Updated: July 23, 2020 (March 13, 2018)

Windows 10 Enterprise Licensing Options

Rob Horwitz analyzes and writes about Microsoft licensing programs and product licensing rules. He also trains organizations on best Microsoft... more

Eight different subscriptions license Windows 10 Enterprise and provide use rights necessary to fully exploit it. If a device came with a Windows Pro license, the device or its single primary user may be licensed with a Windows Enterprise license. Otherwise, the device or user requires a Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) license. Organizations may opt for either Per-Device or Per-User licenses, with Per User the most likely choice for knowledge workers with multiple devices. E5 licenses offer all of the capabilities of E3 plus Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, a Microsoft-hosted breach detection service for clients.

	License Model
	Per Device	Per User
Customer has a preexisting Windows Pro Per-Device license	Windows 10 Enterprise E3 Per Device with SA Windows 10 Enterprise E5 Per Device with SA	Windows 10 Enterprise E3 Per User with SA Windows 10 Enterprise E5 Per User with SA
No preexisting Windows Pro Per-Device license	Virtual

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