1

Got a Windows 10 Home with local account.

Now I also bought a Windows 10 Pro key.

  1. I want to change Windows 10 Home to Pro
  2. I want to keep my Home key for later use
  3. I want to keep my account as "local account" - not MS Online Account

How can I do this?

Update to answer comments: I built the machine myself, I installed Windows without key and then used an older Windows 7 key to successfully activate Windows 10 Home. I bought Windows 10 Pro as separate key, not as update.

Lee.D
  • 59
  • 1
  • 6
  • Did you buy the machine with Windows 10 Home on it or did you buy a blank machine and buy Windows 10 Home retail? Also did you buy a retail copy of Windows 10 Pro or did you buy the home to pro upgrade? – Mokubai Jan 26 '18 at 14:06
  • Related, possible dupe: https://superuser.com/questions/303136/windows-activation-faq-how-do-language-version-64-bit-or-32-bit-and-source-a – Mokubai Jan 26 '18 at 15:00
  • @Mokubai please see updated question. – Lee.D Jan 26 '18 at 15:15
  • If the copy of Windows 7 was a retail version then *in theory* the upgraded version of 10 should be too, but [this page](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12440/windows-10-activation) implies that the original upgrade is a digital licence linked to that computer and as such is not transferable. It sounds like to change to the Pro licence is as easy as [changing the product key in Windows](https://superuser.com/questions/1196315/windows-10-two-licences-on-one-machine) which can be done on the settings page where you check Windows activation. – Mokubai Jan 26 '18 at 15:42
  • As to "releasing" the Home licence I suspect you would have to call Microsoft. (Left as comments due to guesses and supposition.) – Mokubai Jan 26 '18 at 15:42
  • Per https://www.groovypost.com/howto/transfer-windows-10-license-new-pc/ it depends if you bought a Windows 7 **RETAIL** key or an **OEM** key as to whether your home license is transferable. A retail key apparently has a one time transfer associated with it after the upgrade, an OEM key lives and dies on the machine you first installed it on. The way to know is by checking the packaging for your original licence. – Mokubai Jan 26 '18 at 15:52

1 Answers1

1

Most likely the Windows 7 key that you used was Retail, since it worked for you on a new computer. Therefore, your Windows 10 Home license should be transferable to a new computer in the future.

Before upgrading Home to Pro, in order to make the transfer possible, you should deactivate the Home serial on the computer before doing the upgrade install of the Pro version. It is important that an Internet connection be available when doing that, so a connection is possible to the Microsoft servers.

Deactivating the computer is done by running the Command Prompt (cmd) as Administrator and entering one of the following commands (whichever one works for you) :

slmgr.vbs /upk
slmgr.vbs -upk

This is required, since Windows only allows any one license to be installed on only one computer at a time.

Note that the reuse of the Home serial is not guaranteed, since there might be other factors in the future, which include Microsoft changing its transfer policies.

harrymc
  • 455,459
  • 31
  • 526
  • 924