If you are on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 user, you can upgrade to Windows 10 for free. There was a lot of buzz in past about the loophole that Microsoft may have left open deliberately. Now, a Microsoft employee has confirmed that it is still possible making the deliberate loophole clearer.
When a Windows 8.1 user asked whether he can upgrade to Windows 10 for free, a Microsoft Employee answered in affirmative. Provided below are the steps suggested by the Microsoft employee for upgrading to Windows 10, if you are still on older Windows versions like Windows 8.1.
Upgrading to Windows 10 for free:
- You can use the official Media creation tool to do in-place upgrade of your PC to Windows 10 or create a bootable USB and then upgrade. In both of the cases, you can refer to our tutorial for help.
- Accept the terms and conditions and choose the “upgrade option”, where you keep your files and information. Doing a fresh install via the Media Creation Tool may not get you Windows 10 for free, so be careful!
- Once you have upgraded the PC to Windows 10, go to Settings > Update > Activation and you will see that your PC is activated and the “digital license” gets linked to the Microsoft account with which you sign in to the PC.
- If you don’t see the Windows 10 on your PC activated post upgrade just click on the activate PC option. You need to enter the original Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 activation key when prompted. This still works.
Since the official support for Windows 7 has ended, as per Microsoft, your computer will still function but Microsoft will no longer provide the following:
- Technical support for any issues
- Software updates
- Security updates or fixes
So, it is much recommended to finally take the dive and upgrade to “Windows 10” for free, if your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 version was licensed and activated.
