"Base" License / OS Requirements for Windows 10 LTSC

Question

My company needs to build several dozen workstations (desktops) with Windows 10 (Enterprise) LTSC.

We have plans to purchase a number of Windows 10 LTSC licenses, but we noticed, through our purchasing method, that these licenses are labeled as "Windows 10 LTSC 2021 Upgrade Licenses".

The "Upgrade License" portion of this labeling spiked a concern to us.

We already have all of the workstations, none of which came with any OS pre-installed. Are we able to directly install the Windows 10 LTSC OS if we purchase said licenses, or do we need a "base OS" installed first in order to "upgrade" to Windows 10 LTSC?

Our concern is that using Windows 10 Pro as a "base" license is not an option, since it has gone end-of-life, which means we'd have to use Windows 11 Pro, thus possibly resulting in an OS re-build (to go from Windows 11 Pro to Windows 10 LTSC).

May I get some insight on the best way to proceed with this situation? Thanks.

Answer 1

Hello,

You just need the base license, you do not need to actually upgrade the OS. Windows Volume Licensing are upgrade licenses, but that is a licensing requirement not an technical requirement that requires you to do an upgrade. The Window 10 LTSC 2021 willl install without a prior Operating system being installed.