If you are looking to install or reinstall Windows on a different machine you will need to know how many times can you use the windows activation key.
How Many Times Can You Use a Windows Activation Key? You can use a Windows activation key as many times as required you will not be able to use a Windows activation key on two separate machines at the same time there are many different types of Windows product keys available to purchase and some might have different activation requirements which I will go through below.
How many times can you use a windows product key?
there are two main different types of Windows product keys which are called retail and OEM. depending on what type of licence you have will determine how many times you can use the windows activation key.
I will go through both windows license activation keys.
Retail Windows Product Key
If you have windows retail license key it can be used as many times as you want but only on one computer at any one time.
If you wish to move a license key from one machine to another 8 to deactivate the license moving it to another machine
OEM Windows Product Key
An OEM license comes on pre-installed machines and can only be used on one machine and cannot be transferred.
An OEM license can be reapplied times as you wish but cannot be transferred to another machine
How To Check If Windows Is Activated
The quickest way to check if Windows is activated is to look for the activate Windows watermark. if the watermark is showing at the bottom right of your desktop that Windows is not activated. To confirm if Windows is activated click your start button then select settings click on update and security and select activation your activation status will now be shown
How Long Does a Windows Activation Key Last?
If you’ve recently installed Windows on your machine you would want to know how long will the windows activation last
If you have a retail or OEM Windows activation key will last indefinitely even passed when the windows version is end of life. your windows still fully function, the only issue is not be able to get support after the end of life date.
If you have activation key purchased with a subscription the activation will expire on the subscription date. a subscription activation key needs to be renewed every 12 months.
Can I Use Windows Activation Key Twice?
If you are looking to reinstall Windows on your machine wanted to know if you can use the activation key twice?
You can use the activation key twice as long as the activation key is only activated on one computer at any one time
If you plan to reinstall Windows on another machine using the same windows activation key you will need to deactivate the existing windows licence reinstalling the other machine.
Can I Reuse My Windows Activation Key?
You can reuse your windows activation key as many times as you wish. The activation key cannot be activated on two different computers at the same time.
If you wish to install Windows on a separate machine and activate Windows you will need to deactivate windows on the old machine before you activate on the new machine