Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7 in January 2020 and security updates are now released for enterprise customers with extended support only. To increase the market share of Windows 10 and help users avoid becoming vulnerable to exploits, Microsoft is still allowing users to upgrade to Windows 10 for free.
If you are running on Windows 7/8.1 or you have a spare license of the retired operating system, you can take advantage of Windows 10 free upgrade loophole, according to a new forum post from Microsoft.
“Yes, you can,” a Microsoft employee told a user when they asked about Windows 10 free upgrade offer. According to our tests, Windows 10 free upgrade loophole works only when your Windows 7/8.1 license key is valid.
If you’re on Windows 8, you need to upgrade to Windows 8.1, and then upgrade the machine to Windows 10 for free using Microsoft’s own Windows Media Creation Tool.
How to get Windows 10 for free
To get Windows 10 for free, you need to download and install Windows Media Creation Tool on a device/virtual machine where Windows 7/8.1 is already activated. Once done, open the tool and make sure that you select the option that lets you keep all files and applications.
According to Microsoft, doing a fresh install via the Media Creation Tool may not get you Windows 10 for free.
“Doing a fresh install via the Media Creation Tool may not get you Windows 10 for free, so be careful,” the employee warned.
The Media Creation Tool will automatically scan your PC for compatibility issues and install Windows 10 with a digitally activated license.
Why Windows 10 free upgrade loophole still works?
On Reddit, a self-proclaimed Microsoft engineer previously revealed that Windows 10’s free upgrade deal was “marketing fluff” and the compare cares more about upgrade stats.
So it seems that Windows 10 upgrade loophole won’t be closed anytime soon, but remember that a successful activation of Windows 10 is not entirely the same as a legal license, especially if you’re an enterprise customer.
