Link Windows License to a Microsoft Account without changing login options

Hi PL. I'm Greg, an installation specialist, 10 year Windows MVP, and Volunteer Guardian Moderator here to help you.

You should be able to link the DL to your MS Account, then sign in to a separate Local Account you create to operate under. There is of course no good reason to do this because all it does is make it inconvenient to use MS features. But I understand some users still have privacy concerns (I am a privacy advocate) even though there is almost zero intrusion compared to, for example, Google.

Can I see the error you're getting which says you must continue to sign in with that MS Account to keep the DL linked? I think it might refer to another MS account being used on the PC which it could then switch the DL to - for example how a new owner gets the DL linked - rather than inability to use another Local Account. I've seen the linked MS Account then converted to a Local in Account settings with no loss of the DL to the MS account. Or you can use a separately created Local Account.

If you'll try the above and report back I can help you better. Activation is evolving as they push everything to the DL to better manage a billion Windows 10 users. But there are a handful of MVP's who try to keep up with this and want to know what the actual User experience is at all times.

Changing hardware procedure is here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/.... Note one recent change is that the activation Troubleshooter would make an exception (never allowed before ) to more license from OEM if all else is correct. This appears to have changed and now it again restricts moving from OEM. However you can ask Microsoft Support by one of these methods: https://partner.support.services.microsoft.com/... as they have been making exceptions for good cause on builder's OEM since Windows 7.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and keep me posted. If you will wait to rate my post, I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

It's not so much privacy concerns, but just a convenience issue. I do have a password on my local account, but it is not a very long nor strong one, since it is a stationary PC, so the risk is low for anybody else to get their hands on it. For an online account I would use a significantly more complex one, one which I don't want to even try to know by heart, so logging in to my machine with such a password would be very inconvenient.

Regarding the license, I recently reinstalled Windows on a different PC. During this process I switched back from Legacy Boot to UEFI boot (I had used Legacy previously to be able to dualboot into Linux). I did have a Pro license on the PC before, but the installer didn't ask me which version to install (apparently there is only a single .iso currently, regardless of license) and when I tried to use some feature (Policy Editor) that is not included in home, I noticed that the version was "downgraded". I do not know if that is connected with the different Boot mode (I did have a Home Win7 on the machine when I bought it, before I switched to Legacy and installed Pro and Linux). In any case I don't have access to any information that was stored on the PC previously, because I formated it for a clean install. The current Version might be a remnant form when I first installed Windows10 (I upgraded the preinstalled Win7 before I installed the pro license).

After I noticed the issue, I tried to find any information as to how I could get the Pro license back, but everything I found told me that I either need a product key, or link the license to an account if I want to change hardware.

This can be due to the PC having permanent Digital Licenses for both Home and Pro which never go away unless you change motherboards on OEM. If you reinstall Windows the unitary Home/Pro ISO will choose Home without giving you a choice if you had embedded Windows 8 or 10 Home. Otherwise it should offer you the choice during install if you properly used the Media Creation Tool to create the media.

If not and you know you have a Pro DL on the PC, you would insert the Pro Generic Version Key VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T in Settings > Update & Security > Activation > Change Product Key. This will change the version to Pro and soon after it connects to internet it will phone home and find the Pro DL to activate.

It is always possible that a retail Pro key never converted to a DL so you might need to use that. But for an Upgrade that you know was activated as Pro it should be found or you'll need to find out why not.

If any problems contact MS Support by one of these methods: https://partner.support.services.microsoft.com/...

Thank you for that. I didn't know about these generic keys. That got me back the license on the other machine.

I am glad to help. Let me know if there's anything else.

Also when ready please mark the post which helped most as the Answer, to help others. A rating is also appreciated.

I finally got the new parts and repaired my PC, but now I have a new problem:

I do get my Windows activated, but only Home. I have a Pro digital license, linked to my Microsoft account, that I have on a different machine that I am not using anymore, but there seems to be no way to move that license to my current PC. I tried the generic key and I tried deactivating my current Home license and run the Activation Troubleshooter, but it only activates the Home license again, with no way for me to interact with it.

Is there no way to migrate a license to a system that already has a different license?