how can I transfer my windows 11 product key from a virtual machine that no longer exists to a new one

Question

how can I transfer my windows 11 product key from a virtual machine that no longer exists to a new one

Vincent J. Buonassisi 0

hi,

i am no longer able to access my original VMWare Fusion virtual machine that I configured a windows 11 product key because I lost the decryption password. so I created a duplicate of the original VM using VMWare's option to create a new one using an existing VM. however, the new Microsoft sees the new VM as a new device and won't let me reuse the my product key bc it is already in use.

how can I get Microsoft to allow me to reuse the my windows 11 product key?

thanks,

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Answer 1

Please note that this is Italian Q&A Forum, any threads should be posted in Italian. However, I will still provide an answer on English based on your initial response. If you want me to post in Italian, please let me know.

Welcome Vincent J. Buonassisi,

Thank you for reaching out.

Whether you can transfer the activation depends on the type of Windows 11 license you originally used:

Retail license: Can generally be transferred to a new device or virtual machine if it is no longer in use on the previous installation.
OEM license: Is normally tied to the original device and cannot be transferred to another device or VM.

Could you let us know:

Was Windows 11 purchased separately, or did the license come with another device?
Was the original VM activated using a Microsoft account linked digital license?
Are you signed in to the new VM with the same Microsoft account used on the original VM?

In the meantime, please try:

Open Settings > System > Activation
Select Troubleshoot
If available, choose I changed hardware on this device recently
Sign in with your Microsoft account and check whether the previous activation can be reassigned.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes". If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Emma1-N 13,410 Punti di reputazione Personale Esterno Microsoft Moderatore

2026-09-05T04:39:56.5733333+00:00

Hello Vincent J. Buonassisi,

I just wanted to check if my previous response addressed your question correctly. If there is anything I may have misunderstood, I would truly appreciate it if you could provide a bit more detail to help me better understand your needs.