Do I need a Windows license and software for the virtual machine?

A virtual machine (VM) is an operating system emulated within another operating system. You can run Windows on your MacBook as a virtual machine, or even Windows within Windows.

Because of this emulation one might assume that only the operating system physically installed on the relevant disk is “real”, while any emulated operating systems are “not real” and therefore do not require a license.

Well, you are wrong.

From a legal point of view, a virtual machine is considered a full-fledged computer, which means that You Down a valid Windows license is required to run Windows in a virtual machine. You also need the appropriate licenses for any commercial software you run on your virtualized Windows system.

This applies not only to Windows 10 and Windows 11, but also to Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and all other operating systems that have license agreements. If you don’t have any old, unused license keys, you’ll need to buy them.

Related: Is Windows Product Key Reusable? How to Find Out

Getting Windows Product Keys for Little Money

At the time of writing, Microsoft is charging a whopping $140 for the full version of Windows 11 Home when you buy it outright, and Windows 11 Pro is even more expensive at $200. Luckily, you don’t have to pay that much.

Through the PCWorld online store, you can safely and legally purchase Windows at a much lower price than you’ll find elsewhere:

Commercial software in virtual machines

Many programs are licensed to allow installation on more than one computer, including virtual machines.

But if the license is limited to a single computer, you will need a second license for the VM… at least in theory. You may not need a second license, since some programs do not recognize reusability, so you could potentially install to a VM without any consequences.

It can also be special cases with cloud licensessuch as Adobe Creative Cloud. Under Adobe’s licensing terms, for example, you can install apps on multiple computers and activate them on two computers, but you can only use them on one computer at a time.

So, if you want to use Photoshop in a virtual machine, you need to deactivate the license on the host computer. To do this, open the application on the host computer, go to the Help menu, and then click Log out. Now install Photoshop on the VM and activate the license in the same way as described above for deactivation via the Help menu. If you ever want to go back, you can repeat the above steps in reverse.

Quick tip: There are often good free alternatives to paid software that are usually more than adequate for occasional use in virtual machines. Otherwise, you can simply use time-limited trials of paid software.

Further reading: VMware WorkStation Pro is now free