Link Microsoft Account to Windows 10 Digital License  

Hi, I have very specific question.
I'm using Microsoft account on Windows 10, so settings says "windows is activated with a digital license linked to your microsoft account"

So, what happens if I reinstall Windows 10 using the same key/digital license, but this time I will create only local account, and I won't log in to my Microsoft account on this computer?
1. Will this device still be showing up on my Microsoft acount list of devices or will it be removed?
2. Will my digital license still be linked to Microsoft account or will it be removed?

ch58ggb said:

Hi, I have very specific question.
I'm using Microsoft account on Windows 10, so settings says "windows is activated with a digital license linked to your microsoft account"

So, what happens if I reinstall Windows 10 using the same key/digital license, but this time I will create only local account, and I won't log in to my Microsoft account on this computer?
1. Will this device still be showing up on my Microsoft acount list of devices or will it be removed?
2. Will my digital license still be linked to Microsoft account or will it be removed?

One thing to remember is where the digital license for that computer is actually stored. The digital license for Windows 10 for that computer is actually stored on Microsoft Activation servers - not in your Microsoft Account. It is stored by a unique Hardware ID that identifies that specific computer (motherboard) not the Microsoft Account. In fact, if you create any Microsoft Account on that computer, a link will be created to that computer and it's digital license on each and every Microsoft Account created on that computer. If you re-install the same version of Windows 10 on that computer (IE: Home or Pro), and create only a local account, you can skip entering the product key for activation and when the computer connects to the internet it will send the Hardware ID of the computer to Microsoft Activation servers which will return the digital license for it and activate Windows, all based on the Hardware ID of the computer itself, not any particular Microsoft Account.

I'm having trouble understanding if this is important in my situation. My Windows 10 Home is activated with a digital license. Not yet linked to a MSA. I use a local account to sign on and would not want to make any changes to that, so I understand that I would need to follow the steps to link without turning my local account into an MSA. The benefit as I understand the thread would be to have the Windows 10 license digitally linked to MSA so that a change in hardware would not stop me from reactivating? The Windows 7 that was upgraded was an OEM version installed on this HP computer and the upgrade didn't ask for any info so I assume it got the product key from the motherboard. There is a legible product key sticker on the side of the tower, would that work to reactivate in the event of a hardware change? So that I could just forget this whole thread? I'm working my way up to the clean install tutorial, just want to be sure everything is in order before I proceed. Thank you in advance for any help and insights!

Thank you for that quick response. It seems there is no reason for me to worry about linking accounts because I have my product key.

{ This is hypothetical because I'm not really planning on doing it, but I'm still a little hazy on what would happen if I swapped out the motherboard? Is my product license somehow tied to the original mobo so that I could not use my product key with a new mobo? }

Thank you for clearing that up for me! This site ROCKS!

I created a VM last week. I signed into it using my MSA and activated it with a retail Windows 10 Pro key. It's activation was successful but it never got linked to my MSA. I followed the ones in this post by removing and re-adding the account but it still showed my partial product key, product ID, Status and name of Windows. I then tried this command (slmgr/ato). It said it activated successfully and this time it got linked. Why didn't it get linked before like it happened on my host machine?