Check Windows License Type – Volume | OEM | Retail

There are three types of Windows licenses: Retail, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and Volume.

If you wonder which of these licenses is applied to your system, you can easily find this out using a Windows command prompt (CMD) or PowerShell.

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Windows License Type

Press ⊞ Win keybutton to open the Start menu, type in cmd and click on the “Command Prompt” app to launch the CMD.

To check the Windows license type, execute the following command:

C:\> slmgr /dlv

Apart from the Windows license type, you will also get the information about the status of the license and the Windows edition:

License Type	Description
Volume	Often purchased in bulk for multiple computers within a single organization.
OEM	Stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and means that your copy of Windows came pre-installed on your computer and is licensed only to that computer for its lifespan. Nowadays, most of such licenses are embedded in a BIOS or UEFI firmware.
Retail	Refers to the license that you acquire when purchasing a copy of Windows either online or at a store. Such license can be transferred and activated on another computer but it can only be assigned to one computer at any time.

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