It’s Still Possible to Get the Windows 10 Upgrade for Free

Did you miss out on upgrading that Windows 8 to Windows 10 last year?

Not to worry. Recent reports indicate that the free upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system still works.

The Story So Far

To add some context, Microsoft announced last year that it would be offering a free upgrade to those using assistive technologies. However, as this Tech Radar article observes, “The assistive technologies upgrade is meant for those who will use Windows 10’s accessibility features, and as discussed previously, there is no verification process involved, so theoretically anyone can upgrade using this method (although it would be morally dubious to do so if you don’t use the relevant tech).”

Consistent with this, the relevant Windows 10 page does say that the free upgrade expired on December 31, 2017. But with the reports that have surfaced, it could still be worth a shot.

Caveat

It is possible to encounter an error message while upgrading to the latest version via the assistive technologies upgrade page. However, this can be easily fixed using a workaround by Ghacks.

Alternative Route

If this way doesn’t work, there’s an alternative route that involves using an existing Windows 7/8.1 product key.

On the subject, Windows expert Paul Thurrott writes.

“What this means is that you can download the Windows 10 Setup media—which is always the latest version, so you’ll get Windows 10 version 1709, or the Fall Creators Update, at the time of this writing—and perform a clean install of the OS on any PC. And then you can activate that install of Windows 10 using an unused retail Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 product key. And it will just work.”

Ian Morris also expounds on this in his Forbes piece.

“To get Windows in this way, head to Microsoft’s site and get the Media Creation Tool which allows you to either burn a DVD or make a USB boot device. You can also install over you existing build – but please do this only if you’re sure you have backups of all your drives.”

So, how about doing that Windows 10 free upgrade May 2018 now?