Yes, you can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free
Windows 10 was released way back in July 2015. It was offered free of charge to those that had genuine copies of previous versions of the operation system ( Windows 7 and Windows 8.1). Back then, millions of people took up the call to upgrade to Windows 10. Unfortunately, million more chose to ignore the call. That was not really surprising. Even today, there are people whose computers are still running on Windows XP. For most people, the periodic upgrades that Microsoft makes to its OS are rather needless. I have to admit I am one of those people who hold this belief. Windows 7 was so good that I didn’t see any need to upgrade to Windows 8. In another era, there were others that swore by Windows XP. Now, my refusal to upgrade to Windows 8 turned out to be good. Windows 8 proved to be a dud. So, how can you get the Windows 10 FREE upgrade in 2020?
Enter Windows 10
Now, when Windows 10 was introduced, I took up the call to upgrade my beloved laptop. It wasn’t that I had grown tired of Windows 7. In fact, I didn’t actually see the need for the upgrade. Anyway, the reason I got the free version of Windows 10 had to do with the fact that Microsoft Nichodemously downloaded the update files onto my computer. When I woke up, the thing was there, and there was no reason not to upgrade.
End of the free Windows 10 upgrade
The offer to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge ran from July 2015 till July 2016. That was one full year during which people could download Windows 10 free and upgrade their computers. As already mentioned, millions of computers were upgraded during this period. However, when the era of free things ended, there were still millions of computer that remained stuck on previous versions of Windows.
Support for Windows 7 has ended
On 14 January 2020, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7. That is probably one of the reasons why there are so many people now who are looking to get Windows 10 free of charge. That’s almost 4 full years after the offer to upgrade to Windows 10 free was closed. So, what can you do if you are one of the millions of people who remain stuck on previous versions of Windows? If you are one of these people, the following are your available options;
- You can buy a Windows 10 license
Officially, those that wish to upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 10 need to pay to be able to do so. If you are one of those who were initially reluctant to get Windows 10 for free, but whose hand has now been forced by the discontinuing of support for Windows 7, you can buy a Windows 10 license from Microsoft. The screenshot above shows the amounts that you are going to have to pay to get Windows 10 on your computer. Just to sum up;
- Windows 10 Home currently costs $139
- Windows 10 Pro costs $199
- Windows 10 Pro for Workstations costs $399
My laptop runs on Windows 10 Home basic. But, if I was buying a license, I would go for Windows 10 Pro. The price difference between Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro is so small that it’s only logical to get the version of the OS that has more features.
- You can still get Windows 10 for free
Though Microsoft claims to have stopped rolling out free upgrades of Windows 10 in July 2016, evidence indicates that the upgrade remains possible for those that have genuine licenses of previous versions of the OS. If you are one of those people who missed the boat back then, the first thing that you need to do before buying a new license is probably to try to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge. Yes, before you weep and moan about having to fork out $139 dollars for a Windows 10 license, you should trying getting Windows 10 without paying anything! But, how do you get Windows 10 for free in the year 2020? Well, the following is what you need to do;
You need to have a genuine Windows 7 license
I have already mentioned this fact several times in this post. You need to have a genuine Windows 7 license to have a chance of get Windows 10 free of charge. If you are one of those people who were running a version of Windows 7 that you got off Pirate Bay or off some other shady website, then you are in tough luck. There is no way that you are going to be able to upgrade to Windows 10 in 2020 without paying anything. You are going to have to buy a genuine Windows 10 license.
Head over to the Windows 10 download site
Now, if your version of Windows 7 is genuine, then you need to head over to the Windows 10 download platform. There, you need to click on “Update now,” to begin the process of updating your computer to Windows 10 without paying anything.
Installing Windows 10 Free
So, how do you install Windows 10 onto your computer? Simply run through the instructions that you get. It’s a long process, so you need to be patient. Now, if you are lucky, the installation will go all the way through, and you will get Windows 10 free of charge. Quite a number of people have reported that they went through the installation expecting something bad to happen along the way. However, at the end of the process, they had genuine copies of Windows 10 with genuine licenses. And they didn’t even have to pay anything, in spite of the fact that Microsoft has long since discontinued the free rollout of Windows 10.
Will this work for me?
Most people want to know whether or not they can upgrade their computers to Windows 10 in 2020. I cannot, in any case, certify that doing the above will guarantee that you get a Windows 10 free upgrade on your computer. However, as already mentioned, thousands of people around the world have reported that the above solution still works. So, it’s worthwhile trying it before buying a license or heading off to Pirate Bay for another bogus version of Windows.
Why is Microsoft still allowing people to upgrade to Windows 10 free?
There could be any number of reasons why Microsoft continues to allow people with genuine Windows 7 licenses to continue getting Windows 10 free. I was reading in one article that perhaps they forgot to turn off the tap. That’s rather improbable. Surely, by now someone at Microsoft has heard that people are still downloading Windows 10 free of charge. Another theory is that they are simply not bothered removing the free upgrade option from their servers. Again, this appears unlikely.
The most likely theory is that Microsoft knows that people out there are still able to get Windows 10 free of charge. And they probably want more people to do so. See, the initial period when the upgrade to Windows 10 was offered free of charge was marked by aggressive marketing by Microsoft. The company genuinely wanted people to move from previous versions of the Windows operation system. It is probable they still want to get as many people as is possible onto Windows 10. And what better way of ensuring that this happens than by allowing the Windows 10 free download?
What do you think?
Anyway, those are just somewhat weak theories. If you have anything to say, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. We love to hear from you. Why do you think Microsoft has continued to allow people to download Windows 10 free? And will the upgrade remain available to those that now wish to migrate from previous versions of Windows?
