Windows 11 licenses included in M365 E3 and E5

Hello,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

Microsoft 365 is a comprehensive subscription service that includes Office 365, Windows 10 (and Windows 11), and enterprise-level security features. In Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 plans, Windows 11 licenses are included as part of the package. This means that users who subscribe to these plans can legally use the Windows 11 operating system without purchasing an additional independent Windows 11 license.

Windows 11 licenses are not independent licenses in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 plans, but are part of the entire subscription service. This means that users can use Windows 11 according to the rights and features of their subscription plans without having to purchase an independent license.

In addition, for those who have already subscribed to Microsoft 365 and use Windows 10, they can upgrade to Windows 11 for free, because Windows 11 is the successor to Windows 10, and can be upgraded through Windows Update if the system requirements are met.

I hope the information above is helpful.

Best Regards,

Yanhong Liu

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If the Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.

Hi @Micheal Mallo ,

as far as I know the Windows 11 licenses are full/standalone licenses (not update/upgrade licenses only).

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

Regards

Andreas Baumgarten

Qualifying Operating Systems Windows 11 licenses acquired through a Microsoft Commercial Licensing program are upgrade licenses. You cannot acquire full Windows operating system licenses for desktop PCs through Microsoft Commercial Licensing programs. Customers must first have licensed and installed a Qualifying Operating System on a device before the device is eligible for a Windows 11 upgrade license. Full Windows operating system licenses can be acquired for desktop PCs preinstalled on a new PC by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Full Packaged Product (FPP – retail) licenses may also be assigned and installed on a desktop PC device as a qualifying license. Device licenses may only be assigned to devices with a Qualifying Operating System. See Product Terms Qualifying operating system for per user licenses and Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) per device/user licenses Qualifying Operating Systems Enterprise Agreement, Microsoft Products and Services Agreement, Select, and Select Plus Microsoft Cloud Agreement and Microsoft Customer Agreement Windows 10/11 Enterprise, IoT Enterprise, Pro, Pro Workstations Windows 8 / 8.11 Enterprise, Pro, Professional, Windows Embedded 8/8.1 Pro, Industry Pro When licensed solely for remote virtualization, Windows VDA licenses do not require users to have a device with a Qualifying Operating System. Windows VDA licenses do, however, require a Qualifying Operating System when used to run Windows locally, including local virtualization. All other Windows 11 licenses obtained through Commercial Licensing programs still require Qualifying Operating Systems for remote virtualization scenarios.