Link Microsoft Account to Windows 10 Digital License  

Hello everybody!
Firstly, I would like to thank for all the information available in this forum, and especially on this thread, where it concerns Win10. I found answers for almost all of my questions just by searching the thread, and as such, I just would like to clear one last thing so I can get some peace of mind.

I, as many others, obtained my Win 10 Pro OS through the free upgrade last year (retail key), one that I installed over an 1TB HDD drive. Now, considering the recent ryzen release, I finally decided to upgrade from my old phenom II build, implying in a significant hardware change. Besides that, I also acquired an SSD drive, in which I intend to install the OS for the new system.

Being that the case, what would be the most efficient, and secure way of transferring my license key to the new system?
- Can I just link my current license, installed in the HDD with the old hardware, to MSA, and then perform a fresh install on the SSD with the new system, and then login to MSA registering the new device? That would definitely be the most practical way.

- Or should I install win10 in my SSD while using the old hardware, register it to MSA, and only then upgrade my system, freshly installing win10 and then activating the license using the troubleshoot? A little more inconvenient, but if it's necessary to do it correctly, I don't mind it at all.

Thanks in advance for all the help, and sorry if I didn't get more clear, I just couldn't find a better way of phrasing my question.

Hello Brink, thanks for the welcoming and the quick response!

About my situation, I didn't have the digital license associated with Microsoft Account yet, so from what I understood I could simply associate it now, with the old hardware including the same HDD, and then, when upgrading to the new hardware and installing on the SSD, it's just a matter of doing the process through the troubleshooting in "Activation".

Finally, thank you for your concern and patience.

hello Guniu and cereberus

I have a doubt, now you had your digital license for VM1 , you linked it to MSA then you logged into same MSA in VM2 and transferred the license to VM2. After that if you change back to local account will your VM2 still be activated with digital license or will you lose your license onVM2 just because you logged out of MSA ?

I have a similar question. I followed the steps to add my MS account from the admin account in the activation settings page. The admin account was already running as a local account and adding the MS account appeared to change it into a MS account from a local account. The activation went on to say that Windows was activated with a digital licence linked to your Microsoft account rather than just Windows is activated with a digital licence.

I then went to change the account back to a local account and my question is - now that I have been through the process does the licence remain linked once returning the account to a local account?