Most of the laptops and PCs that we can purchase in this timeline are recommended to have Windows 10 as their main OS. But some users who had purchased Windows 7 or Windows 8 in the past might wonder if they can upgrade their current OS to Windows 10 for free. For those who don’t know, Windows 10 comes with a $140 price tag for the standard edition. It is indeed not a small amount of money for many people.
Back then, many experts suggested that Windows 7 and Windows 8 users can upgrade their OS to Windows 10 for free. For those who have been paying attention to this change four years ago, you’ve probably known that the upgrade opportunity is over. But not exactly.
You can still upgrade your current OS to Windows 10 for nothing!
So, if your PC or laptop is currently running an older version of Windows (Windows 7 or Windows 8), you still have the chance to upgrade it to Windows 10 without paying a single dime.
But here’s the takeaway.
First things first
Make sure that your PC or laptop specs are good for sustaining Windows 10. If you are not sure, you can check on the official Windows page or System Requirement Lab. Don’t try to push your luck by using a PC / laptop that doesn’t have good specs.
Microsoft has shut down the free Windows 10 upgrade back in 2017. Some of you might wonder if you are out of luck, but don’t fret yet. You can still upgrade your current OS with nothing. If you are still running Windows 7 or Windows 8 on your computer, you will need to upgrade it since Microsoft has stopped their support.
Make sure that you are using a genuine copy of your older Windows version. The upgradable OS is 7 and 8/8.1. Any windows version older than those won’t work for the free upgrade.
You also need to back up anything you’d like to save on your PC. Save your important stuff on the cloud drive or SSD, or external HDD.
Check the legality of your current OS
In order to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, your OS should be a legal copy from the provider. The ripped version of Windows 7 or Windows 8 won’t work for this method.
If you don’t have one, you could purchase the licenses of Windows 7 or Windows 8 at your official sellers. Of course, the cost of these older OS is more affordable than the Windows 10 license. Choose one of them, and you can proceed.
Mind your OS versions
There’s an important thing you need to know first about what you can expect for your Windows Upgrades. The Upgrades will be aligned to the specific versions of your OS. For instance, home licenses will upgrade to Windows 10 Home, pro licenses will upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
Upgrade to Windows 10 Using Media Creation Tool
There’s an official tool to aid you in upgrading Windows 10. It is called Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. The Windows 10 Media Creation tool is a wizard tool that will ease the process of OS upgrade. So, let’s get down to it.
Open your favorite search engine and type “Windows 10 Media Creation Tool”. There’s a chance you won’t find the link on the official site of Windows. As mentioned, the offers have ended. But like I said, there’s still a way to make it work. Consider downloading the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool from other safe sites. Then you must install it.
Open the Software and choose “Upgrade this PC Now”, then click “Next”.
Tick “Keep personal files and apps” to protect your current files and apps in the current OS.
Then Click Install.
After clicking Install, expect that the process could take some time and it might require several automatic restarts. So, you will want to leave the process going on until it is finished before taking the next action.
After the installation is over, you could open Settings – Windows Update – Activation.
In this section, you will need to activate your Windows 10 digital license. As mentioned, you will need to provide a legal copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8, or Windows 8.1. Use your current version of Windows product key to enter. And that’s it!
Congratulations! Your older OS has been upgraded to Windows 10 for free!
You can check whether the activation is successful or not, you can check your license in Settings – Update & Security – Activation.
The License Registration takeaway
Your hardware has something to do with your Windows 10 license.
If you don’t make any changes to your hardware, you could reactivate Windows 10 automatically. But if you change some components in your PC, there’s a possibility that Windows 10 reads your device as the new one. Therefore, the automatic registration of the license won’t work for this condition.
It is because the Windows 10 Digital license automatically connects to your device’s hardware. So, when you make a big change in your hardware, for instance, replacing your processor, Windows may not find the license that matches your device.
You will need to reactivate the license in order to run your OS and apps properly.
Most users reported Windows activation errors after they attempted to activate Windows 10 license manually. If you are experiencing this, you could reactivate your Windows 10 with your digital license or product key. If there’s still an error, you could run the Activation troubleshooter. The Activation troubleshooter will automatically solve the problem in only a few seconds.
To do this, click the Start button, then select Settings – Update & Security – Activation – Troubleshoot. The troubleshooter will display the information about your problem.
