---
title: "How to manage Windows licences for virtual machines on your Hosted Private Cloud infrastructure"
description: "Learn how to track and activate Windows licences for your virtual machines using the OVHcloud Control Panel or API"
url: https://docs.ovhcloud.com/en/guides/hosted-private-cloud/powered-by-vmware/spla-license-management
lang: en
lastUpdated: 2026-01-03
---
# How to manage Windows licences for virtual machines on your Hosted Private Cloud infrastructure

## Objective

This guide explains how to manage Windows licences for your virtual machines hosted on your Hosted Private Cloud infrastructure.

The OVHcloud Control Panel
 now includes a new feature, which allows you to:
- View the number of Windows virtual machines requiring a licence.
- Instantly activate a licence on eligible VMs from the interface.

This gives you better visibility, reduces the need for API calls and helps ensure compliance with Microsoft licensing requirements.

:::warning
OVHcloud simplifies the management and billing of your Windows licences by allowing you to tell us which virtual machines require the use of a licence.

However, you remain responsible for the accuracy of the data you provide to us, and OVHcloud cannot be held liable for any unauthorized use of a Windows system on your part.

:::


***

### OVHcloud Control Panel Access

- **Direct link:** [VMware vSphere](https://manager.eu.ovhcloud.com/#/dedicated/dedicated_cloud)
- **Navigation path:** <code className="action">Hosted Private Cloud</code> > <code className="action">Managed VMware vSphere</code> > Select your vSphere service

***


## Requirements

- A Hosted Private Cloud service powered by VMware.
- At least one virtual machine running a Windows operating system.
- You must have activated the **Windows licences** in your <ManagerLink to="/">OVHcloud Control Panel</ManagerLink>. See the "Windows Licence" section of our guide "[Introduction to the Hosted Private Cloud Control Panel](/en/guides/hosted-private-cloud/powered-by-vmware/manager-ovh-private-cloud.md)" for more information.
- Allow outgoing TCP connections on port 1688 from licensed VMs to kms.ovh.net in your firewall settings.

## Instructions

### Activate and monitor Windows licences directly from the OVHcloud Control Panel

:::info
This feature only applies if you want OVHcloud to licence your Windows VMs via SPLA.
If you bring your own licence (BYOL), you do not need to activate anything in the OVHcloud Control Panel
.
:::

#### Check your Windows licence usage in the Control Panel

1. Go to the <code className="action">Hosted Private Cloud</code> section of your <ManagerLink to="/">OVHcloud Control Panel</ManagerLink> and click <code className="action">Managed VMware vSphere</code>.

2. Select your service, then open the <code className="action">Datacenter</code> tab.

Here, you will find:

- The **total number of VMs** running in your datacenter.
- The **number of Windows VMs** (requiring a licence).
- The **number of declared Windows VMs** (licenced by OVHcloud).

![Licence overview](/images/hosted-private-cloud/powered-by-vmware/spla-license-management/licence-visibility-EN-b.png)
:::info
Activating the licence in the OVHcloud Control Panel
 is only required if you want OVHcloud to provide a Windows SPLA licence for the VM.
:::

#### Understand the two Windows licence management modes

There are two scenarios:

- **Case 1: You bring your own Microsoft licence (BYOL):**
  - No action required in the interface.

- **Case 2: You want OVHcloud to licence the VM:**
  - The VM licence must be activated in the <ManagerLink to="/">OVHcloud Control Panel</ManagerLink> for it to be billed properly.

#### Activate a Windows licence from the OVHcloud Control Panel

1. In your `Datacenter`, go to the <code className="action">Virtual Machines</code> tab.

2. Locate the VM that needs to be licenced.

3. Click <code className="action">...</code> on the right, then click <code className="action">Activate licence</code>.

   <img className="thumbnail" alt="Activate licence" src="/images/hosted-private-cloud/powered-by-vmware/spla-license-management/activate-licence-EN.png" loading="lazy" />

4. Choose the appropriate licence from the dropdown menu.

5. Click <code className="action">Activate</code> to confirm the action.

   <img className="thumbnail" alt="Activate licence" src="/images/hosted-private-cloud/powered-by-vmware/spla-license-management/select-licence-EN-b.png" loading="lazy" />

:::tip
The VM is now declared and licenced by OVHcloud. It will appear in your billing and compliance tracking.

:::

When you install a Windows Server operating system, the product key – also known as a KMS (Key Management Service) key – may not be installed correctly. In such cases, the operating system has been installed with a 120-day trial key. Once this time period elapses, the operating system can no longer be used.

[This guide](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/windows-key.md) will show you how to change the product key for your Windows Server environment.

### Manage licences using the OVHcloud API

If you prefer to automate or integrate Windows licence management into your workflows, you can use the [OVHcloud API](https://eu.api.ovh.com/) to list, assign, update or remove licences on your virtual machines.

#### List virtual machines with a licence

You can quickly check which virtual machines in your infrastructure are licenced via the OVHcloud API:


🇪🇺EU▾

[GET/dedicatedCloud/{serviceName}/datacenter/{datacenterId}/vmLicensed](https://eu.api.ovh.com/console/?section=/dedicatedCloud&branch=v1#get-/dedicatedCloud/-serviceName-/datacenter/-datacenterId-/vmLicensed)

_Return example:_

```json
[
    {
        "vmId": 1074,
        "name": "my-win2019-vm",
        "guestOsFamily": "windows2019srv_64Guest",
        "license": "windows 2019 Standard Core"
    }
]
```

#### Verify the licence of a virtual machine

You can check the licence currently associated with one of your virtual machines via the OVHcloud API:


🇪🇺EU▾

[GET/dedicatedCloud/{serviceName}/datacenter/{datacenterId}/vm/{vmId}](https://eu.api.ovh.com/console/?section=/dedicatedCloud&branch=v1#get-/dedicatedCloud/-serviceName-/datacenter/-datacenterId-/vm/-vmId-)

If no licence is attached to it, the `license` field value will be `null`.

_Return example:_

```json
{
    // ...
    "guestOsFamily": "windows2019srv_64Guest",
    "license": "windows 2019 Standard"
}
```

#### Update the licence of a virtual machine

You can update the licence associated with one of your virtual machines via the OVHcloud API:


🇪🇺EU▾

[POST/dedicatedCloud/{serviceName}/datacenter/{datacenterId}/vm/{vmId}/setLicense](https://eu.api.ovh.com/console/?section=/dedicatedCloud&branch=v1#post-/dedicatedCloud/-serviceName-/datacenter/-datacenterId-/vm/-vmId-/setLicense)

:::info
Virtual machines deployed from [VMware content libraries](/en/guides/hosted-private-cloud/powered-by-vmware/how-to-use-content-library.md) are automatically attached to a corresponding Windows licence.

:::

:::warning
In order to avoid the incorrect allocation of a Windows licence on a virtual machine, the API call above will return an error in the case where the virtual machine has been configured for a different operating system from your vSphere interface.

You can resolve this by changing the VM settings or you can choose to ignore this error by passing the option `bypassGuestOsFamilyCheck`.

:::

#### Unlicence a virtual machine

You can delete the licence associated with one of your virtual machines via the OVHcloud API:


🇪🇺EU▾

[POST/dedicatedCloud/{serviceName}/datacenter/{datacenterId}/vm/{vmId}/removeLicense](https://eu.api.ovh.com/console/?section=/dedicatedCloud&branch=v1#post-/dedicatedCloud/-serviceName-/datacenter/-datacenterId-/vm/-vmId-/removeLicense)

## Go further [](#)
For specialised services (SEO, development, etc.), contact [OVHcloud partners](https://partner.ovhcloud.com/en-gb/directory/).

If you would like assistance using and configuring your OVHcloud solutions, please refer to our [support offers](https://www.ovhcloud.com/en-gb/support-levels/).

Join our [community of users](https://community.ovhcloud.com/community/en).