Those who own older Windows computers know that the free Windows 10 upgrade ended on July 29, 2016, one year after the new OS was released. Now that almost seven months have passed after this deadline, many people naturally assume that they can no longer get the free offer and that they’d have to pay the $119.99 price tag for the retail version.
But is this really the case? Well, according to tech experts, there is a way to get around the deadline and legally download Windows 10 without any charge. If you’ve decided to upgrade to this new OS now, here are the steps you should take:
- Make sure that you have valid Windows 7 or 8.1 license. This is a must; you won’t be able to get Windows 10 without an active license.
- Go to the Windows 10 download page at microsoft.com/en-au/software-download/windows10.
- Click on the “Download tool now” button.
- Run the Media Creation Tool when the download is finished.
- Select “Upgrade this PC now”.
- Follow the instructions that will appear onscreen.
- Take note of the license key that will be given to you.
- Activate your license key by going to Settings, choosing “Update & security”, and clicking on “Activation”.
It might seem strange that people can still legally download and install Windows 10 even though the official deadline has passed. However, tech experts point out that this isn’t really surprising since the deadline seemingly was announced to create a sense of urgency and encourage people to switch to the new OS ASAP. Microsoft was hoping that this would help them reach their goal of having one billion users on Windows 10 within just one year after its release.
If you own a small or medium-size business, you can get free Windows 10 upgrades if you sign up for Windows 10 Enterprise products.
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