100 PCWorld JULY 2019
HERE’S HOW GET WINDOWS 10 CHEAP (OR FOR FREE)
OEM varieties. When you
walk into a store or pop
over to Microsoft’s website,
handing over that $139 for
Windows 10 Home (or
$200 for Windows 10 Pro)
gets you the retail license. If
you visit an online retailer
like Amazon (go.pcworld.
com/am10) or Newegg
(go.pcworld.com/ne10),
you can find both retail and
OEM licenses for sale. You
can usually spot an OEM license by its price,
which tends to run about $110 for a
Windows 10 Home license and $150 for a
Windows 10 Pro license.
All the features of the operating system
version are the same for both license types.
The difference is that with a retail license,
you can transfer the license key to a different
PC later on.
You can’t do that with an OEM license. In
exchange for a lower price, you get to use
the license key on only one PC, period. If
you build a system but roll a new one four
years later, you can’t transfer the license (go.
pcworld.com/reac) to the new machine.
Also, if the hardware used to identify
your system fails—namely, the
motherboard—Microsoft’s registration
servers won’t recognize your license as valid
after you replace the dead part. Microsoft
has historically been kind about such
situations, however; you can usually call to
reactivate the license after replacing a fried
mobo. But it is an extra hassle.
For further savings, you’ll have to
wait for the rare sale or Black Friday,
when you can get an OEM license in the
neighborhood of $85 (Windows 10 Home)
to $120 (Windows 10 Pro). Otherwise, if
you want to shave down costs further, it’s
going to take work—or a deep locus of
calm when your associates criticize your life
choices. (Skip down to “Low prices with a
caveat” for details.)
DEEPEST SAVINGS: THE
EDUCATION DISCOUNT
Price: $0 to $15 (Windows 10 Education)
Not all student discounts are reserved for
the under-24 set. Your local community
college might be a source for a free or
The process for activating a Windows 10 OEM license (go.pcworld.
com/aw 10 ) is the same as for a retail license.