Reactivating retail Windows 10 pro after upgrading motherboard

I'm about to upgrade my motherboard and I already have my Windows 10 license linked to my Microsoft Account. Can I erase the hard drive, upgrade the motherboard, clean install Windows 10 and then run troubleshooter to reactivate with the same Microsoft account? What would happen if I use the Remove PC option in the list of devices in my Microsoft Account? Is there a way to do a remote wipe from the Microsoft account with Find My Device?

Windows 10 activation is stored directly to Microsoft servers and it is independent of your Microsoft account. This allows users to use a local account, otherwise a Microsoft account would be required at all Windows 10 installations. Yes, you can format your hard disk and do a clean Windows 10 installation. Once online Windows 10 should either activate automatically or prompt for activation. Activating for a second time is usually possible without requiring to contact Microsoft by phone. In worst case you will have to contact Microsoft, explain that you upgraded your computer and guide you through the activation process. Once activated any other computer using the same license key will automatically deactivate (unless kept offline), this is to prevent using the same key on two different computers. But if your new hardware is not too different from the old, you could try booting the hard disk as it is. Once successfully into Windows desktop you update all the drivers to match the new hardware and you don't have to format and reinstall everything. This applies if for example you go from Intel s1155 CPU to s1150 or s1151 (2-3 generations max) and for the equivalent in AMD chipsets. If you have a very old computer or you exchange Intel for AMD and vice versa there are much fewer possibilities for Windows 10 to load properly and you will have to backup and format.

Not necessary to do that. If second activation cannot be done automatically online, you can always contact Microsoft and activate by phone.

Cliff S said:

Pita when one doesn't have the number in ones country.

The numbers are displayed on screen during the phone activation where you can select your country

Cliff S said:

I had problems after swapping boards once, that key troubleshooter doesn't always really help.

The best method is to uninstall the key with slmgr before tearing your old system apart, then you can use the key no problem on the new build.

1. Disable Secure Boot in BIOS
2. Open an Admin Command Prompt:
3. slmgr /upk (uninstalls the key)
4. Press Enter
5. slmgr /cpky (deletes it from the registry)
6. Press Enter
7. Restart system
8. Check is your system is not activated with the key(it might take a while for Microsoft's servers to register the change, so wait).

That's it, now upgrade your hardware.

Uninstalling the product key from the first computer accomplishes nothing, actually. It has no affect on the digital license for that computer stored on Microsoft's Activation Servers. Microsoft keeps track of how many times and how often a product key is INSTALLED. Removing a product key from a computer using slmgr /upk has no affect on that count. After the retail product key is removed, the generic product key could be used instead and that same computer would just reactivate itself with the digital license stored on Microsoft Activation Servers for it.

The best bet for @Keith Weisshar is just simply to use the retail product key to activate the new motherboard with just like any other simple install of Windows and not bother with doing anything with the old motherboard's Windows 10 installation. The requirement to comply with the EULA is only that the Windows installation be removed from the old computer before reusing the license on the new computer. When the old motherboard is disconnected from the hard drive/SSD, Windows has been removed from it. You can't change it's licensed status, however, because that is permanently stored on Microsoft Activation Servers.

Cliff S said:

You can delete the device at your Microsoft account after the key is uninstalled:

You can also delete the device with the product key installed. Uninstalling the product key from the computer has no affect on that ability. Removing the device from your Microsoft Account has absolutely no affect on it's digital license. With Windows 10 I can remove every Microsoft Account from a computer, I can delete that computer from every Microsoft Account it was ever linked to and I can remove the product key from that computer. Then I can turn around and re-activate that computer with just the generic product key for that version of Windows 10.

The only thing a product key does in Windows 10 is gets you the initial digital license for that computer. It's like buying a lifetime membership to a gym with a credit card. Once you buy the lifetime membership, you don't need the credit card to get into the gym, you use your membership card. You can close your credit card account and it makes no difference. Product key=credit card. Digital license obtained with the product key=lifetime membership card obtained with a credit card.