Licensing Windows 7 Professional for PCs

The Windows client OS remains Microsoft’s most widely used software, and consequently weighs heavily in any organization’s licensing decisions. For new PCs, most large organizations license Windows 7 Professional through a PC manufacturer. To upgrade older PCs to Windows 7, organizations should usually purchase Windows 7 Professional Upgrade licenses through volume licensing. When bought through these two channels, Windows 7 Professional enables an organization to deploy standard PC configurations, manage PCs centrally, and support mobile users. It also permits purchase of Software Assurance (SA), which offers additional benefits.

This article summarizes the licensing rules for running Windows 7 Professional on PCs (including laptops) and outlines the most important Windows 7 Professional license purchase options for large organizations. It does not discuss Windows 7 licensing for virtual desktop infrastructure, which requires substantially different license types and purchase decisions. This article is part of a series of Windows 7 licensing articles for large organizations that will also discuss how to choose among Windows 7 editions for PCs, how to evaluate SA coverage for Windows 7 PCs, and how to select volume licensing programs for Windows 7 license and SA purchases.