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

Dan Perl 1 Reputation point
2022-01-02T06:15:33.543+00:00

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?

Windows 10
Windows 10
A Microsoft operating system that runs on personal computers and tablets.
11,068 questions
Windows 11
Windows 11
A Microsoft operating system designed for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.
8,791 questions
{count} votes

3 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. 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

    1 person found this answer helpful.

  2. 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).


  3. 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.

    0 comments No comments