Do I must have a Windows 10 license before deploying Windows 10?

Question

I am creating a Windows 10 VM today but stopped at the first step. It asked me to tick a box to confirm that I have a Windows 10 license, which I don't have. Does this means we have to purchase a license before we creating any VMs like Windows 10?

Answer 1

Hi @Eric Zhou ,

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  

Read more:

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/virtual-desktop/

Answer 2

Use Windows 10 sticker on present on you PC, you may be able to create your virtual machine and then use the product key on the sticker to install Windows in the VM.

Answer 3

You should purchase a valid license key.

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/buy-windows-10-with-a-valid-or-legit-license-key#:~:text=Go%20to%20Settings%20%3E%20Update%20and%20Security%20%3E,with%20Microsoft%20account%2C%20the%20key%20will%20be%20linked.

Answer 4

Hi,

Yes. You'll need to have a valid license for any operating systems you use in the VMs.

For your reference:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyper-v-on-windows/about/