Can a private customer sign up for Azure PAYG subscription and legally use a single instance of an Azure Windows 10 Pro VM?

David Jones 96 Reputation points
2021-05-05T14:13:41.747+00:00

If I login to Azure and setup a Pay As You Go subscription and then add a Windows 10 Pro VM to that subscription I must agree to the following statement

"I confirm I have an eligible Windows 10 license with multi-tenant hosting rights."

And which relates to the following Windows licence groups which I as a single private consumer do not have.

"You are eligible to access Windows 10 and Windows 7 with Windows Virtual Desktop if you have one of the following per user licenses:
Microsoft 365 E3/E5
Microsoft 365 A3/A5/Student Use Benefits
Microsoft 365 F3
Microsoft 365 Business Premium**
Windows 10 Enterprise E3/E5
Windows 10 Education A3/A5
Windows 10 VDA per user"

Incidentally I have also been informed that I can use Hyper-V in Windows 10 to create a VM and that would also work with Azure. How I would get that VM on Azure I do not know nor do I know what Windows 10 licence agreements would apply to that if I could get that working.

So here is the quesion:
I am NOT a business
I am NOT a Student
I do not have any of the following:

  • Microsoft 365 E3/E5
  • Microsoft 365 A3/A5/Student Use Benefits
  • Microsoft 365 F3
  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium**
  • Windows 10 Enterprise E3/E5
  • Windows 10 Education A3/A5
  • Windows 10 VDA per user*

I have several PCs at home with Windows 10 Licence keys and I have an Office 365 personal user. However as far as I am aware I as a single personal customer cannot legally create a Windows 10 Pro VM on Azure.

I note that if you choose a Windows 10 Preview build from the Azure Market Place you are able to choose the "Azure Hybrid" option of bring your own licence however that option appears to be for Windows Server or something and not a build of Windows 10 or maybe I have missed something...

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Accepted answer
  1. David Jones 96 Reputation points
    2021-05-06T15:33:10.28+00:00

    [EDIT] Issue resolved.
    There is currently (May 2021) a bug where when attempting to create a Windows 10 Pro VM you cannot proceed without selecting "I confirm I have an eligible Windows 10 license with multi-tenant hosting rights."

    The solution is to check the box and continue creating the VM as Azure anyway manages the Windows 10 licences as part of an Azure subscription. Therefore you cannot and do not need to use a regular retail copy of Windows 10 activation key for a Windows 10 VM on Azure

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