If you were hoping to jump from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10 for the low cost of zero dollars, you’re now out of luck. Windows has quietly closed the loophole that allowed people to upgrade their PC’s operating system to the second-most recent version for free. If you’re sick of your old OS and want something more modern, you now must pay for it.
When Windows 10 first came out in July 2015, Microsoft gave Windows 7/8 users a full year to upgrade to the new OS for free. In July 2016, it extended an additional year for users of assistive devices. (It wasn’t clear how users were supposed to prove their disabilities to cash in on this particular offer.) After that, Windows 7/8 users had to buy their way into Windows 10…that is, if they weren’t aware of a secret loophole that still offered up the new OS for free.
Microsoft might not have been advertising free OS upgrades, but users could still get one via the tech giant’s Windows 10 web page. Running the download allowed users to click that magical “Upgrade this PC now” button without ever having paid a dime. But now Microsoft has taken that option away, too, and users will need to pay $139 for a Windows 10 license before installing the OS on their devices.
Based on the verbiage from a Microsoft Device Partner Center blog post published on Sept. 20 and spotted by Windows Central, Microsoft appears to know users’ affinity for the free Windows 10 loophole. “Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for Windows 10/11 ended July 29, 2016,” the post reads. “The installation path to obtain the Windows 7/8 free upgrade is now removed as well. Upgrades to Windows 11 from Windows 10 are still free.”
This last bit isn’t exciting; Windows 11 is still relatively new and within the expected free upgrade window. It also has much more stringent hardware requirements than any of its older siblings, meaning fewer users will be eligible for Windows 11 than other OS versions.
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