How to Transfer a Windows License to a New PC

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.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.