How do I transfer Win 10 license from my old laptop to a new desktop.

I bought Win7 for the laptop, and upgraded it when the option was free for Win 10.

I plan to build a cheap desktop, and want to transfer the license to that. The laptop will sit redundant with it’s half working screen, and Mint running Plex on it

boot the Desktop from the laptop drive then install Win 10 on the desktop (I think)

Hmm, will that work? You’ve previously used the W10 key on the laptop, so won’t M$ think you’re making a hardware change beyond the allowable scope?

Might as well try I guess.

seems the quickest way to try it, they seem to be more keen on getting people in and on these days

As gofasterstripes has commented, the windows 10 upgrade is tied to that laptop. As the free upgrade opportunity has now passed I think you will have to purchase a new license, although you may be able to get Windows 7 to install on the new system if you have the key for that.

Gofasterstripes/hutchweb have it – It’s very unlikely to work.

The Laptop Win 7 licence will likely have been an OEM one, which is tied to the laptop motherboard/CPU combination.

The Windows 10 licence will therefore be the same and will reject activation on the new combination. You might be able to get away with doing a phone activation (you have to tap in long key). Microsoft do make provision for this – laptop motherboards are replaced under warranty etc. but technically you are in breach of the EULA by transferring to a new machine.

If you want to be safe just download a Win 10 iso and install that from scratch on the new machine. You can try and input the Win 7 licence key and if it works it probably means your Win 7 licence was the full product and not an OEM one. If it fails it will tell you where you can purchase a new key from.

Win7 was bought outright by me, laptop came with Vista.

So i do own the original key somewhere in an email from software for students. But we are talking 7 years or so ago now.

well if you don’t try.. clone the laptop hard drive onto the computer and fire it up, Win 10 should adjust to all the new hardware (it may take a few reboots) and see what the activation status is? Assuming it not activated, contact Microsoft and tell them you motherboard died and this is the replacement, they’ll either re-activate the license for you or tell you to do one..

Otherwise did the new computer not come with a O/S at all? The Windows 10 free upgrade may have officially ended, but they still quite happily let you do it

New PC will come in bits most likely.

Boot off W10 installation media, when it asks for a licence key bang in your W7 retail key. Job jobbed.