Microsoft acted intelligently with Windows 10 and to push its spread it had given a year of time in which it was possible to switch for free from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 to Windows 10.
This period of time had then officially ended in July 2016, although for a long time, until December 2017, the possibility of being able to proceed with the update from the assistive technologies page, i.e. for those with disabilities, remained active. But since there was no control, anyone could download and install Windows 10 for free.
Now, in 2020, although officially there is no free update tool and after Microsoft has finished supporting Windows 7, you can still switch to Windows 10 for free by updating Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 .
READ ALSO: Direct download link for Windows 10 of the installation disc
Reading forums and specialized sites we found that Windows 10 can still be installed for free on Windows 7 and Windows 8 PCs .
Only a minority of people report that the update fails with an error message indicating that " the installation of Windows 10 has failed to validate the product key ".
However, this has always been a known problem that occurred even when the free update offer was available and for which we had also written a guide to activate Windows 10 and solve product key errors.
Today, four years after the free upgrade offer has expired, you can still upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and claim a free and regular digital right.
This surprising gift that Microsoft has left active I can confirm it by a couple of tests made by updating two Windows 7 virtual machines (even activated with pirated copy) updated to Windows 10, where the license key was validated immediately without requesting a new one like me instead I expected.
Therefore, if you have a PC with an "original" copy of Windows 7/8 / 8.1 (with the license activated correctly), you can download Windows 10 from the Microsoft website, follow the steps to download Windows 10 as a free update .
Then press the Download button to download the Media Creation Tool and then run it and follow the wizard. If the Media Creation Tool is downloaded to the PC you want to update, you can choose the Update this PC directly option. The update procedure does not delete any personal files or remove the installed programs.
READ ALSO: How to Install Windows 10 from Windows 7 without losing personal files
If you download the Media Creation Tool to be able to update another PC, then you can use the option to save the installation files on a USB drive or as an ISO file. Once the download is complete, double-click the ISO file to mount it as a virtual CD to open in a file explorer window. If you have created a USB installation drive, open the USB drive in File Explorer and run the installation file.
By following the simple instructions to complete the update, you will not be asked for any product key and when the update is complete, if your PC is connected to the internet, you can check the digital license of Windows 10 in Settings> Update and security> Activation .
At that point you can also reformat the PC, reinstall Windows 10 or perform a clean installation of Windows 10 on that PC without problems.
While Windows 10 should work well on any old PC (the minimum requirements are Processor: 1 gigahertz, RAM: 1 GB (32 bit) or 2 GB (64 bit), Free disk space: 16 GB), remember that you can always go back to the previous version Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 easily and automatically, if there were problems or there was an afterthought.
You can also switch from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro using a product code from a previous one of Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 (Pro / Ultimate) and switch from Windows 10 32 bit to Windows 10 64 bit for free as explained in the past.
Obviously, if you want to install Windows 10 on a PC without an operating system, the license to purchase will still be required.
In this case, you can still buy the Windows 10 Pro and Home license for a few Euros on Amazon or Ebay.
This period of time had then officially ended in July 2016, although for a long time, until December 2017, the possibility of being able to proceed with the update from the assistive technologies page, i.e. for those with disabilities, remained active. But since there was no control, anyone could download and install Windows 10 for free.
Now, in 2020, although officially there is no free update tool and after Microsoft has finished supporting Windows 7, you can still switch to Windows 10 for free by updating Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 .
READ ALSO: Direct download link for Windows 10 of the installation disc
Reading forums and specialized sites we found that Windows 10 can still be installed for free on Windows 7 and Windows 8 PCs .
Only a minority of people report that the update fails with an error message indicating that " the installation of Windows 10 has failed to validate the product key ".
However, this has always been a known problem that occurred even when the free update offer was available and for which we had also written a guide to activate Windows 10 and solve product key errors.
Today, four years after the free upgrade offer has expired, you can still upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and claim a free and regular digital right.
This surprising gift that Microsoft has left active I can confirm it by a couple of tests made by updating two Windows 7 virtual machines (even activated with pirated copy) updated to Windows 10, where the license key was validated immediately without requesting a new one like me instead I expected.
Therefore, if you have a PC with an "original" copy of Windows 7/8 / 8.1 (with the license activated correctly), you can download Windows 10 from the Microsoft website, follow the steps to download Windows 10 as a free update .
Then press the Download button to download the Media Creation Tool and then run it and follow the wizard. If the Media Creation Tool is downloaded to the PC you want to update, you can choose the Update this PC directly option. The update procedure does not delete any personal files or remove the installed programs.
READ ALSO: How to Install Windows 10 from Windows 7 without losing personal files
If you download the Media Creation Tool to be able to update another PC, then you can use the option to save the installation files on a USB drive or as an ISO file. Once the download is complete, double-click the ISO file to mount it as a virtual CD to open in a file explorer window. If you have created a USB installation drive, open the USB drive in File Explorer and run the installation file.
By following the simple instructions to complete the update, you will not be asked for any product key and when the update is complete, if your PC is connected to the internet, you can check the digital license of Windows 10 in Settings> Update and security> Activation .
At that point you can also reformat the PC, reinstall Windows 10 or perform a clean installation of Windows 10 on that PC without problems.
While Windows 10 should work well on any old PC (the minimum requirements are Processor: 1 gigahertz, RAM: 1 GB (32 bit) or 2 GB (64 bit), Free disk space: 16 GB), remember that you can always go back to the previous version Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 easily and automatically, if there were problems or there was an afterthought.
You can also switch from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro using a product code from a previous one of Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 (Pro / Ultimate) and switch from Windows 10 32 bit to Windows 10 64 bit for free as explained in the past.
Obviously, if you want to install Windows 10 on a PC without an operating system, the license to purchase will still be required.
In this case, you can still buy the Windows 10 Pro and Home license for a few Euros on Amazon or Ebay.
