How to upgrade to Windows 10 for free from Windows 7 or 8.1 + Tips and Tricks

Free upgrade to Windows 10 from previous operating systems such as Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 it’s still working. And it is a good option to migrate computers to a supported system as long as you continue to bet on Microsoft developments. Because there are other alternatives.

You already know the situation. Microsoft implemented a free update program in the fall of 2015 so that machines with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 licenses could migrate to the new operating system that it had just launched. Although the Windows 10 free program was going to last only one year, it was officially extended until the end of 2017 due to the low market share that Windows 10 had achieved.

Already in 2018, and although the program officially ended, users verified how the free update was still possible and by various methods, such as “assistive technologies”, an exception for users with sight or hearing problems who needed the new accessibility features. Today, officially, Windows 10 is paid and its license costs 120 euros. To use the system, you either purchase a computer with the system pre-installed, a physical or digital copy in retail or through the volume licensing programs for companies.

Then, Why does the free update still work, even from a pirated copy? The answer is simple: Microsoft is more interested in adding market share for Windows 10 than in betting on a sale of licenses in retail, which in any case would give it a minimum income. With Windows 7 alone, it is estimated that there are more than 100 million active machines. And this despite the fact that it no longer has technical support and is a great security risk.

How to upgrade to Windows 10 for free

Microsoft has taken a pragmatic stance on this matter. It makes sense to continue allowing free updates instead of abandoning tens of millions of computers to their fate on security matters and, of course, convincing staff that Windows 10 is the most natural step, avoiding the jump to macOS or Linux.

How does it work? The free update is achieved using the method of the “Media creation tool” (don’t use a clean install). If you follow us regularly, you must know the process by heart:

• Make a previous backup of your main files or the entire disk drive. In theory, this method preserves data, but better to be safe in case of problems.
• Access the official Windows 10 portal and click on «Download the tool now».
• Run the downloaded file “MediaCreationTool20H2.exe”.
• Accept the license agreement.
• Select the update method.

• The tool will download the necessary files and prepare your computer for the update.
• Just follow the instructions and when it asks you to write the Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 license and finish the installation.

The tool will update the system to the latest stable version of Windows 10 and when you connect to the Internet, Microsoft’s activation servers will validate it. transforming your old Windows 7 or 8.1 license into a digital Windows 10 license. The license must be valid and has not previously had to be used to upgrade to Windows 10.

If you want Windows 10 for free, but don’t have a Windows 7 license, the process is also simple and cheap. In this case, you can choose to buy a Windows 7 digital license on sites like eBay for as low as 2 euros. Don’t ask us about its legality…. If Microsoft allows them, we will not waste time questioning them ourselves.. It is that even pirated copies work … what are we going to tell you that you do not know.

Once you have your “new” Windows license, you can use the proposed method to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. And legal with the pragmatic consent of Microsoft.