2.a.:

License. The software is licensed, not sold. Under this agreement, we grant you the right to install and run one instance of the software on your device (the licensed device)

Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Useterms/Retail/Windows/10/Useterms_Retail_Windows_10_English.htm

I my opinion you need 2 licenses if you install Windows 10 in a dual boot scenario 2 times on one computer. But I am not a lawyer!

(If the reply was helpful please don't forget to upvote and/or accept as answer, thank you)

Regards
Andreas Baumgarten
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1 person found this answer helpful.
Dan Perl 1 Reputation point

2022-01-02T15:04:03.293+00:00

This is helpful and I haven't seen it before. It defines a device like this:
"Device. In this agreement, 'device' means a hardware system (whether physical or virtual) with an internal storage device capable of running the software. A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a device."

I don't think the "hardware partition" refers to a disk partition, see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/kernel/introduction-to-dynamic-hardware-partitioning. So 2 drives with 2 separate installs would be ok from the device pov.

As for the "one instance" part of the license terms, I am talking about running only one instance at a time. This leaves the question about the "install" part in "the right to install and run one instance of the software on your device". But I'm not a lawyer either.

I think the bottom line to clear things up is precedents. Have there been any public cases where Microsoft has prevented such a use of a digital license? BTW, this discussion has been about the legal aspect (which matters too) but my original question was from a technical standpoint and I would still like an answer for that.

Andreas Baumgarten 102.2K Reputation points MVP

2022-01-02T15:48:28.893+00:00

Hi @Dan Perl ,

in my opinion:
if you have one computer with 2 disks you are allowed to per license Windows 10 one time. It doesn't matter on which drive.
If you install Windows 10 two times on the computer, on the same or different disk, it counts as 2 installed instances, which require 2 licenses.
I am not aware of a public case on this topic.

Form a technical point of view it will work.
You could install Windows 10 and upgrade or Windows 11 directly in a dual boot scenario. Just make sure you use different disk partitions for each installation.

----------

(If the reply was helpful please don't forget to upvote and/or accept as answer, thank you)

Regards
Andreas Baumgarten
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Kapil Arya 7,851 Reputation points MVP

2022-01-02T10:34:43.773+00:00

AFAIK, you can use one license for only one machine at a time. In other words, you can't use same license on two different machines (either physical or virtual).
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Dan Perl 1 Reputation point

2022-01-02T14:23:39.723+00:00

What defines a machine? The hardware or the OS? I don't know what you mean by a virtual machine in this case.

Dan Perl 1 Reputation point

2022-01-02T15:03:29.443+00:00

I think Microsoft refers to virtual machine in the strict sense of a VM running within another OS.

Deven Winters 5 Reputation points

2023-05-05T20:15:25.36+00:00

If a tree falls in the forest scenario, you can only run one at a time, so if they have the same license I would think its ok.
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Arnav Patwal 0 Reputation points

2024-06-22T03:55:26.7+00:00

Somehow, I have dual-booted Windows 10 and 11 on the same device. I only had a Windows 10 license linked to my Microsoft account. When I installed Windows 11 and signed in with the same account, my license transferred there interestingly. I even got signed out of Windows 10, but it's still activated.
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using a single digital license for both Win 10 and 11 on the same PC

3 answers