Forum Discussion

John-CAI's avatar
John-CAI
Copper Contributor
Jun 08, 2021

Microsoft 365 F3 - Does this License Include Windows 10 Enterprise Upgrade?

Greetings,

 

My company has just moved to 365 from on-prem Domain.

 

We have purchased Business Premium for many users, and that auto upgrades our machines to Windows 10 Business (from Pro).

 

We also have an E3 and an E5 Licenses on our tenant for testing...

 

Recently we found on Tech Soup (we are a non profit) that the F3 License included Windows 10 Enterprise upgrade (from Pro) However upon testing this License my test machine is still showing as Pro. here is a screen clip from Techsoup 

 

 

So... my question is ... is this a misprint?  I cannot find anywhere on Microsoft's documentation that confirms this upgrade is included with F3.  My test machine sits here at Windows 10 Pro.

 

Basically, we are trying to find a solution for the front line workers we have that do not need the full E3 package, our frontline workers do not need the desktop apps, but they do need the enterprise upgrade for other reasons like the Policies, lock screen force thru GPO etc...

 

Any help would be appreciated in clarifying so I can present the correct options to the brass.

microsoft 365
    • John-CAI's avatar
      John-CAI
      Copper Contributor
      Jun 08, 2021
      Thanks David.
      Much Appreciated,
      Now I just have to tinker with things to see why my laptop is stuck on pro. Our business premium users machines updated instantly upon sign on so I was expecting the same. I will give it some time and play with it a bit more.. I just wanted to make sure that I was not chasing a ghost.

      Thanks again!
      • SteveMacNZ's avatar
        SteveMacNZ
        Iron Contributor
        Jun 09, 2021

        John-CAI 

         

        Hi John,

         

        have you confirmed that Windows 10 Enterprise 'Step-Up' license is enable for your user account in the M365 Admin portal? depending on how the license SKU shows up in the portal the Windows 10 Enterprise license may show outside of the F3 license. Licensing groups are your friend here as you can set up the licensing group profile to turn on specific licenses/and or toggle on/off sub-components automatically...

        As per windows-10-subscription-activation there are some requirements to keep in mind around Azure AD joined vs just Azure AD registered, to keep in mind here as well

         

        Hope this helps

         

        Steve:)

  • jakapongc's avatar
    jakapongc
    Copper Contributor
    Jun 27, 2021

    John-CAI 

    Hi John,

     

    The comparison in Microsoft 365 admin portal is different from the info from Microsoft website which Windows 10 Enterprise is not included in Microsoft 365 F3.

     

    Just to check with you if you can find the answer from your testing or anyone else. I also would like to know which is true, too T_T

     

    Thanks, John!

    • John-CAI's avatar
      John-CAI
      Copper Contributor
      Jun 27, 2021

      jakapongc 

       

      when logged into 365 on my test account and looking at the subscriptions tab here is what it says for the F3 License.

       

      it says Windows 10 Enterprise (Local Only) unsure of what means exactly...but my guess its just another little gotcha that they threw in because they really want us using the E3 license.

       

      either way,  thank you all for your help and suggestions. My Company now decided to go with E3 for everyone, so effectively my problem is solved. I may play around with this to see if I can get it to work, and If I do I'll post my findings.

  • jhuylebroeck's avatar
    jhuylebroeck
    Brass Contributor
    Jul 15, 2022

    John-CAI Please don't think af this as "a catch", but there is a slight nuance. As this is intended for "Frontline Workers" (i.e. people that spend little time at a desk and are more likely to interact with tablet and/or smartphones) it only includes the right to use a shared device (or a very small personal windows device - screen smaller than 10.1").

     

    So when you provide this user with a dedicated personal computer or laptop, you are not compliant with the license.

    Commercial Licensing Terms (microsoft.com)

    This is where you can find this information: 

     

    For your information: this is how you deploy computers in "Shared Device Mode". This is a technical requirement when you opt for this scenario.