Windows Desktop Operating System

Product Conditions:

Provides additional information related to acquiring the Product, such as prerequisites for purchase, prior versions, and the applicable Product Pool.

License Assignment for Windows Desktop Operating System Licenses

Per User License Assignment Eligibility (Excluding Virtual Desktop Access)

The Licensed User must be the Primary User of at least one device licensed with a Qualifying OS. This one device must also be the Primary User’s primary work device.

Per Device License Assignment Eligibility (Excluding Virtual Desktop Access)

The Licensed Device must be licensed with a Qualifying OS, and the Qualifying OS must be installed on the Licensed Device. Per Device license assignment is permanent unless Customer has Software Assurance for that device.

Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) License Assignment Eligibility

VDA Per Device and Per User licenses may be assigned to any user or device.

Qualifying Operating Systems 

Windows software acquired through a volume licensing agreement may only be installed or activated on devices licensed to run one of the qualifying operating systems (OS) below. 

Qualifying OS for Per User Licenses and Virtual Desktop Access Per Device/User Licenses

¹ Windows 7 Operating Systems covered by an Extended Security Update (ESU) license are Qualifying Operating Systems during the device’s active ESU coverage period. Windows 7 Enterprise, Professional, Ultimate and Professional/Ultimate for Embedded Systems editions are equivalent to Windows 8 Pro edition eligibility.

Qualifying OS - Per Device Licenses (Excluding Virtual Desktop Access Licenses)

Unless Customer has Software Assurance for the device, Customer must remove the Qualifying OS from the device before installing Windows software acquired through a volume licensing agreement on a Licensed Device.

¹ Also applicable to Qualified Devices acquired through merger or acquisition.

² Windows 7 Operating Systems covered by an Extended Security Update (ESU) license are Qualifying Operating Systems during the device’s active ESU coverage period. Windows 7 Enterprise, Professional, and Ultimate editions are equivalent to Windows 8 Pro edition eligibility. Windows 7 Home Premium, Home Basic, and Starter Edition editions are equivalent to Windows 8 edition eligibility.

³ macOS must be preinstalled by the authorized manufacturer prior to the initial sale of the device.

Restricted Use Qualifying OS for Per Device Licenses 

¹ Also applicable to Qualified Devices acquired through merger or acquisition.

Restricted Use Qualifying Operating Systems

The right to use Windows software acquired through a volume licensing agreement on a device licensed with a Restricted Use Qualifying OS is limited to the specific use for which the device was designed. The device running the acquired Windows software may not be used as a general-purpose PC or as a commercially viable substitute for such a system. Acquired Windows software installed on devices licensed with a Point of Sale (POS) version of Windows Embedded must be primarily used for running a POS application.

Software Assurance Purchase Limitation for Restricted Use Qualifying Operating Systems

Software Assurance may not be acquired for devices licensed with Restricted Use Qualifying Operating Systems. This limitation does not apply to devices licensed with Windows 10/11 IoT for Retail or Thin Clients.

Third Party Re-imaging

Before a third party may re-image a Customer’s devices, Customer must provide the third party with written documentation showing it has the requisite licenses for the installation.

Regional Fulfillment Options

Windows KN Editions

Customers located in Korea with an active volume licensing agreement or enrollment may acquire media for Windows KN editions for deployment and use in Korea. No other use is permitted.

Windows N Editions (Not with Windows Media Player)

Customers located in countries established in the European Union (EU) or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) with an active volume licensing agreement or enrollment may acquire media for Microsoft Windows N editions for deployment and use in countries in the European Union (EU) or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). (For purposes of Open License, an “active agreement” is one associated with an active Open License Authorization Number.)

Windows Embedded 8 Standard Enterprise Kit

Use of the software features enabled by the Windows Embedded 8 Standard Enterprise Kit is subject to the license terms for the underlying Windows Embedded 8 Standard software. The right to use the software features expires when the right to use the underlying software expires. The Windows Embedded 8 Standard Enterprise Kit License must be permanently assigned to a single device and may not be transferred to any other device.

Automatic Updates

Customer authorizes Microsoft to download and install updates automatically on devices running Windows 10/11 unless they have been configured to prevent automatic updates using supported methods. All updates are licensed under the same terms as the Product to which they apply.

Academic and Charity Programs 

License Assignment

Per User License Assignment

The Licensed User must be the Primary User of at least one device that satisfies the Qualifying OS Per Device License requirements.

Per Device License Assignment

The Licensed Device must satisfy the Qualifying OS Per Device license requirements, and the Qualifying OS must be installed on the Licensed Device. Per Device license assignment is permanent unless Customer has Software Assurance for that device.

Academic Program Windows Edition Rights

Windows Education licenses include rights to install or activate Windows Enterprise in lieu of Windows Education.

Lab and Library Use

Institutions with Windows Education E3/E5, or Windows Education (per device) assigned to all faculty and staff, Education Qualified Users or Knowledge Workers may install Windows Education, Windows Enterprise, or Windows Pro Academic on any open access lab or library within the Institution’s Organization. Use of the software is otherwise subject to the License terms for Windows Education. This provision does not apply to User SLs acquired under the Microsoft Cloud Agreement and Microsoft Customer Agreement.

Shared Devices

Institutions with Windows Education E3/E5 assigned to all Knowledge Workers or Education Qualified Users are licensed to run Windows Education, Windows Enterprise, or Windows Pro Academic on any shared device with a qualifying operating system within the Institution’s Organization. For the purposes of this subsection, shared device means a device not used by any one person more than 50% of the time during a single work day period, and not assigned to any Primary User as their primary work device. Use of Windows on shared devices does not count as use of an Education Platform Product under the Enrollment for Education Solutions. Use of the software is otherwise subject to the License terms for Windows Education.

Version-less Windows Pro/Enterprise Upgrades for the People’s Republic of China

Version-less Licenses for Windows Enterprise and Windows Professional are only available in the People’s Republic of China under the Select Plus, Select, and Open License programs (two points). The Licenses are edition specific, so Customer must use a version of the edition of software acquired. The Qualifying Operating Systems for the Enterprise and Pro editions of Windows 10/11 apply, respectively, to the version-less Licenses for Windows Enterprise and Windows Professional.

Identifies the License Terms for each Software Product, including the Universal License Terms, the applicable License Model, and any Product-Specific License Terms. References in Customer’s volume licensing agreement to “Use Rights” refer to the terms included in the Use Rights section of each Software Product Entry.

Additional License Terms for Online Services

Certain Windows software licenses include some Online Services which are governed by the Universal License Terms for Online Services, including but not limited to, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Windows Autopilot, Windows Autopatch, Windows Update for Business Reports, and Windows Update for Business deployment service. 

Windows diagnostic data processor configuration

For Windows 10/11 Enterprise, Pro, and Education editions that support a Windows diagnostic data processor configuration, Microsoft is the processor for Windows diagnostic data collected from a device where such configuration is set. This configuration is set by joining a Microsoft Entra ID account to the device and taking any other necessary steps described in the Product documentation (www.aka.ms/wddprocessor). Except as provided above, Microsoft will continue to be a controller of Personal Data processed in connection with your use of Windows, including data processed by Microsoft in connection with Customer’s use of service-based capabilities. When Microsoft is a controller, Microsoft will handle the Personal Data in accordance with the Microsoft Privacy Statement (www.aka.ms/privacy), and the Data Protection Addendum (www.aka.ms/DPA) terms do not apply.

Windows Local Use

Customer may run Windows software acquired through a volume licensing agreement as one Physical OSE locally on Licensed Devices. This local use right applies to VDA per device licenses only if the Licensed Device is also licensed with a Qualifying Operating System. Licensed Users may run Windows software acquired through a volume licensing agreement as one Physical OSE locally on devices licensed with a Qualifying Operating System.

Microsoft Entra ID Based Activation for Windows

Licensed Users using Microsoft Entra ID-based activation may activate the software in the Physical OSE on up to five concurrent devices running either Windows 10 Pro Anniversary Update or Windows 10 Enterprise Creator’s Update or a later version.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Eligible Licensed Users may use Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on up to five concurrent devices.

Windows Apps

Unless other terms are displayed to Customer or presented in the app’s settings, Customer agrees the services that it accesses from the Windows app is governed by the Microsoft Services Agreement at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=246338 or for Windows apps that access Xbox services, the Xbox.com terms of use at http://xbox.com/legal/livetou.

Windows 11 Upgrade Benefit

The following User SLs include a Windows 11 upgrade benefit (version upgrade only, edition remains the same) for device(s) licensed with Windows 8, 8.1, 10: 

• Windows 11 Enterprise/Education (all)
• Microsoft 365 (all that include Windows 11 Enterprise)

Windows 11 Virtualization on Azure

Customers with Windows 11 Enterprise Per User SLs, Windows 11 Education Per User SLs, or VDA Per User SLs using Microsoft Entra ID-based activation on supported editions may install the Windows 10 Creators Update or later version software on a virtual machine running in Customer's Microsoft Azure accounts. Each Licensed User may access up to four instances of the software. Azure Government customers may use KMS activation in lieu of Microsoft Entra ID-based activation. When configuring the image(s) on Microsoft Azure, Customers must indicate their use of the multitenant hosting for Windows and adhere to other software configuration requirements available at https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/deployment/vda-subscription-activation. This section does not apply to Students receiving access to software through Student Use Benefit.

Azure Virtual Desktop for Windows

Azure Virtual Desktop for Windows

Users licensed with Microsoft 365 E3/E5/G3/G5/F3/Business Premium/A3/A5/Student Use Benefit, Windows Enterprise E3/E5, Windows Education A3/A5, or Windows VDA E3/E5 may access Azure Virtual Desktop Windows virtual machines running in Customer's Microsoft Azure accounts. Azure Virtual Desktop virtual machines do not count against a user’s device activation count limit.

Azure Virtual Desktop for Development and Test

Users licensed with Visual Studio subscriptions and MSDN Platforms with active SA (“Authorized Users”) may access Azure Virtual Desktop Windows, and Windows Server virtual machines running in Customer's Microsoft Azure accounts for development and test purposes. Customer’s end users may also access Azure Virtual Desktop Windows, and Windows Server virtual machines initiated by Authorized Users to perform acceptance tests or provide feedback.

Azure Virtual Desktop Per User Access Operating System  

Universal Terms. The following Universal License Terms for all Software do not apply to the Azure Virtual Desktop per user access operating system software: Rights to Use Other Versions and Lower Editions; Software Assurance; Outsourcing Software Management.

Desktop Operating Systems

Device License

1. Customer may install one copy of the software on a Licensed Device or within a local virtual hardware system on a Licensed Device for each License it acquires.
2. Customer may use the software on up to two processors.
3. Local use is permitted for any user.
4. Remote use is permitted for the Primary User of the Licensed Device and for any other user from another Licensed Device or a Windows VDA Licensed Device.
5. Only one user may access and use the software at a time.
6. Customer may connect up to 20 devices to the Licensed Device for file sharing, printing, Internet Information Services, Internet Connection Sharing or telephony services.
7. An unlimited number of connections are allowed for KMS activation or similar technology.

Adobe Flash Player

The software may include a version of Adobe Flash Player. Customer agrees that its use of the Adobe Flash Player is governed by the license terms for Adobe Systems Incorporated at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=248532. Adobe and Flash are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

Identifies terms and conditions associated with Software Assurance coverage. For details on purchasing Software Assurance and general Software Assurance Benefits, refer to Software Assurance Benefits.

Software Assurance Additional Use Rights

This section (Software Assurance) applies to the following licenses.

• Windows 11 Enterprise E3/E5
• Windows 11 Enterprise per device
• Windows 11 Education E3/E5
• Windows VDA E3/E5
• Windows VDA per device

This provision does not apply to SLs acquired under the Microsoft Cloud Agreement and Microsoft Customer Agreement or by way of the Student Use Benefit.

Windows Virtualization

Local Virtualization

Customer may run Windows software acquired through a volume licensing agreement on up to four Virtual OSEs locally on Licensed Devices. This local use right applies to VDA Per Device licenses only if the Licensed Device is also licensed with a Qualifying Operating System. Licensed Users may run Windows software acquired through a volume licensing agreement on up to four Virtual OSEs locally on devices licensed with a Qualifying Operating System. If all permitted Virtual OSEs are used Customer may use the Physical OSE only to host and manage the Virtual OSEs.

Remote Virtualization

Any user of a Licensed Device, or any device used by a Licensed User, may remotely access up to four Virtual OSEs or one Physical OSE of Windows software acquired through a volume licensing agreement. Customer's use of Servers that are under the management or control of an entity other than Customer or one of its Affiliates are subject to the Outsourcing Software Management clause. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Outsourcing Software Management clause, Customer’s VDA E3 and E5 Licensed Users may remotely access Windows software under these Remote Virtualization rights on any Listed Provider’s devices dedicated to Customer’s use.

10.1” Screen Device Benefit

Customer with Per User license may install Windows software acquired through a volume licensing agreement on all Windows licensed devices with integrated screens 10.1” diagonally or less.

Windows Pro SA

Customers who previously acquired SA for Windows Pro may renew SA on their covered devices without the need to buy a Windows Enterprise license.

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP)

Customer may install and use management functionality in the MDOP on Customer’s other devices dedicated to their use to manage software on the Licensed Device or Licensed User’s Devices. Customer may also use the AGPM, DaRT and UE-V to manage software on servers within its domain, so long as the desktops within that domain are licensed for MDOP use.

MDOP Eligibility

Customers with the following licenses have rights to use MDOP and do not need to purchase MDOP separately.

• Windows Enterprise E3/E5
• Windows Education E3/E5
• Windows VDA E3/E5
• Agreement with an August 1, 2015, or later effective date and VDA per device or Windows Enterprise per device.

Rights to run Clustered HPC Applications

A Licensed Device or a device used by a Licensed User may be used as a Cycle Harvesting Node to run Clustered HPC Applications, as long as the device is not used as a general purpose Server, database Server, web Server, e-mail Server, print Server or file Server, for other multi-user access purposes, or for any other similar resource sharing purpose.

Software Assurance Lapse on Perpetual Licenses

Windows Enterprise General Availability Channel must be uninstalled on any Licensed Device if Software Assurance coverage lapses. If the Licensed Device was assigned a perpetual Windows Enterprise license, Customer may install on the Licensed Device the version of Windows Enterprise Long Term Servicing Channel that is current at the time of the lapse.

Customer may acquire Add-ons subject to the following conditions:

1. Customer must have active SA or an active User SL for the corresponding Qualifying Licenses
2. Customer may acquire one Add-on SL for each Qualifying License(s), unless provided otherwise in these terms
3. Customer may acquire add-on SLs between true-up dates in advance of the acquisition of the Qualifying Licenses

Add-ons expire upon the earlier of the expiration of the SA coverage for the Qualifying License or the Add-on SL term, unless provided otherwise in this Appendix. Add-ons may only be reassigned to users or devices with Qualifying Licenses.

Windows Desktop Operating System

The Licensed User must be the Primary User of a device with either active Windows Desktop Operating System SA coverage or Windows VDA coverage.

Please note these resources are provided for reference purposes only and are not considered to be part of the Product Terms. To see more versions and languages click here.