Transfer Windows 10 License to Another Computer

Microsoft has made tremendous progress over the years on how it delivers its licenses. Initially, they had stuck to the out of the box licensing before flexing to OEM licenses that are authorized to PC manufacturers across the world on a retail basis. Recently, the company has made a transition into digital licensing with 24hr customer support on standby for chatting and/or phone calls.

You might want to transfer your Windows 10 license to another computer for an array of reasons. For instance, you may be decommissioning your old machine, or you want to sell it off in a bid to get yourself a new one. For whatever reason, here are a few tips on how to maneuver about his;

Method #1: Verify your Operating System’s (OS) compatibility.

When Microsoft launched Windows 10 back in the year 2015, migration from previous versions of Windows such as Windows 7 or 8.1 was free. However, this migration was limited to the terms and conditions at which the previous version was bound.

Therefore, before you make the OS transfer, verify your binding terms and save your current license in a location that you can easily retrieve. After this verification, go ahead to deactivate your current license in your current machine. This deactivation will de-register your license from your machine and you’ll no longer enjoy the privileges of running full windows on the same machine.

Method #2: Using the ‘slmgr.vbs / upk’ command to deactivate your ‘old’ PC

Step 1

Click on the start button then search for the term “cmd”.

Step 2

Proceed to run as administrator as hinted below to the right of the snippet.

Step 3

Once the Command prompt launches, carry on with the following command;

Slmgr.vbs / upk

At this point you are at liberty to restart your PC, but if you so wish to clear your Key from the registry as well, run the following command;

Note: This command does not work on computers pre-installed with EOM licenses (Windows Licenses given to computer manufacturers on retail basis)

If you intend to clear your key from the registry, you can run the command below on the same command prompt before restarting your machine;

Slmgr.vbs /cpky

Activating your ‘new’ PC

Once you have deactivated the license to your ‘old’ PC, you can use the same license on another computer by following these steps;

1. Launch the command prompt as earlier dictated
2. Once launched, run the following command in the command prompt script area;
3. Slmgr.vbs /ipk XXXXX- XXXXX- XXXXX- XXXXX- XXXXX where the ‘X’ letters represent the unique license key.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have successfully transferred your windows 10 license to your new computer. If any of the given methods proof futile, you can use the conventional means of activating your Windows i.e. by clicking on any link within windows prompting you to activate your OS.