OEM key for virtualization

Hi,

I am currently using Mint on my main laptop, however I may need to use a Windows 10 VM (Virtual Machine) to do a couple things.
Should I purchase a license key for Windows 10? If so, what type of license key should I purchase, OEM or retail?
Also, how can I retrieve my license key from a VM if I need to make a new VM?

Thanks,
M

You can use Win 10 for free as long as you don’t mind not being able to change some of the personalization settings. It will keep working but you won’t be able to change the background or modify the taskbar settings. I would just go ahead and install it on the VM, just skip the step during the installation process when it asks for the product key. You can add a key and activate it later if you decide you want access to all the settings.

By doing this, you’re in breach of license, so I’m going to recommend against it, not that I think anyone will come after you about it.

OEM essentially means that you don’t get any support from Microsoft. Frankly, they both provide the same features within the software, so if you’re not picky about support, I’d just grab whatevers less expensive.

Do they not provide license keys anymore? (if they do, just write it down?)

Regardless, there are 3rd party tools that will extract the key for you, but I don’t have any experience with them, so I’m not going to recommend one over the other.

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you can also tie the license key to your MS account and not have to worry about it

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Microsoft provides copies of Windows intended for use in a VM. It’s good for 90 days and on the installation pages, it tells you how to make the license last longer.

These virtual machines expire after 90 days. We recommend setting a snapshot when you first install the virtual machine which you can roll back to later.

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/

Keep in mind that those virtual machines are intended for testing and debugging web sites over various combinations of Microsoft operating systems and browsers, and are not intended for use as everyday production machines.

Thanks!