How to change the Windows 10 license (with License Switch)

License Switch is a free portable software program for Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system to change the license of the system to another one.

While it is quite easy to switch from one edition of Windows 10 to another using built-in tools -- all you have to do is run changepk.exe /ProductKey KEY to do so -- it is not working for all editions of Windows 10.

It is possible to switch from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro using the command line tool but not the other way around.

License Switcher review

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License Switcher is an easy to use program to switch from any one edition of Windows 10 to another. Users may get blocked downloads in Chrome and other browsers by default but they can unlock these easily to complete the download. Windows 10 too may throw a SmartScreen warning which users can bypass.

Last but not least, elevated rights are necessary to run the tool as it changes the license of the system.

The interface of the application displays the license type, partial Windows key, License ID and other information about the license in the interface. Users find options at the top to switch to a different edition and license.

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All it takes to do so is select another edition and/or license, and click on the switch button afterward. Note that you do need a valid Product key to activate the new license.

The program supports the following editions at the time of writing:

• Enterprise: S, SN, N, Enterprise
• Education: Education
• Professional: N, Education N, Workstation N, Education, Workstation, Professional
• Core: N, Core

For license types, it supports OEM Retail, Volume, and UP_Down_Process. Up and Down process refers to upgrades or downgrades that are not officially supported. The tool supports downgrades from Windows 10 Pro to Home and upgrades from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Long Term Servicing Channel.

It is necessary to select an ISO image or the Source folder if the files of the new Windows 10 edition are already on a storage device or on DVD.

Closing Words and Verdict

License Switcher gives system administrators a new tool at hand to switch to a different edition of Windows 10 without reinstallation of software programs and the bulk of changes made to the source operating system edition.

One of its main uses is that it supports upgrades or downgrades that are not supported officially by Microsoft.

What it can't do is switch between 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 10; a new installation is required for that.

The author revealed that he plans to introduce support for Server versions in future versions of the application.