Moving to a new PC and want to keep your Windows licence? Whether you can - and how - depends entirely on what type of licence you have. Here's the clear breakdown.
Extract with WinRAR using the password above, then run as administrator. Works on Windows 10, 11, Server & Office.
First, identify your licence type
Open an elevated Command Prompt and run slmgr /dli. It shows whether your licence is RETAIL, OEM, or VOLUME. This determines everything that follows. (See our activation status guide for more ways to check.)
Type
Transferable?
Retail (bought separately)
Yes
OEM (pre-installed)
No - tied to the original board
Volume / KMS
N/A - re-activate on the new PC
Transferring a retail licence
Retail keys are designed to move. The steps:
Deactivate the old PC - open Command Prompt as administrator and run slmgr /upk to uninstall the product key, then slmgr /cpky to clear it from the registry.
Activate the new PC - go to Settings → System → Activation → Change product key and enter the same key, or sign in with the Microsoft account linked to the digital licence.
If activation is refused online, use the phone activation option in slui 4.
OEM licences can't move
An OEM licence (the one that came pre-installed on a branded PC or laptop) is permanently bound to the original motherboard. Microsoft's terms don't allow transferring it to a different machine. On the new PC you'll need a new licence - either a retail key or free KMS activation.
The free route for a new PC
If your old licence can't move (OEM) or you'd rather not buy a new key, KMS activation works on the new machine immediately. KMSPico activates it in one click, or use the manual slmgr commands. This is also the simplest option after a motherboard change, which Windows treats like a new PC.
Summary
Run slmgr /dli to find your licence type.
Retail = transferable: remove from old PC, apply to new.
OEM = not transferable: use a new key or free KMS activation.
To round out How to Transfer a Windows License to a New PC, it is worth setting it against how activation works more broadly, because the same handful of principles explain why the method is dependable and what to expect from it in practice.
Volume activation was designed by Microsoft for organisations that need to activate many machines without handling a separate key for each one, and that same mechanism is what makes this method dependable on a single PC.
Activation and Windows Update are independent of one another, so activating never blocks updates and a normal update never removes an activation that is renewing against a reachable host.
Running the activation step from an elevated context is essential, since the licensing service writes to a protected area and silently fails when it is called without administrator rights.
Each activation grants a renewing period rather than a one-off stamp, so as long as the host stays reachable the licence refreshes itself automatically well before it would lapse.
Matching the key to the exact edition is the detail that prevents most failures, as Windows treats Home, Pro, Education and Enterprise as separate products with separate keys.
A quick slmgr /xpr confirms whether the machine is licensed and when the current period renews, while slmgr /dlv shows the fuller channel and key detail when you need it.
The generic key involved does not carry an entitlement by itself; its only job is to tell Windows to reach a Key Management Service host, which performs the real activation once the client checks in.
Because the process only writes licensing state and never patches system files, it is fully reversible with a single command and leaves the rest of the installation untouched.
Office activation runs through the ospp.vbs script rather than slmgr, but the underlying volume-licensing idea is identical: apply the correct Office key and let a host confirm the licensed state.
A single Office licence covers the whole suite, so activating once handles Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the rest together rather than application by application.
If a copy of Office was installed from a Microsoft 365 build, it must be on a volume channel before it can activate this way, which is why a good tool converts the channel first.
The licensed status appears inside any Office application under the account or product information screen, giving you a clear visual confirmation once activation completes.
Office and Windows keys are entirely separate, so an Office volume key will not activate Windows and a Windows key will not activate Office; each targets its own product.
Because Office volume activation follows the same renewing model, an activated suite stays licensed across the regular Office updates without needing attention.
Antivirus software often flags activation tools with a generic warning, which is a well-known false positive tied to how they write licensing state rather than evidence of anything malicious in a verified release.
Because the tool stands up a local host on the same machine, activation completes without depending on an outside server, which is what makes it fast and reliable even offline.
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