Windows 11 Enterprise Licensing: Which Licenses Include It?
The commercial and GCC High licenses that entitle Windows 11 Enterprise and Enterprise multi-session, with live pricing, plus the RDS licensing rules for Windows Server session hosts.
Short answer: Windows 11 Enterprise is not sold as a retail license. It comes with Microsoft 365 E3, E5, F3, and Business Premium, or standalone as Windows Enterprise E3/E5 and Windows VDA. Defense contractors get it through the GCC High suites. See all Microsoft licensing segments →
Licenses that include Windows 11 Enterprise and multi-session
These per-user licenses entitle Windows 11 Enterprise, Windows 10 Enterprise, and both multi-session editions on Azure Virtual Desktop. The table covers the commercial and GCC High plans defense contractors buy; Microsoft's education plans (Microsoft 365 A3/A5, Windows Education A3/A5) carry the same entitlement and are quoted on request. Prices are Microsoft MSRP synced from the Carahsoft catalog. Click any license or price for SKU details, part numbers, and a quote.
| License | GCC HighAnnual billing only | Commercial | Request a quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 E5 The complete suite: advanced security, compliance, eDiscovery, and voice. Sold as Microsoft 365 G5 in GCC High. | $1,170.00/user/yr$97.50/user/mo equivalent | $60.00/user/mo$720.00/user/yr | Get a quote |
| Microsoft 365 E3 Office apps, Exchange, Intune/EMS, and Windows Enterprise in one per-user subscription. Sold as G3 in GCC High. | $793.20/user/yr$66.10/user/mo equivalent | $39.00/user/mo$468.00/user/yr | Get a quote |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium Up to 300 users. The most common CMMC Level 2 starting point for small defense contractors. | $429.60/user/yr$35.80/user/mo equivalent | $22.00/user/mo$264.00/user/yr | Get a quote |
| Microsoft 365 F3 Frontline worker plan. Includes Windows Enterprise rights at the lowest suite price. | $158.40/user/yr$13.20/user/mo equivalent | $10.00/user/mo$120.00/user/yr | Get a quote |
| Windows 10/11 Enterprise E3 Standalone Windows Enterprise upgrade, per user, without the rest of the Microsoft 365 stack. | Not sold in GCC High | $7.60/user/mo$91.20/user/yr | Get a quote |
| Windows 10/11 Enterprise E5 Windows Enterprise plus Defender for Endpoint Plan 2. | Not sold in GCC High | $12.80/user/mo$153.60/user/yr | Get a quote |
| Windows 10/11 Enterprise E3 VDA Windows VDA per user: virtual desktop access from thin clients, BYOD, and non-Windows devices. | Not sold in GCC High | $14.20/user/mo$170.40/user/yr | Get a quote |
GCC High subscriptions bill annually; the monthly figures in that column are equivalents, not a billing option. The standalone Windows Enterprise SKUs are not sold in GCC High; in that cloud the entitlement comes with the Microsoft 365 suites. Microsoft 365 G3 and G5 cost less in GCC. GCC meets FedRAMP Moderate; GCC High meets FedRAMP High. External commercial users are the one exception to this table: they can be covered by per-user access pricing billed through an Azure subscription instead of a license.
Windows Server session hosts: RDS licensing (2016, 2019, 2022, 2025)
Sessions on Windows Server take a different path. Each user or device needs an RDS Client Access License with active Software Assurance, or an RDS User Subscription License. Per-user access pricing is not available for Windows Server. Pricing on these SKUs is quote-based.
| License | What it covers | Billing | Request a quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2025 Remote Desktop Services - 1 User CAL | One named user on any device. Perpetual RDS CAL; pair with Software Assurance for AVD session hosts. | One-time | Get a quote |
| Windows Server 2025 Remote Desktop Services - 1 Device CAL | One shared device, any number of users. Perpetual RDS CAL; pair with Software Assurance for AVD. | One-time | Get a quote |
| Windows Server 2025 Remote Desktop Services - 1 User CAL 1 Year | RDS User Subscription License. The subscription path when you do not carry Software Assurance. | Annual or monthly | Get a quote |
| Windows Server 2025 Remote Desktop Services - 1 User CAL 3 Year | Same subscription license on a 3-year term. | 3-year or annual | Get a quote |
| Windows Server 2025 Standard - 16 Core License Pack | The Windows Server OS itself for self-hosted session hosts (Azure PAYG VMs already include it). | One-time | Get a quote |
The catalog lists Windows Server 2025 SKUs; RDS CALs for Server 2016, 2019, and 2022 are quoted on request. The same RDS rules apply to every supported Windows Server version.
CMMC virtual desktops in Azure Government, live in under 10 minutes
Secureframe sets up virtual desktops in Azure Government for CMMC enclaves in under 10 minutes, on Windows 11 Enterprise multi-session or Windows Server 2025 session hosts. You pick the entitlement from the tables above, we handle the host pool, profiles, and baseline configuration. Request a quote with your user count and we reply within 1 business day. Secureframe's CMMC platform is at secureframe.com/cmmc.
Every Microsoft 365 suite in the first table carries the Windows 11 Enterprise upgrade right. For defense contractors that means Microsoft 365 G5 GCC High at $1,170.00/user/yr ($97.50/user/mo equivalent), G3 at $793.20/user/yr ($66.10/user/mo equivalent), or Business Premium GCC High at $429.60/user/yr ($35.80/user/mo equivalent) for orgs under 300 users.
How entitlements and audits work under AOS-G
Defense contractors buy GCC High licensing through the AOS-G agreement, ordered through a contractor vehicle rather than directly from Microsoft. The mechanics differ from a commercial CSP agreement in ways that matter at renewal and at audit time.
What you actually own
Subscription licenses are temporary. Your right to run Windows 11 Enterprise ends when the subscription that carries it ends. The Use Rights in effect when you order or renew stay locked for that term, so a mid-term change Microsoft makes to the product rules does not apply to you until renewal. You can add seats mid-term through the contractor, and added seats expire with the existing term, so everything co-terms at renewal. Subscriptions renew automatically unless you give notice before the term ends.
The audit clause
The agreement requires you to keep records of all product use and distribution. Microsoft can verify compliance with 30 days written notice, at its own expense, through an independent auditor under confidentiality, during normal business hours. It can offer a self-audit as an alternative to the third-party visit, and in practice that is the common path.
If verification finds unlicensed use, you have 30 days to order enough licenses to cover it. The number that matters is 5%: if unlicensed use reaches 5% of purchased licenses, you also reimburse Microsoft's verification costs. Come back clean and Microsoft cannot re-verify you for at least a year.
Frequently asked questions
What buyers ask most about Windows 11 Enterprise and virtual desktop licensing.
Microsoft 365 E3, E5, F3, and Business Premium all carry per-user Windows 11 Enterprise rights. Defense contractors buy the same suites in GCC High: Microsoft 365 G5 at $1,170.00/user/yr ($97.50/user/mo equivalent), G3 at $793.20/user/yr ($66.10/user/mo equivalent), or Business Premium GCC High at $429.60/user/yr ($35.80/user/mo equivalent) for orgs under 300 users.
Get a Quote
Secureframe is a Microsoft reseller. Request a quote for Windows 11 Enterprise licensing and hear back within 1 business day.
