Shopping for a Windows or Office key, you’ll run into three labels: Retail, OEM and Volume. They activate the same software, but they’re licensed differently — and that difference decides whether your key can move to another PC, and how it activates. Here’s the plain-English version.
Quick comparison
| Retail | OEM | Volume | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sold to | Individuals, direct | PC manufacturers | Organisations |
| Tied to | The licence holder | The original motherboard | The organisation |
| Move to a new PC | Yes | No | Per agreement |
| Activation | Online or phone | Online | Often KMS/MAK |
| Support | Microsoft | PC manufacturer | Organisation’s IT |
Retail keys
The standard consumer licence — what you get buying Windows or Office as a boxed or digital product. A retail licence belongs to you, not to a machine, so if you build a new PC or replace the motherboard, you can install it on the new machine (after removing it from the old one). Retail keys support both online and phone activation, which matters when a PC is offline or online activation refuses.
OEM keys
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. These are sold in bulk to PC builders — Dell, HP, Lenovo — and pre-installed on machines. The licence is permanently bound to the motherboard of the PC it was first activated on. Replace the motherboard and the licence generally doesn’t come with it. Support is provided by the PC manufacturer rather than Microsoft. This is why a laptop’s built-in Windows licence can’t be moved to a desktop you build later.
Volume licence keys
Volume licensing is designed for organisations deploying Windows or Office across many machines under a single agreement. Activation often runs through a company’s own KMS server or a MAK key rather than direct online activation. That’s exactly why a Volume/Enterprise ISO on a home PC throws the “DNS name does not exist” error — the installer is looking for a KMS server that doesn’t exist on your network. The fix is to install your own key directly:
slmgr /ckms
slmgr /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
slmgr /atoMore on that in our activation error code decoder and the full slmgr command reference.
Which should you buy?
- Building or upgrading your own PC? A Retail licence is the flexible choice — it can follow you to your next build.
- Activating a single machine and staying on it? Any licence that activates cleanly does the job.
- Managing a fleet with a domain and central deployment? Volume licensing through your Microsoft agreement is the right structure.
Whichever route you take, the important part is that the key is genuine and activates. Every key we sell is genuine, delivered instantly on your order confirmation page, and covered by our 7-day activation warranty — if a key doesn’t activate, we replace it. Not sure which edition you need first? Use our Windows Edition Finder.
How to check what licence type you have
Open an admin Command Prompt and run:
slmgr /dliThe Description line tells you the channel — you’ll see RETAIL channel, OEM_DM channel or VOLUME_KMSCLIENT. For the full detail including the last five characters of your key, use slmgr /dlv. Step-by-step in how to check if Windows is activated.
A word on cheap keys
Prices vary widely, and that makes people cautious — reasonably so. The practical test is simple: does the key activate, and is there a real person to talk to if it doesn’t? We publish our support channel, we answer during working hours, and we stand behind every key with a 7-day activation warranty. We also wrote an honest guide on whether it’s safe to buy cheap Windows and Office keys, and how to tell if a key is genuine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move an OEM key to a new computer?
Generally no. An OEM licence is tied to the motherboard of the PC it was first activated on, so it doesn’t transfer to a different machine.
Is a Retail key better than an OEM key?
They activate the same Windows. Retail is more flexible because the licence belongs to you rather than to one motherboard, so it can move to a future PC.
Why does my Volume ISO show “DNS name does not exist”?
The installation is trying to reach a KMS server that isn’t on your network. Clear the KMS setting and install your key directly with slmgr /ckms, then slmgr /ipk and slmgr /ato.
How do I tell which licence type my Windows uses?
Run slmgr /dli in an administrator Command Prompt and read the Description line — it names the channel, such as RETAIL, OEM or VOLUME.