How to upgrade to Windows 10 for FREE
If you’re still running Windows 7 or Windows 8 / 8.1 and you want to know how to upgrade to Windows 10 for FREE, read on. The promotional offer to officially upgrade to Windows 10 for free expired about July 2016, however the tools for doing this are still available from Microsoft.
Support for Windows 7 expired in January 2020, so in order to continue getting security updates it’s important to upgrade your Operating System to Windows 10 at least.
Yes, you can upgrade not just your Windows 7 but also Windows 8 1 to Windows 10 for free as well.
Windows 10 System requirements
Before you start the process of upgrading, check if your PC Laptop or Desktop meets the Windows 10 hardware requirements.
These are the basic requirements for installing Windows 10 on a PC. If your device does not meet these requirements, you may not have as great an experience with Windows 10 and might want to consider purchasing a new PC.
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Processor (CPU): | 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or System on a Chip (SoC) |
| RAM: | 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit; or 2 GB for 64-bit |
| Hard drive space: | 16 GB for 32-bit OS; 32 GB for 64-bit OS |
| Graphics card: | DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver |
| Display: | 800×600 |
| Internet Connection: | Internet connectivity is necessary to perform updates and to download and take advantage of some features. Windows 10 Pro in S mode, Windows 10 Pro Education in S mode, Windows 10 Education in S mode and Windows 10 Enterprise in S mode require an internet connection during the initial device setup (Out of Box Experience or OOBE), as well as either a Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Active Directory (AAD) account. Switching a device out of Windows 10 in S mode also requires internet connectivity. Learn more about S mode here. |
How to upgrade to Windows 10 for FREE
How to upgrade to Windows 10 for FREE. It is possible to upgrade to Windows 10 for FREE as long as the tools for doing so are still available from Microsoft. Just follow the steps given below.
In this post, you will learn how to upgrade to Windows 10 for FREE. Whether you’re upgrading from Windows 7, Windows 8.0 or Windows 8.1, the steps are the same. This article also gives you the Windows 10 download free link so you can download the tools you need to upgrade free to Windows 10 in case you’re still running previous Windows editions prior to Windows 10, some of which are no longer supported.
Allow 1-3hrs for upgrade 2 hours and 30 minutes
Step 1: Check Your Laptop or Desktop meets Windows 10 system requirements
Check that your laptop or Desktop meets Windows 10 system requirements.
1. Right- Click on This PC and select properties to see computer properties OR
2. Search for About on the search field and open best match “About your PC” to see more about your computer system.
________________________
Step 2: Connect to Windows 10 download free page
Using your favorite browser, such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge or Firefox Mozilla, connect to Windows 10 download page at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/Windows10
________________________
Step 3: Download Windows 10 tool.
Click on “Download tool now” to download the Media creation tool.
Open the folder you saved the Media creation tool and run it as administrator.
________________________
Step 4: License terms page
If you accept the license terms, select Accept.
________________________
Step 5: What do you want to do? page
You’re presented with two choices here:
1. Upgrade this PC now
2. Create Installation media (USB Flash Drive, DVD or ISO file for another PC)
Select Upgrade this PC now, and then select Next.
The download of Windows 10 to the computer begins and it will take some time. This Step can take a long time depending on how fast your PC is and also the speed of your internet connection. Just be patient and wait for the update assistant to download all the files needed to upgrade your PC to Windows 10.
________________________
Step 6: Ready to Install Window Appears
When the ready to install window appears click Install to begin installing Windows 10 on the PC.
You don’t need to do anything; the PC will reboot itself several times.
When the update has completed successfully you will see a greeting “Hi Almost there”
________________________
Step 7: Choose privacy settings for your device
Choose your preferred privacy settings for your device by toggling either Yes or No.
Click Accept once you’re done with your choices. Desktop appears Next. Confirming you have upgraded from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 free.
________________________
Step 8.1.1: Desktop Appears – Check Properties of your PC
Once the desktop appears you can check the properties of your computer by
1. Click the File Explorer (folder icon on Task bar)
2. Click the drop down on Quick Access as shown in picture and select “This PC“
________________________
Step 8.1.2: Desktop Appears – Check Properties of your PC
Click Properties as indicated on image to see the new properties of your PC.
________________________
Step 8.2: Desktop Appears – Search for About your PC
Type “About you PC” in the search field on the task bar.
Open best match which should be “About you PC”
Here, you’ll see the Windows 10 details.
________________________
Step 9: Desktop Appears – Check your data files
Check your data files to see if they are all there.
________________________
Step 10: Desktop Appears – Test your Applications.
When the Windows 10 desktop appears, Test your Applications.
________________________
Step 11: Check the Activation of your Windows
Go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation to see activation information.
________________________
Step 12: If you want to go back to your previous OS
If you want to go back to your previous operating system (OS), you can do so as long as you do this within 10 days of this upgrade. After 10 days your previous OS files are wiped.
To go back to previous OS do the following:
Settings > Update & Security > Recovery
________________________
Tools:
- A Local Administrator account required to run download Windows 10 Tool.
- An active Internet Connection.
- If you’ve a laptop, it’s recommended to plug in your power adapter (battery Charger)
Materials: You will need these if you’re creating Installation media to install on another PC. A USB Flash Disk with at least 8GB space to create a bootable USB Flash Drive. A Blank DVD to burn the Windows 10 ISO to create a bootable DVD.
Windows 10 download free
You can find the Windows 10 download free here. You can use the downloaded files to create installation media if you want to upgrade a separate computer to Windows 10.
Also, Windows 10 installation media is useful in case you want to re-install on your system so it’s well worth creating installation media.
Related Posts: Can I Upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10 for Free?
