Windows 10: Windows pro digital retail license not activating

Setting up a new pc. Installed windows 10 pro. I have a digital license that I purchased back in 2018. No product key, I believe it should just be tied to my account. Reset the old pc that the license was on. Going to windows activation trouble shooter, it is unable to activate. Been hung up on by tech support several times. Not sure why I can’t get someone to help.

:)

 

use owned retail pro license on device with oem home license

I try to transfer my windows 10 PRO RETAIL license to new laptop with no luck.

the problem:

I have old laptop with activated windows 10 PRO (digital license) - when checking lsmgr it claims that is RETAIL license and I have now new laptop which comes with windows 11 HOME OEM license.

I dont want use HOME version, I need activate new laptop with my PRO RETAIL digital license, so I try to replace OEM license to my PRO RETAIL license.

So on new laptop I've installed clean windows 11 PRO version, used log in with MS Account and try to activate windows but with no luck. Troubleshooter claims that I try activate PRO version with HOME license - it looks like it see only HOME OEM product key instead of my digital RETAIL PRO license.

I know that there cant be two devices with the same one license, so I've tried to remove license from my OLD laptop using slmgr /upk , slmgr /cpky and slmgr /rearm now slmgr show that there is no Product Key on that device. Then I've logged to MS Account in browser and in section DEVICES I removed my OLD device, but windows is still activated and of course my new laptop won't activate.

So, please advice me - should I install on new laptop windows 11 HOME version first - it probably will activate HOME license and then try to upgrade to PRO using somehow my digital RETAIL license? Or on laptop with OEM license I cannot use my RETAIL PRO license? I pay specially for transferable license in the past to be able to transfer PRO RETAIL license for future devices.

 

Activation:"Digital License" form in-use before input of Retail Key...

Ditto to what they said. With Windows 10 OEM and Retail both activate with a Digital License. And both will get the Generic Digital license product code once activated with the digital license. The installed apps etc will depend on whether its Home, Pro etc, not whether its Retail or OEM.
The only real difference is you can't transfer the OEM to another PC. The Retail License can be moved to another device.

If said device already has a DL for the edition you want to use, Home or Pro etc, there is no real advantage to entering your retail key? It won't change anything.

One annoying thing, for me anyway, is if that device has an OEM embedder key for Home, and you want Pro, you have to do a change product key to get Pro. Even if it already has a DL for Pro. Or modify your install media to force a pro install.

 

Windows digital licenses: retail or OEM?

Sort of. If you have a system that is activated via the OEM channel, and you change the product key to the matching generic Retail product key, the system will then activate via the Retail channel and MS will allow you to transfer the digital license via your MS account using the activation troubleshooter. What this also does is that Microsoft will even allow you to use the original OEM product key to activate a different computer. If you try it before you change the product key to the generic, Windows will come back with an error that the product key is in use on another computer.

Only if there is a pre-existing digital license for Windows 10/11 Pro stored on MS activation servers for that computer.

You don't buy the software. You buy a license for the software in the form of a product key. On an OEM system purchased with Windows 10/11 installed at the factory, the product key that you purchased with that system is stored permanently in the computer's UEFI firmware.