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License type guide

NFR License (Not For Resale)

NFR licenses are issued for demonstration, testing, and review — to reviewers, partners, and demo machines. They are explicitly not for resale or production use. An NFR key on the open market is a red flag: it was never licensed to be sold.

Key points

Issued for demos, testing, and press/partner evaluation
Explicitly not for resale and often not for production use
Usually time-limited or feature-flagged
Cannot legally be sold — an NFR key on sale is unlicensed

Pros & cons

Advantages

  • Full-featured software for evaluation at no cost to the reviewer
  • Lets reviewers and partners test every feature before recommending
  • Handy for building repeatable demo environments

Drawbacks

  • Not licensed for everyday production use
  • Frequently expires or deactivates after the evaluation window
  • Zero legal purchase channel — it was issued, not sold
  • Buying one leaves you with no license at all

Transferability

Not transferable and not sellable — the license is issued to the original recipient only.

Best for

  • Journalists and reviewers evaluating software
  • Microsoft partners running customer demos
  • QA teams verifying behavior on demo builds

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy an NFR key?+
No. NFR means Not For Resale — the license was issued for demonstration and evaluation to a specific recipient. Anyone selling you an NFR key has no right to, and the key may be blocked or expired at any time.
What is an NFR license used for?+
Demonstration, training, testing, and review. Reviewers get them to evaluate software, partners to demo it to customers, and testers to verify installs — all non-production purposes.
Do NFR licenses expire?+
Many do. Evaluation-issued keys are commonly time-limited (for example 90 or 180 days) or tied to the recipient's partner status. Expiry behavior is set when the key is issued.
How is NFR different from a trial?+
A trial is a public offer anyone can download; NFR is a channel for specific recipients (press, partners) who need full functionality for evaluation. Both are non-production, but only trials are meant to be generally obtained.

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