How to get free Windows 10 – digital trends

When Windows 10 first launched in 2015, a free upgrade was as simple as clicking the “Get Windows 10” notification prompt. Things are a little different now.

Support for Windows 7 officially ended on January 14, 2020, which means more technical support and more software or security updates – in other words, using Windows 7 will soon become entirely non-existent. viable, making it a great time to upgrade to Windows 10 (Windows 8 will experience the same fate in a few years). Trust us, you don’t want to continue using Windows 7. What is it, you still are? Now is the time to move from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

The original free upgrade period for these older versions of Windows “officially” ended in mid-2016, and a “workaround” to get Windows 10 for free with assistive technology ended in December 2017. But don’t worry! There are still ways to get the latest and best version of Windows 10 for free without paying for a license or breaking the rules.

Note: Before going through the steps below, think about your options. You can also download and clean up Windows 10. Once this installation is clean and not activated, you can search for Activation in the Windows menu and enter your 7 / 8.1 key to activate Windows 10 at any time.

Step 1: Download the Windows 10 media creation tool

While Microsoft’s date to end the free upgrade to Windows 10 officially ended in mid-2016 … it actually hasn’t stopped working. As of the end of 2019, this free upgrade method still works if you know where to go, so it’s by far the best option for those with the right computers. If you are still using Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 (most versions), you must first download the Windows 10 installer. If you follow this route, you will not need to pay $ 139 for an upgrade key, and you will also keep all of your data.

First, you’ll want to go to the Microsoft website to download Windows 10 for free. This is accomplished with the Windows 10 Media creation tool. You can download the tool by clicking on the blue Download the tool now on the web page. It should not take more than 2 minutes. While you wait, disconnect any unnecessary accessories to reduce the risk of errors.

Step 2: launch the installer

Once downloaded, you will want to launch the installer. You must then accept the conditions and choose to Upgrade this PC now. Then follow the prompts. Windows 10 downloads to your PC and checks if it is compatible. You could then be presented with a list of problematic programs or hardware that could block upgrades. It is up to you to uninstall these programs to address these concerns.

However, there is a lot of software time, relatively speaking, between an operating system like Windows 7 and Windows 10. If you give up Windows 7 after using it for many years, you probably have a lot of data stored in files and applications. All these files and applications are not guaranteed to be compatible with Windows 10: Some of them may simply stop working. It is important to be aware of this and save or convert any important data before continuing. The installer will try to transfer all the data it can, but it is a good idea to be prepared.

Step 3: complete the installation

As the installer progresses, your Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 PC will restart several times. As part of the process, it will extract your existing product key from your hardware during configuration. If your version of Windows is legally activated, it will not ask you for an activation key. Keep in mind, however, that it won’t work for Windows XP or Windows Vista, as these versions of Windows never qualified for the free upgrade to Windows 10.

You will also receive the same version of Windows that originally came with your PC – Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise or Education. You cannot switch between them with this method, you will have to buy Windows again to upgrade to a different version.

What about reusing an old product key?

As mentioned, the Windows 10 installer approach will typically look for your Windows 7 or 8.1 license when upgrading to Windows 10. If it cannot find the proper authentication on the computer, you will need to enter your product key information directly.

Microsoft product keys typically only work once. Unless covered by volume licensing agreements, it is against Microsoft’s terms to use the same product key on multiple PCs. However, if you purchased correctly and are no longer using these older versions of Windows, Microsoft’s Windows 10 activation servers will accept Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 keys on your PC.

Usually your Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 product key can be found on a sticker on your PC or laptop, or in the documentation that came with your PC. If you’ve already bought Windows from Microsoft or a reseller, it can be found in a box or in an email. With Windows 8.1, product keys can also be linked to your specific hardware or your Microsoft account. If you are upgrading from Windows 7, your product key may be quite old by now, and keeping the documentation is even more important. If you can’t find the key, you can try logging into your Microsoft account and checking previous downloads to see if your product key is kept there. Sites like Amazon also keep a record of purchased downloads, but these usually don’t include the product key itself (although this may be helpful in specifying where it could be).

Other methods to get Windows 10

The above method is the best way to get Windows 10 for free, at least for now. But there are other ways to get Windows 10 if you really need it, including free, inexpensive options worth exploring.

Upgrade from Windows 7: If you still keep Windows 7, you really need to upgrade your PC to Windows 10 now. Microsoft once had a free upgrade process for Windows 10, but, unfortunately, it is finished. There are still a few ways to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 – read our guide to see how.

Free school version: Microsoft Offers Student Discount for Windows 10. In fact, eligible students can usually get the download for free, and teachers who work for an eligible school can download Windows 10 Education for a small fee. Check if your school is eligible and find out how to download from the Microsoft education portal. If you recently graduated but still want Windows 10, see if you can connect with your former students or your old school mailbox. In some cases, you can still qualify as long as you can connect.

Download Windows 10 without activating it: Technically, you can download Windows 10 from Microsoft (not the App Store version) and just don’t activate it, which means you’re not actually paying for it. It turns out that this is safer than it seems, because Microsoft is quite lax about applying activation. Your copy of Windows should not be stopped and you should still have access to your applications, etc. There are, however, limitations. Microsoft will constantly wiretap you to activate it Windows 10 every time you log in and display a large activation sign on your desktop. You also won’t be able to make customizations, color changes, or other types of changes to Windows until you’ve activated it. There is also no chance of technical support. However, it’s a good deal to get a lot of Windows 10 for free… although there is no guarantee that Microsoft will not change this in the future.

Buy a third-party key for Windows 10: There are many third parties who sell Windows 10 OEM keys for massive discounts so you can get them for just a fraction of the total cost from Microsoft. It sounds suspicious, doesn’t it? The trick is to find suppliers who sell reliable keys for big discounts – much like operating system costcos. Kinguin sells Windows 10 keys for around $ 20. PCDestination has it for $ 45. Even Amazon has a Windows 10 discounts compared to downloading directly from Microsoft. In other words, it’s worth going around.

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