On July 29, 2016, Microsoft ended the free Windows 10 upgrade offer for the owners of Windows 7 and 8.1 machines. The company, however, left a loophole, that allows any user to upgrade to Windows 10 for free despite the original offer is over. As we reported, the Windows 10 free upgrade offer was still available even after the release of the Fall Creators Update.
Microsoft is now finally going to end the offer later this year. Once the offer ends, the official loophole will be closed and the users won’t be able to upgrade their Windows 7 or 8.1 machines to Windows 10 operating system for free.
“We are not restricting the free upgrade offer to specific assistive technologies. If you use assistive technology on Windows, you are eligible for the free upgrade offer. That said, it is not intended to be a workaround for people who don’t use assistive technology and who missed the deadline for the free offer,” Microsoft’s spokesperson told ZDNet in late July of 2016.
Microsoft never restricted the upgrade offer to specific assistive technologies and even no verifications where being made, basically offering the Windows 10 upgrade for completely free to any users.
According to the updated Microsoft’s assistive technology page, Microsoft has decided to end the offer on December 31, 2017, meaning that you won’t be able to upgrade your old genuine Windows machine to Windows 10 for free in 2018. “The accessibility upgrade offer expires on December 31, 2017,” the FAQ section reads.
Beginning January 1, 2018, you won’t be able to upgrade your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 PC to Windows 10 operating system. If are still using the old Windows operating system, you should upgrade it in next 2 months.
