You may also have to enter an SMS code for verification. Go to “Email & accounts” and “Add an Account”.

Press “Windows + I” to open settings and click the “Accounts” button. This makes it a little more difficult to link your Windows 10 digital license, but it’s still possible to do so without switching from a local to Microsoft account. How to Link Your Microsoft Account to a Windows 10 Digital License without Switching From a Local Accountįor privacy reasons, many prefer their Windows 10 account to be a local one, rather than one that relies on Microsoft for authentication. We’re going to show you how to link and restore your key so you don’t have to worry about that. If you don’t link your digital license, you may have issues when you reactivate Windows 10 unless you have a product key to hand. In reality, it’s the Hardware ID of your PC the key is linked to, and your Microsoft account just has the permission to transfer it elsewhere.Īs a result, you won’t be able to use the same Windows 10 Home license on multiple PCs –doing so will invalidate the oldest install. Though we talk about the Microsoft digital license being ‘linked’ to the account, it’s a bit more complex than that. This can save you the headache of ruffling through drawers or emails to find your product key. How does a Windows 10 digital license work?īy linking your Microsoft account to a Windows 10 digital license, you can ensure the Windows Activation troubleshooter will automatically recover your details. As a result, a major hardware change can be frustrating unless you use a Digital license key, which you can utilize to reactivate Windows 10.

Windows 10 activation is quite smart maintaining the license key if you change your graphics card, RAM, or Hard Drive, but asking you to re-authenticate if you change the motherboard or in some cases the CPU. 2 How to Link Your Windows 10 Digital License and Switch to a Microsoft Account.1 How to Link Your Microsoft Account to a Windows 10 Digital License without Switching From a Local Account.

Windows digital license