when buying a license, it is called Windows 11 home OEI Ua. what does OEI mean in this case?

Question

when buying a license, it is called Windows 11 home OEI Ua. what does OEI mean in this case? does this mean that I will not be able to transfer the activated Windows to another laptop, because the store tells me that I can?

Answer 1

Hello,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft Community Forums.

OEI stands for "Original Equipment Installation." This type of license is also known as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) license. It is typically pre-installed on a computer by the manufacturer.

Regarding transferability:

1. OEM/OEI License: This type of license is usually tied to the first computer it is installed on, and it is not transferable to another computer. Once it is activated on a specific machine, it generally cannot be moved to a different one. This is different from a Retail license, which can be transferred to a new computer if you deactivate it on the old one.
2. Retail License: This type of license can be transferred from one computer to another, as long as it is only active on one computer at a time.

I hope the information above is helpful.

Best regards

Yanhong Liu

Answer 2

OEI stands for Original Equipment Installation. It is a type of Windows license intended for smaller manufacturers or system builders who assemble PCs and install the operating system on them. OEI licenses are similar to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) licenses, as both are tied to the hardware they are first activated on.

No, you cannot transfer an OEI license to another laptop. Like OEM licenses, OEI licenses are non-transferable and permanently tied to the original hardware where they were first activated. While the store may claim otherwise, this contradicts Microsoft’s licensing terms for OEI licenses. Only retail licenses allow transfer between devices.