The period of free transition from Windows 7 to 10 or 11 version is over, confirmed Microsoft
Microsoft has officially announced that it has stopped the practice that previously allowed users of older versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.x operating systems to upgrade them to the newer Windows 10 and 11 versions for free. An official statement on this occasion was published on the Microsoft Device Partner Center portal earlier this month, Windows Central noted.
One of the things that Microsoft did differently than before with the release of Windows 10 OS, back in 2015, was to make the new operating system a free upgrade for existing users of older Windows operating systems. In particular, in this way he used a free “carrot” for all keen users of the very popular Windows 7 edition.
This practice officially ended on July 29, 2016. However, PC enthusiasts and resellers have noted that Microsoft's activation servers continue to allow latecomers to upgrade to a newer version of Windows. They were even able to download fresh Windows 10 and 11 ISO files and install them directly on their PCs using “spare” Windows 7 or 8.x keys from older systems. This September, 2023, a kind of grace period has definitely ended, reports tomshardware.
shutterstockThe Redmond-based company explains its decision regarding the cancellation of the free upgrade policy of the Windows operating system with the following words: “Microsoft's free upgrade offer for Windows 10/11 ended on July 29, 2016.” The practice of installing to get a free upgrade from Windows 7/8 has also been discontinued.” However, Windows 10 users can still upgrade to Windows 11 with existing, valid keys for now.
That's why Windows Central tested in practice whether the new statement by Microsoft about the termination of the free installation procedure for Windows 7 and 8.x users really came into force.
In short, it was found that “older keys still activate the Windows 11 version of the operating system.” It's hard to say at this point how long this will be feasible, so if you're still in doubt about switching to a newer Windows version, maybe now is the last moment to do it.