How to upgrade to Windows 10 for free

How to upgrade to Windows ten for free

The old Windows 10 free upgrade splash screen.

You lot won't see this old gratuitous upgrade screen during the upgrade procedure, just the cease result is the same. (Image credit: T.Dallas/Shutterstock)

Annotation: This commodity was first published the day before Windows seven got its last update, only we tried this method a couple of months agone and information technology still worked.

Microsoft'south long-lived Windows 7 operating system has reached the terminate of its working life and received its last update Tuesday, Jan. fourteen, 2020.

We've got a guide to what you need to do to go on using Windows 7 safely, only here'southward a tip: If your Windows seven license key is valid, y'all tin can upgrade your Windows 7 (or Windows 8.1) machine to Windows 10 for free using Microsoft'southward own Windows ten installation tool.

(Hither's how to discover the Windows license primal -- write it down, because you may need to blazon it in at the end of this procedure.)

Microsoft'due south user forums take instructions on how to upgrade to Windows 10 for costless, and Bleeping Figurer has more detailed instructions. Nosotros initially ran into issues with an incompatible application when nosotros tried this, but CNET staffers got the complimentary upgrade to work and later and so did we.

1 caveat: Y'all tin upgrade just to the Windows 10 version that corresponds to your build of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. So if you lot take Windows vii Home Premium, you lot'll be getting Windows 10 Home. Likewise, Windows 7 Professional maps to Windows 10 Pro.

As mentioned in a higher place, you need to download and install Microsoft's own installation tool from this page. Ignore the "Update now" button -- that's for machines that already have Windows 10 -- and instead click "Download tool at present."

i.5 (optional): You lot may desire to update your BIOS and deactivate antivirus software.

Ed Bott over at ZDNet, who has been tracking this stealth upgrade procedure for years, recommends updating the PC'due south BIOS/UEFI firmware if the PC was built earlier 2015, and also uninstalling the antivirus software, only to be condom.

Most people won't know how to update the BIOS, and we're not sure you need to uninstall the AV (specially if it'southward on our list of the best antivirus software), so do this only if you come across problems in the following steps.

The other selection is to create installation media on a burnable DVD or a bootable USB drive, which may be useful in the future but won't assistance you lot now.

3. Select 'Continue all apps and files' when prompted.

Bleeping Computer says you need to opt to keep all files and applications to get the gratis upgrade. The Microsoft user forums say you just need the existing Windows seven license key. We'd propose erring on the side of caution and taking Bleeping Computer'southward advice.

iv. Uninstall incompatible applications.

The upgrade tool will scan your PC for applications that don't piece of work in Windows 10. Uninstall them by going to Control Panel --> Programs and Features. Correct-click on the offending application and select "Uninstall." In nearly cases, you lot'll need administrative privileges to do this.

To be condom, reboot the motorcar later uninstalling all the incompatible applications and go back to Step 2 in a higher place.

5. Sit back and let the magic happen.

Your PC will reboot several times during the upgrade process, which could accept as long as an hour.

6. Check that the license fundamental works.

The Media Creation Tool should grab the license primal from the machine during the upgrade. Simply but in case information technology didn't, check it by going to Settings --> Update & Security --> Activation and see if information technology says that the license is active.

If not, so type your valid Windows seven (or Windows 8/viii.1) production central manually.

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Paul Wagenseil is a senior editor at Tom'south Guide focused on security and privacy. He has also been a dishwasher, fry cook, long-haul driver, code monkey and video editor. He'due south been rooting effectually in the information-security infinite for more than than 15 years at FoxNews.com, SecurityNewsDaily, TechNewsDaily and Tom's Guide, has presented talks at the ShmooCon, DerbyCon and BSides Las Vegas hacker conferences, shown up in random TV news spots and even moderated a panel discussion at the CEDIA home-technology conference. Y'all can follow his rants on Twitter at @snd_wagenseil.