By adeel
It’s official: Free Windows 10 upgrades are no longer available
Window 10 Update:- The Party is over. Microsoft has finally stated that it is eliminating the loophole that allowed PCs running Windows 7 and Windows 8.x to upgrade for free after seven years of turning a blind eye.
It’s been one of the worst kept computing secrets for more than seven years. The free upgrade promotion from Microsoft was suppose to stop in 2016, but no one in Redmond bothered to restart the activation servers. As a result? A free upgrade to Windows 10 was available for PCs running Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1.
Despite appearances, the gap was much larger. Activating a fresh installation of Windows 10 or upgrading from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro still worked using the 25-character product keys from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
The subject was first covered in a post I authore in January 2017 title “Yes, you can still receive a free Windows 10 upgrade. Here’s how”) and have continuously updated it since then. Millions of people have view that post, and I’ve gotten thousands of emails from readers telling me about successful upgrades.
Window 10 Update:- Free Windows 10 upgrades are no longer available
I was still getting emails like this one as of September 18:
A Quick Not–With Thanks–to make sure the free Windows 10 download is still available. I recently upgraded an old laptop from Windows 7 to. Thanks a lot!
Well it was fun while it lasted.
It was made official by an unsigne statement publish on the Microsoft Device Partner Center on September 20:
The deadline for Microsoft’s free Windows 10/11 upgrade offer was July 29, 2016. The installation route to get the free upgrade to Windows 7 or 8 has also been eliminate. Windows 10 to Windows 11 upgrades are still free.
It’s interesting that this news was made on a website geared toward Microsoft’s OEM partners, who account for the majority of Windows sales through purchasing OEM licenses for new PCs. For seven years, the business has kept a purposeful silence regarding the free-upgrade loophole while openly urging customers to purchase new PCs rather than upgrading their existing ones.