Can You Repair Your Windows 10 With Your Phone?

Microsoft'due south initial push to become Windows vii and 8 users upgraded to Windows 10 is over. Only you can still get the OS for free.

Microsoft Concluded support for Windows 7 on Jan 14th, 2020. And while there is not an official channel to upgrade to Windows 10, there is a fox to become it. And this is non illegal. Microsoft is allowing users to do this. Here's how.

Important: Before attempting any major upgrade, brand certain all of your of import data is backed upwardly first. If something goes incorrect (and it certainly could with this type of upgrade) yous're not going to be able to recover it.

Upgrade from Windows 7 to 10 for Gratuitous

Before trying the upgrade make sure to update all hardware drivers and the BIOS or firmware on your PC. Also, retrieve y'all're electric current Windows 7 PC needs to have a valid and activated license.

To endeavor it, head to the Windows 10 download page. Under the Media Cosmos section download theDownload tool at present button and run it.

Accept the EULA. Then when it asks you what to do select "Upgrade this PC Now" and go along with the magician's on-screen instructions.

Of import Notes:

There are several caveats here that might make your upgrade endeavour error out. There might be hardware block — especially on machines congenital before 2015. Microsoft added system compatibility blocks with Windows x 1903. Then, make sure your BIOS or firmware and all hardware drivers are up-to-date before trying the upgrade.

And just note that Microsoft can just turn this "trick" off at whatever fourth dimension. So, depending on your system or when you try this, your mileage may vary.

Editor Note 1/15/2020: This article was originally written in 2017. It has been updated to reflect the end of support for Windows vii. You can read the original text below:

Windows 10 was first introduced to the market with a one-year gratuitous upgrade offering. From July 29th, 2015 to July 29th, 2016, users could upgrade eligible Windows vii and Windows 8 devices to Microsoft'south new desktop OS for free. Many users did have advantage of it, just for one reason or another, many others skipped the offer. No surprise, a day after Microsoft'southward free offer ended, procrastinating users popped up all over the Net, including our Windows 10 forums asking for information about how they could still become Windows x for free.

Terminal Baronial, I noticed the free upgrade offering seemed to still exist bachelor and I wrote a short weblog post well-nigh it. Throughout the month of August, some users were still getting notifications to upgrade for costless, while others saw them disappear altogether. Eleven months have passed since the free upgrade ended; in fact, we are approaching the second anniversary of the Windows 10 upgrade.

To those of you who are coming tardily to the party and still want a gratuitous upgrade: where've you been all this time? Anyway, whatever your reasons, let's run across how nosotros tin can get you a costless copy of Windows 10 at present that the costless upgrade ship has officially sailed.

How Yous Tin All the same Go a Complimentary Upgrade to Windows 10

According to some participants on Microsoft's Community forums, Microsoft might be forgiving to those who skipped on the upgrade. It seems y'all can get a 2d run a risk to upgrade to Windows 10 by simply contacting support. A Microsoft MVP responded to a participant inquiring about getting Windows 10 for free and this is what he said:

Contact MS support to request a free upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10. The support agent volition provide you with an exception link to allow the free upgrade to Windows 10. Source

Aside from that, yous may also still be eligible for a complimentary Windows 10 upgrade if you utilize Assistive Technologies. Assistive Technologies users could be broadly divers as users with a item harm or inability using third-political party software or hardware. In that location is no verification process for users who qualify for the Assistive Technologies upgrade.

Note (10th September, 2021): While this free upgrade promotion has long been scrubbed from Microsoft's website, y'all may find it still works in general. YMMV, however!

We actually mentioned this in a forum blog mail service concluding twelvemonth; the selection remains open and anyone information technology seems can use it to notwithstanding snag a complimentary copy. Of grade, we urge you not to abuse this offer from Microsoft and to only exercise this option if you rely on Assistive Technologies.

If y'all are non interested in going through any support obstacles or loopholes, I discovered that you tin can upgrade without purchasing a license at all. Y'all are probably wondering, "Well, why didn't y'all but say so from the beginning?" Well, I could have, but I just wanted to provide all the options for users who wanted to go through official channels.

And so, are there any legal challenges related to this? Microsoft did say the free offer ended in July of 2016. It seems that information technology was more of a formality or possibly marketing mumbo colossal to create a sense of urgency.

I decided to examination this out past first restoring my HP Elitebooks factory Windows vii paradigm. I as well tried information technology out on my HP desktop with Windows viii.0 (you read right, Windows 8.0, not eight.one or eight.ane with Update 1). During this experiment, the showtime thing I discovered is your Windows vii or Windows 8/8.i license must be activated. If it'south not, Windows ten setup is going to prompt you for a production primal.

You can't use a Windows 7 or Windows eight key if you are upgrading. What you can do though is activate information technology using a Windows 7 or Windows 8 key later setup is complete; if you choose to perform a clean install. If it'south activated, then setup doesn't prompt you. That'due south it, y'all tin can upgrade without any further hindrance. There you become, my system upgraded from Windows vii to Windows 10 in 2017 for free. Check out the video below.

Editor's Note: I've also done this a ton of times using my Windows viii Pro license key that came with my installation DVD. The way I meet it: I did take Microsoft upwards on its offering to upgrade for gratis when it was available. But every now and then, I similar to do a make clean Windows install. It makes sense that I should still exist able to use the original license key that I paid for to get dorsum to where I was before my reinstall.

What if my system is non activated?

If your Windows vii or Windows viii license is not activated and you are not interested in purchasing a license, then your options are limited. Yous practice have some options though. Microsoft offers a 90 day trial of its Windows 10 Enterprise edition. Windows x Enterprise is normally distributed under Microsoft's volume license program for large organizations that deploy Windows 10 in majority. It's a full-featured edition of the operating arrangement but in this case, it's actually an evaluation version of the software. Users must annals before they tin can download and install the software. This selection is perfect for those users who are running Windows Vista or never had a 18-carat license, to begin with.

One workaround users tin use to extend the usage of the Windows x Enterprise trial is to join the Windows Insider Preview Program. Exist brash, when you sign up for Windows x Insider Previews, you are electing to download, install and apply pre-release software nevertheless nether heavy development. The risk is indeed high as evidenced by a contempo unintended delivery of internal rough edge builds not fifty-fifty intended for users interested in haemorrhage border.

Users do accept the recovery options similar rolling back inside 10 days of upgrading – that is if you tin boot the system. Regular backups such as creating organisation images, or storing files on OneDrive should make information technology safe plenty to employ Windows 10 Insider builds while getting a free copy of the software. But, once again, use it at your own gamble.

For users who already have an installed, activated copy of Windows 10, but would like a 2nd copy setup possibly for compatibility purposes on a 2d bulldoze or partition, there is a loophole available. I discovered that if you already installed and activated Windows 10 with a Digital License, you can do exactly that. Only install a second re-create and information technology will activate without even asking questions. Previously, additional installations even on the same hardware required the purchase of an additional license in order to activate. The End User License Terms nevertheless says you do, but patently, it is not enforced – for now.

The free upgrade situation is a scrap ironic, and I hateful that the same mode Alanis Morisette meant information technology: non really ironic, merely rather unfortunate for a few individuals. Microsoft has been pushing a deadline for an entire yr and I am sure many users with eligible Windows 7 and Windows viii licenses ended up buying a full Windows 10 license – when technically, they already paid.

Anyway, those are the options notwithstanding bachelor if you lot nevertheless want to upgrade, permit u.s. know what you retrieve. We are likewise interested to hear from the Windows Vista, 7, or eight holdouts: what changed your heed after and so long?