Windows 11. Building another VM using physical/host OS License


MrBuilder

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OS
Windows 11
Hi Guys,

Hope everyone is enjoying the festive break. I have Windows 11 Pro (version 21H2) on my computer (physical) and I want to build a VM (Hyper V) using the same Windows license that is on my computer using Download Windows 11

Can I have multiple VM machines (Windows 11 Pro) and use the same license as the physical? (sorry if this has been asked but could not find the answer).

Thank you
 
Windows Build/Version
21H2

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
No, technically you cannot. A Windows license is good for 1 computer, or 1 VM.

You can however, download a copy of Windows 11 Enterprise which is good for 90 days. And then you can reset the counter I believe up to 5 times. So, almost a year and a half.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
No, technically you cannot. A Windows license is good for 1 computer, or 1 VM.

You can however, download a copy of Windows 11 Enterprise which is good for 90 days. And then you can reset the counter I believe up to 5 times. So, almost a year and a half.

Thank you 😊for the info.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
What few people realise is that it is the virtual machine part, not the virtual hard drive itself that becomes licenced. In other words, you can have multiple virtual hard drives, each with different versions of Windows e.g. release version, dev version, , beta version and you just swap out vhd each time you use VM.

In fact, you could have all vhds attached to vm, and create a boot entry for each version in exactly same way as on a physical machine.

You only need two vm licences if you want to run two vms simultaneously.

Of course, you can run a vm unactivated and you will not be able to personalise it.

A good trick is to install OS in vm unactivated, then attach Vhd to host, personalise vhd in host, and rhen reattach vhd to vm. This works for vhdx files but, of course, only for editions for which you have a valid licence on host.

We could argue about ethics of running a vm unactuated as that technically contravenes the EULA, but many use them jist for temporary use e.g. testing latest Dev Build.

Personally I have no issues doing that but I stress each user has to decide for themselves if they are willing to run unactivated - the intent being to test OS before buying a licence.

I would however advise any user to test OS on a vm before buying a licence just to check it works ok, and performance is acceptable. No point in buying a licence if yiur hardware struggles to run a vm.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
Hi Guys,

Hope everyone is enjoying the festive break. I have Windows 11 Pro (version 21H2) on my computer (physical) and I want to build a VM (Hyper V) using the same Windows license that is on my computer using Download Windows 11

Can I have multiple VM machines (Windows 11 Pro) and use the same license as the physical? (sorry if this has been asked but could not find the answer).

Thank you
The answer is in the EULA which you agreed to when you installed Windows 11, so it isn't that hard to find.

" Use in a virtualized environment. This license allows you to install only one instance of the software for use on one device, whether that device is physical or virtual. If you want to use the software on more than one virtual device, you must obtain a separate license for each instance."

Run winver, click on the link "Microsoft Software License Terms" or
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7773
    CPU
    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!
Most people don't know is that you can run Windows in a virtual machine without a license, you just don't activate it. It will run just fine unactivated, but certain features won't work (mostly personalization) and it will have a watermark.

Or, you can join the Windows Insider Program and have a fully activated license, so long as you are in the program.

Or, you can use a license you may have for a previous version of windows (as long as it's a retail license and not also in use) to activate your copy of windows 11.

There are many options.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
You can use the evaluation version as long as it is supported. When the version expires, you can re-download it if it has been updated or install the previous copy anew and use it again. There is no limitation for this.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro; Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-12700K (Alder Lake)
    Motherboard
    Asus PRIME Z690-M Plus D4
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 Corsair DDR4-2132)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus GeForce 1050 Ti, 4 GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 235PQ
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Windows 11: Samsung SSD 870 EVO, 500 GB (SATA), MBR
    Windows 8.1: Samsung SSD 980 PRO, 500 GB (M.2), MBR
    PSU
    Platimax D.F. 1050 W (80 Plus Platinum)
    Internet Speed
    Local link 1 Gbps, provider's line 500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Other Info
    Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller (for Windows 8.1 compatibility)
    Microsoft Office H&S 2013 x64
Or, you can join the Windows Insider Program and have a fully activated license, so long as you are in the program.
You still need a valid license to activate. The free Insider version is no longer available.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

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