A few years ago, Microsoft gave users the opportunity to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free. Sometimes it went so far that even users who did not want to receive an upgrade. The offer has long since passed, but free upgrading is still possible and it is now easier than ever. We tell you how you do that.
Since Microsoft has withdrawn the option of free upgrade from Windows 7 and 8 (.1), it is still possible to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge. There are several tricks for this, one even easier than the other. The first trick that people used was the accessibility trick. By downloading a special executable for the deaf and hard of hearing, users could upgrade to Windows 10 for free using the accessibility options. This file has since been moved or deleted. The clock reset has also worked for many years. By setting the clock back to July 28, 2016, users could upgrade to Windows 10 for free.
A trick that is still frequently used is the “current key trick”. By starting a brand new installation and filling in your Windows 7 license key, you got a nicely activated Windows 10 on your computer and the license was converted to a Windows 10 license. However, you had to reinstall the system for this. If you want to start with a clean slate, you can still use this trick. We will elaborate on this in this article.
Today we are looking at the easiest trick: upgrading to Windows 10 with (in some cases) the ability to keep your files and settings.
This trick has some similarities with the “current key trick”. You start by downloading the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft.
Click on “Download tool now” and open the downloaded file. After accepting the new license terms, choose the option “Update this PC now” and click on next.
Follow the instructions on the screen. At the fourth screen you will be asked whether you want to keep your personal files and apps. Make your choice and click on next.
Then click on install and the upgrade will be performed. This can take quite a while (in some cases several hours), so be patient. During the upgrade the computer will be restarted several times, that is normal.
If it goes wrong during the upgrade, it will automatically roll back to Windows 7, so you don’t have to worry about that either.
When the upgrade is complete, some questions are asked about Windows 10 and you can start. It’s that simple. Your Windows 7 (or 8) license has been automatically converted to a Windows 10 license and you can find it by going to the settings, clicking on Update and Security and opting for Activation.
If upgrading fails in some way, you can still try it with Microsoft’s alternative upgrade application. You can do this here to download. If that doesn’t work either, read this article. We explain what you can do to complete a successful upgrade by tackling the problems that frustrate this process.
If you encounter problems after upgrading, read these repair tips.