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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
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1 Answers1

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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
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