The free upgrade Microsoft pushed out in 2015 still works for Windows 7 and 8 users.
Support for Windows 7 ends in January 2020 and Microsoft is encouraging all users of the earlier systems to upgrade to Windows 10. The problem is, the upgrade to the Home version costs $139 and not everyone wants to or can shell out that kind of cash.
Maybe you don’t have to though.
It turns out that the upgrade offer Microsoft made in 2015, a free upgrade to Windows 10 for 7, 8 and 8.1 users, still works, even though it was only meant to last until July 2016. As of this month, November 2019, some users are reporting that the upgrade tool is still functional.
If you are running Windows 7 and you don’t upgrade, while you will still be able to use the operating system, you won’t get any updates and that includes security fixes, leaving you at risk of malware and viruses.
If you want to upgrade to Windows 10 but don’t want to pay for it, here’s how:
Note: we can’t guarantee these steps will work for everyone
Provided you have a licensed version of Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, Home or Pro version:
- Head to the Download Windows 10 page
- Look for Create Windows 10 Installation Media and, under that, click on Download Tool Now>Run
- Click on Upgrade this PC now – this works if you are upgrading just one PC; if you have more than one, click on Create Installation Media or Another PC and save the downloaded files
- Follow the on-screen prompts
- When the upgrade has finished, open Settings and go to Update & Security>Activation – there, you should see a Windows 10 digital license
Be aware that you can only upgrade to a comparable version of Windows 10 – if you run Windows 7 Home, you can only upgrade to Windows 10 Home, for example, and not the Pro version.
Good luck and let us know if it worked for you.
