The upgrade will result in the same edition - Home or Pro - you begin with. In addition, this process reportedly only works for the Home and Pro editions of Windows, and an upgrade (or downgrade) from one to another is not possible. In order for this scenario to work, you must have a working, installed, activated copy of Windows 7, 8, or 8.1. That way, if anything goes wrong, if the activation doesn’t take, or if you just don’t like the results, you can easily and completely revert to where you were when you started. Back upĮven if this wasn’t an unofficial scenario, I’d strongly recommend you take a complete image backup of your computer before starting. When prompted, select Upgrade this PC now. Backup first, then visit the Windows 10 Download page, click on Download tool now, run the downloaded Windows 10 setup tool and follow its instructions. This is the only form of nag you’ll see - there are no pop-up windows, for example.If you have a working, installed, and activated copy of Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, you still can upgrade to Windows 10 for free.

Activate Windows now.” link at the bottom of the Settings app. You’ll also see a “Windows isn’t activated. First, you’ll notice a watermark in the bottom-right corner of your screen. Eventually, Windows will start nagging you a tiny bit. Initially, you won’t notice a difference. These days, Windows just complains at you in a few minor, cosmetic ways. With Windows XP, Microsoft actually used Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) to disable access to your computer. However, an unactivated version of Windows 10 doesn’t have many restrictions. RELATED: How Does Windows Activation Work?Īfter you’ve installed Windows 10 without a key, it won’t actually be activated. Whatever version you choose, Windows 10 will install normally. When you select this option, you’ll be able to install either “Windows 10 Home” or “Windows 10 Pro.” Bear in mind that, if you plan to pay to upgrade to the paid version later, it’ll be cheaper to upgrade to Windows 10 Home, so you may want to install the Home version.

Windows 10 free