Windows 10 license on virtual machine

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Bonnot23
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Joined: 3. Feb 2022, 16:12

Windows 10 license on virtual machine

Post by Bonnot23 »

Hello everyone. I have a virtual machine with Windows 10 Professional installed with regular OEM license. I was wondering how the licensing system works on virtual machines. If I were to delete the virtual machine could I use the same license on a new VM? Or, if I were to delete the local disk of the virtual machine and create a new one how would Windows activation work? Thank you
scottgus1
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Re: Windows 10 license on virtual machine

Post by scottgus1 »

The ultimate authority on Microsoft licensing is Microsoft. But we have experienced the following:

The VM is a separate computer for licensing purposes and needs its own license.

If you delete a VM's .vbox file, that is like destroying the PC motherboard. It will be up to Microsoft if they will let you use the existing license on a new VM.

If you delete only the VM's disk file, that is like changing only the disk drive in a PC. Microsoft should let the OS get reinstalled and relicensed, since the original 'motherboard' (the .vbox file) is still present.
mpack
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Re: Windows 10 license on virtual machine

Post by mpack »

ISTM this question is really about activation, not licensing.
scottgus1 wrote: If you delete only the VM's disk file, that is like changing only the disk drive in a PC. Microsoft should let the OS get reinstalled and relicensed, since the original 'motherboard' (the .vbox file) is still present.
Be careful with that. In a physical PC there may (*) be a digital key stored somewhere in the motherboard - so you can replace the hard drive and reinstall Windows 10/11 and it will still be licensed and activated. I have done this several times and was never asked to reactivate.

There is no Windows digital key in a VirtualBox VM, and nowhere to store one (AFAIK).

(*) In retrospect I could be wrong about how this works. Perhaps it's not a stored digital license at all but just a hardware signature. So when the Windows activation server sees a combination of hidden product key and hardware signature that they already know then they silently OK it.

So basically, if you delete the .vbox file then you're dead.
Bonnot23
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Joined: 3. Feb 2022, 16:12

Re: Windows 10 license on virtual machine

Post by Bonnot23 »

OK I got it. So If I export the virtual machine (generating the .ova file) and later re-import it I should have no problem then right?
mpack
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Re: Windows 10 license on virtual machine

Post by mpack »

Bonnot23 wrote:OK I got it. So If I export the virtual machine (generating the .ova file) and later re-import it I should have no problem then right?
I'm not sure why you are suddenly talking about OVA export. If all you want is a copy VM on the same host then you clone the VM and keep the hardware signature. If the VM is intended for a new host PC then you simply copy the VM folder and register it there - but note that a change in CPU can cause loss of Windows guest activation.

Export is only used if you wanted to switch to VMWare or something. And it doesn't protect activation more than any other copy methods.
fth0
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Re: Windows 10 license on virtual machine

Post by fth0 »

The vendor of a physical PC with an included Windows license stores an individual Product Key into the ACPI MSDM table. When reinstalling the same Windows version, this has a similar effect as manually entering this Product Key during installation.

For information about how to provide the ACPI MSDM table to a VM, see 9.10. Configuring Custom ACPI Tables and/or ask your favorite search engine. ;)

PS: Note that Microsoft allows you to use a single Windows license on one PC or one VM, but not on both.
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