Microsoft is offering Free windows 7 upgrade under the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program.Under this program, licensed end users of selected Microsoft Windows Vista operating system editions can obtain an Upgrade license (the Upgrade) to the appropriate Windows 7 edition at reduced or no additional cost if the end user meets program qualifications.
A lot of people took advantage of the Get Windows 10 upgrade promotion and but some did not. If you are one of those people that did not get your version of Windows 7 / Windows 8.1 upgraded for free, you still have an opportunity to do so. Windows 10 is the only Free operating system of Microsoft, you can upgrade your PC to Windows 10 for free, but this opportunity is only for Windows 7/8.1/8 users. I suggest you take this chance upgrade to Windows 10, because Microsoft has closed a lot of free channels. To upgrade from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10, there is a very small list of things you need (or need to do) to get started, as well as few best practices to take care of along the way. To check if your copy of Windows 7 is activated, hit Start, right click the “Computer” option, and then select the “Properties” command.
Windows 10’s free upgrade offer is over, according to Microsoft. But this isn’t completely true. There are a bunch of ways you can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free and get a legitimate license, or just install Windows 10 and use it for free.
There are a few ways you can still get Windows 10 for free, without using a pirated license: you can install Windows 10 with a 7 or 8 key, or install Windows without a key—it will work just fine, save for a small watermark reminding you to purchase a license.
Here’s how each of those methods work.
Provide a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 Key
RELATED:You Can Still Get Windows 10 for Free With a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 Key
While you can no longer use the “Get Windows 10” tool to upgrade from within Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, it is still possible to download Windows 10 installation media from Microsoft and then provide a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 key when you install it. We tested this method once again on January 5, 2018, and it still works.
Windows will contact Microsoft’s activation servers and confirm the key to the previous version of Windows is real. If it is, Windows 10 will be installed and activated on your PC. Your PC acquires a “digital license” and you can continue using and reinstalling Windows 10 on it in the future. If you head to Settings > Update & security > Activation after installing Windows in this way, you’ll see the words “Windows is activated with a digital license”.
Microsoft hasn’t communicated what’s going on here, or whether it will block this method in the future. But it still works right now. Even if Microsoft blocks this trick in the future, your PC will keep its digital license and Windows 10 will remain activated.
Reinstall Windows 10 if You’ve Already Upgraded
RELATED:How to Use Your Free Windows 10 License After Changing Your PC’s Hardware
If you’ve taken advantage of any free upgrade offer–either the original free upgrade offer during the first year, the accessibility offer, or by installing Windows 10 and providing a key for an eligible previous version of Windows–you can continue to “get Windows 10 for free” on the same hardware.
To do this, just download the Windows 10 installation media and install it on that computer. Don’t provide any key during the installation process. It should automatically activate after it contacts Microsoft’s servers.
Sure, you can only do this if you’ve already upgraded to Windows 10, but you can continue to install Windows 10 for free on the same computer in the future–even if you replace its hard drive or other components. The new activation wizard in Windows 10’s Anniversary Update will even help you troubleshoot hardware changes and reassociate the digital license with the correct PC.
Skip the Key and Ignore the Activation Warnings
RELATED:You Don’t Need a Product Key to Install and Use Windows 10
Here’s the real secret: You don’t need to provide a product key to install Windows 10. You can download Windows 10 installation media from Microsoft and install it on a PC, in Boot Camp on a Mac, or in a virtual machine without providing a product key. Windows will continue to work normally and you can do practically whatever you want.
Windows 10 will keep nagging you to activate it and won’t allow you to change any of the options under Settings > Personalization, but otherwise work just fine. It’s not something you’d necessarily want to do on your main computer, but it’s a very convenient way to set up a quick virtual machine, test Windows 10 on a PC, or install Windows 10 in Boot Camp. You can even pay to upgrade to a legal, activated version of Windows 10 from within your unactivated Windows 10 system after installing it.
This isn’t technically allowed by Microsoft’s guidelines, but they’ve specifically designed Windows to work this way. If Microsoft doesn’t want people doing this, it’s free to change Windows to block this in the future–and it might. But Windows has worked this way for years. This was even possible with Windows 7.
Free Upgrade From Windows 7 To Windows 10 2018
You can also head to Microsoft’s website and download a 90-day evaluation version of Windows 10 Enterprise. It will continue working for 90 days–about three months. It’s designed for organizations to evaluate Windows 10 Enterprise.
This evaluation copy comes with the extra features built into Windows 10 Enterprise, so it’s also a convenient way to test these Enterprise features. However, you can upgrade any edition of Windows 10 to the Enterprise edition if you have a key.
Unfortunately, other free offers—like the Accessibility offer from Microsoft—are now over. But these methods should cover you pretty well.
Of course, you can also just buy a new PC that comes with Windows 10. It’s not really free because the manufacturer has to pay for the Windows license. But, if you’re looking to upgrade from Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, it makes a lot more sense to buy a new computer that comes with Windows 10 for a few hundred bucks rather than spend $120 on a Windows 10 Home license to upgrade an old PC. PC manufacturers get a good deal and pay less than normal Windows users do for those licenses.
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If you’re ready to take the leap from Windows Vista to Windows 7 on your computer, the process is fairly simple. When you upgrade your computer from Windows Vista to Windows 7, first make sure you have a Vista service pack and use Windows 7’s Upgrade Advisor, which tells you what software or gadgets won’t run after you install Windows 7. Windows Vista usually fares the Upgrade Advisor’s exam pretty well.
1To find out what version of Vista you’re running, click the Start button, type winver into the Search box, and press Enter.
When the About Windows box appears, the words Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 should be listed on the box’s second line.
Free Upgrade From Windows 7 Ultimate
2If no service pack is listed, then grab it through Windows Update by clicking the Start menu, choosing All Programs, and clicking Windows Update.
Keep downloading all the updates marked “Important” until Microsoft slips you a copy of Service Pack 1.
3Visit Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Web site and click the Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor button.
In Microsoft’s traditional sleight of hand, your click fetches a more complicated Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor page.
4On the second Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor page, click the Download button.
When asked whether you want to Run or Save the file, Choose Save. This step saves the file on your Desktop or in your Downloads folder.
5When the download completes, install the program by double-clicking the downloaded program’s name, Windows7UpgradeAdvisorSetup.
Click through the approval screen, if you see one.
6Click I Accept the License Terms, and click the Install button.
When the program finishes installing, click the Close button.
7Launch the program by clicking the Start button and choosing Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.
If not on the Start menu’s first page, it’s in the All Programs area. If asked, click Yes to allow the program to make changes to your computer.
8When the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor program appears, plug all the equipment you want to use with Windows 7 into your computer’s USB or FireWire ports, turn on everything plugged into your computer, and then click the Start Check button.
The program begins examining your computer, its software, and all the parts you’ve plugged into your computer. After a bit of brow furrowing, the program displays its findings.
9Read Windows Advisor’s results, which explain which parts need updated drivers or must be replaced.
You can print the report and take it with you to the store while you shop for updated parts and software.
10Insert the Windows 7 DVD into your DVD drive and click Run Setup, if necessary.
You may also need to click one of Vista’s permission screens before Windows 7 begins examining your computer.
11When the installation program finally comes up for air, click Install Now.
Windows 7 begins installing temporary files.
12Choose Go Online to Get the Latest Updates for Installation (Recommended).
This step tells Windows 7 to visit Microsoft’s Web site and download the latest updates — drivers, patches, and assorted fixes for your particular computer — that help make your installation run as smoothly as possible. (Your computer must remain connected to the Internet for the downloads, of course.)
13Scour Microsoft’s 44-page License Agreement, select the I Accept the License Terms check box, and click Next.
Okay, you don’t actually have to scour it. Skimming works, too.
14Choose Upgrade, read the consequences, and click Next.
Choosing Upgrade preserves your Windows Vista computer’s old files, settings, and programs.
15Read the Compatibility Report, if offered, and then click Next.
The upgrade, a process that could take several hours, begins.
16In the Type Your Windows Product Key dialog box, type your product key and click Next.
The product key usually lives on a little sticker affixed to the CD’s packaging.
17Choose Use Recommended Settings.
This selection allows Windows to visit the Internet to update itself with security patches, warn you of suspicious Web sites, check for troubleshooting information, and send technical information to Microsoft to fine-tune Windows’ performance.
18Confirm the time and date settings, and then click Next.
Windows 7 usually guesses these correctly.
19If you’re connected to a network, choose your computer’s location.
Windows 7 gives you options: Home, Work, or Public. After rummaging around inside your computer for a few more minutes, Windows 7 appears on the screen, leaving you at the logon screen.
Vista Upgrade To Windows 7 Free Download
20Log on and run Windows Update.
Free Upgrade From Windows 7 To Windows 8.1
This step downloads any security patches and updated drivers issued by Microsoft.