is a windows 11 digital license purchased through the microsoft store transferrable?

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is a windows 11 digital license purchased through the microsoft store transferrable?

Frank Tekstar 40

I am ready to retire my desktop PC which has WIN 11 PRO that I purchased on the Microsoft Store. I would like to re-install clean Windows such that whoever gets this machine uses the WIN 11 PRO license that is associated to my Microsoft account. In effect, I would like to transfer my paid-for digital license on to the next owner. Can I do this and, if so, how?

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Answer 1

Alexandr S 104.6K Independent Advisor

Hello.

The license itself is not linked to a Microsoft account. The license is linked to a PC (licensed PC), and this PC is already linked to a Microsoft account. In other words, the license is assigned not to the owner, but to the computer. And according to clause 4 of the Windows EULA, you have the right to transfer the license you purchased along with the PC to the new owner.

If you have purchased an upgrade from the Home version to the Professional version (it is the upgrade that is sold in the Microsoft Store), then such a license is permanently assigned to the PC on which it was purchased and the upgrade was performed. When purchasing such an update, a unique key is not sent (after upgrading to the Professional version, the Home key changes to the well-known "plug" VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T. When reinstalling the OS, activation is picked up automatically when the Internet is turned on, since information about the PC and the upgrade license is stored on Microsoft servers.

If you have purchased a license for the full standalone version of Windows Professional edition (not in the Microsoft Store, but on the Microsoft website), then you should receive an email with a unique product key by E-Mail after payment, which you must transfer to the new owner in case of sale of the PC along with the OS.

I have described all the options in detail so that everything is immediately clear, but in any case, the license terms explicitly allow you to sell/transfer the PC along with the OS license.

Michael Taylor 61,206 Reputation points

2025-07-11T19:09:25.0933333+00:00

I do not believe this is categorically true. An OEM license is tied to the device it came with. In those situations the license can be transferred to a new owner of the device.

However if you purchase a license from the MS Store, as the OP said, then your MS account owns the license, not the device you install it on. The license can be moved to another device provided you associate that device with your MS account. An easy way to tell is to go to your MS Account and see if it lists a Windows license. If it does then it is tied to your MS account and not a device.

You mention a EULA, please provide a link to where you found this information and clarify whether it applies to OEM or Retail licenses. I'm not aware of a case, outside OEM, where a license can be transferred to another account.
Frank Tekstar 40 Reputation points

2025-07-11T19:19:01.87+00:00

My MS account does not list a Windows license. The machine (under Devices) shows it having WIN 11 PRO.
Michael Taylor 61,206 Reputation points

2025-07-11T19:22:13.89+00:00

Is your license an OEM license that came with the device or did you buy a license directly from the MS Store?
Frank Tekstar 40 Reputation points

2025-07-11T19:25:05.3866667+00:00

MS Store. Originally shipped from Dell as WIN 10 HOME, went thru free upgrade to WIN 11 HOME, purchased WIN 11 PRO from the store.
Michael Taylor 61,206 Reputation points

2025-07-11T19:33:46.6066667+00:00

Then it sounds like you have a Retail license, no product key. When you factory reset your old device it will fall back to the OEM version that was installed, Win 10 Home I would wager. On your "new" machine you will be able to use your Win 11 Pro license you purchased. It should, in my experience, auto associate if you log into Windows using your MS account when you set it up.
Frank Tekstar 40 Reputation points

2025-07-11T19:48:50.0266667+00:00

My new machine has its own 11 pro license. I'm trying to leave the old machine with a clean, pre-installed 11 pro using the license I purchased thru the store. I am currently running the install on the old machine, using a USB drive installer. It started to install 11 home, seems to have detected that the machine underwent the upgrade to 11 pro, and is now completing install. When it comes up, I plan to create a test MS account and see whether 11 pro activates. That should answer the question.

Answer 2

Alexandr S 104.6K Independent Advisor

Message for Michael Taylor

Link to the Windows 11 EULA: https://www.microsoft.com/content/dam/microsoft/usetm/documents/windows/11/oem-(pre-installed)/UseTerms_OEM_Windows_11_English.pdf

(The text is common to the OEM and BOX/ESD versions, the differences in conditions are spelled out there).

P.S. I recommend following the official documents from the copyright holder. Licensing affects legal aspects and the user can have very sad consequences due to incorrect information.

Frank Tekstar 40 Reputation points

2025-07-11T19:57:33.2633333+00:00

Yep. My reading of 4.a says that it should transfer to another MS account because the license is tied to the machine (via an onboard chip, for which I forget the name right now).
Frank Tekstar 40 Reputation points

2025-07-11T20:00:26.86+00:00

Also, section 5 seems to mean that MS verifies the specific device associated to the license.

Answer 3

Alexandr S 104.6K Independent Advisor

Quote: "MS Store. Originally shipped from Dell as WIN 10 HOME, went thru free upgrade to WIN 11 HOME, purchased WIN 11 PRO from the store."

This is what I wrote about in the last post. When you went to the Microsoft Store from the OS Settings page, you probably noticed that it says "update for this computer". And - not a word about the account.

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Answer 4

Horace Wiggins 360

Remove all your important data and then do a factory restore. The person you sell it to, when they start it up, will have to go through the steps to set it up and register it.

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Answer 5

Michael Taylor 61,206

No, digital licenses are not transferable. Licenses are tied to the MS account they were used with. Whoever gets your computer would need their own license to use Windows.

Frank Tekstar 40 Reputation points

2025-07-12T00:35:59.8466667+00:00

From my testing, I found that the license is not tied to the MS account. It is tied to the device.

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is a windows 11 digital license purchased through the microsoft store transferrable?

5 additional answers

Remove all your important data and then do a factory restore. The person you sell it to, when they start it up, will have to go through the steps to set it up and register it.

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