Microsoft Windows 10 License for Virtual Machine

Question

We want to create two brand new virtual machines (using VMware) and install Windows 10 on them. Once these are installed we want to be able to remote desktop connect to these Virtual Machines. What is the minimum license requirement for these? We use Windows 10 Pro throughout our organization and not Enterprise edition.

Answer 1

You can use Remote Desktop to connect to Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise, Windows 8.1 and 8 Enterprise and Pro, Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate but not Home editions.

Steps and notes to enable remote access on target computer could be found in below article.

Remote Desktop - Allow access to your PC
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/remote/remote-desktop-services/clients/remote-desktop-allow-access

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Hope this helps and please help to accept as Answer if the response is useful.

Thanks,
Jenny

Answer 2

Assuming your licenses come from Volume Licensing program, licensing terms for Win10 as guest OS on VM can be found at section 3.7 in here and this one.

TL;DR version: Unless your users have VDA licensing, you had better install Windows Server editions + Remote Desktop Service CAL licensing instead. What you want to do generally requires Software Assurance to do it properly.

Well, I have to say this is more or less expected when Microsoft removed the right to acquire TS/RDS temporary CAL from Pro edition users since Win7.

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EDIT: And then here's another somehow contradicting page (License Model -> Desktop Operating Systems -> Device License) that basically said as long as both the VMs and the machines connecting to those VMs are properly licensed, and only one user is remote connected to the VM at a time, no additional licensing is required.

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Disclaimer: The above is my interpretation only. Check with your local authorized dealer or here for authoritative recommendations.