Anyone still using an older version of Windows should understand how to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. This is mainly because the Home Edition still typically costs $ 139 / £ 119 / AU $ 225, which isn’t cheap.
Get that Windows 10 the free upgrade may not seem handy now that Microsoft has allowed it expire its free upgrade offer for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. However, the actual tools are still available and fairly affordable. And anyone who wants to make the leap can do it easily.
Why can you still upgrade to Windows 10 for free in 2021? It makes sense when you think about it. Microsoft probably doesn’t want users to switch to a free operating system like Linux or, more likely, stick to an older, unsupported version that exposes users to viruses and hacks.
So, read on and let us help you upgrade to Windows 10 for free, whether you’re from Windows 7 or Windows 8, with this simple guide. If you are preparing for Windows 11, which is on the horizon, don’t worry as this is also trying to be a free update.
Is Windows 10 free?
Windows 10 was never truly free. In fact, with Windows 10 Home costing $ 139 and Windows 10 Pro a whopping $ 200, installing Windows 10 on your computer or laptop will cost you a lot of money.
There was a period of time when Microsoft offered free updates to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users, but that time is long overdue. One more loophole it remains that it allows you to get Windows 10 for nothing.
And we suspect Microsoft is keeping it open as it is in the company’s interest to get as many people as possible on Windows 10. We are sure it is interested in switching people from the older, unsupported operating system to the new one.
How to upgrade to Windows 10 for free
Basically, the steps to upgrade to Windows 10 for free from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are the same as when Microsoft officially offered the upgrade.
1. Verify that you meet the hardware requirements
To install the latest version of Windows 10, you will need the following:
processor: Processor supported by 1GHz or faster (Here is a list of supported CPUs)
RAM: 1GB for Windows 10 32-bit or 2GB for Windows 10 64-bit
Warehousing: 32 GB of space or more
GPU: DirectX 9 compatible or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
Screen: resolution 800×600 or higher
Internet connectionNote: Some versions of Windows 10 require an Internet connection during installation.
If your Windows 7 computer doesn’t meet these specifications, you won’t be able to run Windows 10, and even if your computer only meets the requirements, Windows 10 won’t perform that well. We recommend at least a 2GHz dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM (8GB ideally), and a 160GB hard drive to run Windows 10 well.
Check out our selection of the best laptops for inspiration and advice on how to buy a new machine, whatever your budget.
So, download and install the Windows Media Creation Tool and select “Download Tool Now” in the section titled “Create Windows 10 Installation Media”.
Run the Windows Media Creation Tool and when you reach the “What do you want to do?” section, select “Update this PC now” and follow the remaining steps in the tool. This will also give you the option to keep your files and apps during the installation process. You can find more details instructions on this process here.)
Enter your Windows 7 (or Windows 8) license key and you should soon be running Windows 10, for free.
If necessary, click the “Activate” button and your PC will be activated with a digital license after establishing a secure connection to Microsoft servers.
If you can’t get the license, you can also enter the Windows 7 product key and manually activate the operating system.