Transfer activation to a window 10 home

Hello @Pantz,

Pantz said:

Hello guy’s and gals, I am going to buy a 2021 Lenovo legion 5 gaming laptop but it comes with a Home version of windows, I have a very old laptop with a genuine window 10 pro. can I transfer the Pro license to the home version of windows.?

What sort of License do you have?

 License Types and Installed License Type

MS offers Win 10 Licenses in many channels governed by different rules, but for most users, you can only acquire a License through the OEM [ Original Equipment Manufacturer ] or Retail channel.

An OEM License refers to the License that a manufacturer installs on new devices. If this is your case, the Product Key is NOT transferable, and you can NOT use it to Activate another installation [ unless you are re-activating a new installation on the same computer ].

A Retail License refers to the License that you acquire when purchasing a copy of Win 10 from your local store or an online retailer [ such as from MS or Amazon for example ]. If you have a Win 10 Retail License, you CAN transfer the Product Key to another computer, as long as you DEACTIVATE the Product Key on the other computer.

A Volume License is designed for large Businesses, Education, and Government. Usually, a Volume License allows organizations to use one master Product Key to Activate ANY installation of Win 10. Although you can use this License multiple times on different computers, you can NOT transfer it with the device when the system ownership changes, and you are NOT allowed to use the License to Activate devices that are NOT part of the Organization.

Determine the License Type Installed:

If you intend to use the same Product Key on another computer, or you are trying to determine the License Type installed [ OEM, Retail, or Volume ], you can use the slmgr [ Server License Manager ] command . . .

• Press the Win + X keys together > Command Prompt (Admin).
• Type slmgr /dli in the Administrator: Command Prompt > Enter.
  
  Once the above command has finished processing, a Windows Script Host dialog box will appear.
  Look at the Description line for confirmation of the License Type installed.
  
  
• Click OK.

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I hope this helps.

Hello Pantz,

It will depend on if the Windows 10 Pro product key is an OEM or retail license.

Determine if Windows License Type is OEM, Retail, or Volume

If OEM, then you will not be able to use the product key on another computer.

If retail, you will be able to transfer the product key to use another computer.

Hello @Pantz,

Pantz said:

Hello looks like it’s a retail license, so it looks like I could transfer it to the new machine.?

Just remember to DEACTIVATE the Product Key on the other computer.

You could either deactivate Pro on the old laptop first, or format the hard drive on the old laptop to remove the Pro product key on it.

Uninstall Product Key and Deactivate Windows 10

Afterwards, you could just upgrade the Home to Pro by changing the product key to the Pro key, and not lose anything.

Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro

You're most welcome.

Be sure to write down the Pro product key before removing it from the old laptop.

Find Product Key in Windows 10