Still using Windows 7 and looking for a upgrade to Windows 10. You can do so for free using your Windows 7 key.
Though Microsoft had already ended its Windows 7 free upgrade offer in 2016. However, it is still working in 2024. Recently, I have tested it personally, and it is still working.
I discovered it when I performed a free upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 on my laptop using my Windows 7 product key. Though I cannot guarantee that it will work for everyone, but there is no harm in giving it a try.
Upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10
If you have not yet upgraded, you still have the chance to get a free upgrade to Windows 10. Let’s find out the steps how to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10.
Users can either do an in-place upgrade on same computer or a new clean install on a new PC. In both methods simply use the Windows 7 Serial key when it ask and it will work perfectly.
Make sure you have enough free disk space before upgrading. Check the minimum free disk space required for Windows 10 upgrade.
Before starting up the upgrade process, I suggest you to take a backup of your important data. Find here Best backup Software for Windows.
1) In-place Upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10
In place upgrade help you to upgrade your existing Windows 7 or Windows 8 system to the latest windows10 by keeping all your programs and data migrated to the latest version. But still we recommend you to take the backup of your data before starting the procedure.
Step 1:
Download & run Media Creation Tool provided by Microsoft.
Step 2:
Select the option ‘upgrade this PC‘. When you run the media creation tool it will give you two options. Select the first one “Upgrade this PC now”.
Step 3:
Wait while it download the required files and then click ‘Install’ button. It may take some time in downloading Windows 10 files from the internet. So it depends on your internet speed that how much time will it take. If you are using a pirated or cracked version then it may ask you to enter the product key. Otherwise it will not ask for any product / license key and upgrade process will go smoothly. After completion of download, click on the ‘Install‘ button.
Step 4:
Select ‘Keep the personal files and apps’ option. After clicking on the install button, it will ask for what to keep. You can choose data only, data & apps or nothing. By default it will select the ‘data & apps‘ option.
Step 5:
Wait while upgrade process finishes. Click on the next button and it will start the upgrade process and may restart the system several times.
Step 6:
Congrats!! It done. Just set the privacy settings on first run. If everything goes smooth you are welcome by Welcome screen of Windows 10. It will ask you to set the privacy settings first. Set the privacy settings and you are ready to go.
2) Upgrade to Windows 10 by installing a fresh copy
The second method to upgrade to Windows 10 is by installing a fresh copy of Windows 10 either on the same PC or on a new PC. This method is useful when you want to upgrade your laptop or desktop with new hardware.
Though most new laptops come with an OEM version of the latest Windows operating system, for custom-built PCs, you can install a clean copy of Windows 10 using the Windows 7 product key. The full, detailed procedure is mentioned in this section: Upgrade Windows with USB
How to Upgrade to Windows 10 without internet
If you have no internet connectivity on a PC then you can download the Windows ISO file from another PC. By this method you don’t need the Internet connection on that PC to install a New Windows.
Step 1
Download the ISO file and create a bootable USB.
Follow the below steps to create a bootable Windows 10 disk.
1. Download the Windows media creation tool from the Microsoft website.
2. Download and Run this file. It is approx. 18 MB in size.
3. It will ask for two options – upgrade this PC or download for another PC. Choose second option.
4. Choose “Create installation media for another PC”. It will ask you to make a bootable USB or download an ISO image.
5. We prefer to use the bootable USB. It needs at least 8 GB free space in the USB Stick. After the completion of this process you have a Valid and legal official windows 10 available in your USB drive. Now you can install the Windows 10 on another PC or on a different partition without the requirement of Internet.
Step 2
Now boot system using the Windows 10 bootable disk and follow the installation or upgradation process mentioned in the next section.
Upgrade a PC From Windows 7 to Windows 10 by USB disk
- Insert a bootable Windows 10 USB disk and set the PC to boot the PC with USB by making USB the first boot device in the BIOS settings.
- The Windows 10 setup will initialize. Click on the “Install Now” button. After that, it will ask for the activation key. You can enter the activation key here. Or simply click on “I don’t have a product key.” But you need to enter the key later, after installation. You can use your existing Windows 7 key.
- On the next step, it will ask for an upgrade or for a custom install. Select Upgrade if you are going to upgrade the existing Windows 7 installation. Or, for a new Windows 10 installation, you can choose Custom Installation.
With a custom (advanced) installation, you will lose all your data and apps, and it will be a fresh new installation.
When it asks for a Serial number or Product Key. Use your Windows 7 Key and it will take without any hassle. If this does not work for you then I will recommend you to buy a valid Windows 10 product key from the Microsoft Store.
Buying Windows 10 is a onetime purchase process and you will get the unlimited updates / upgrades.
Update: Recently Microsoft released Windows 11. And all Windows 10 licensed users are eligible to upgrade to the new Windows 11. Here is a complete guide on How to upgrade to Windows 11.
Also check: How to upgrade from Windows Home to Windows Pro version.
Video Guide to upgrade to Windows 10
If you are not comfortable to understand the text guide then watch the Video guide.
Trying to do this on my Mum’s Lenovo laptop running Windows 7 Premium. Twice it has downloaded, and verified, then it has started “checking for updates” and has got stuck at 46%. Any ideas on how to get past it?
Windows Update stuck/failed depends on your Internet speed and your free disc space. So, first of all, make sure your Internet is working fine without any interruption. After that, make sure you have enough disc space to download all the upgrades files and Windows updates files before installing. Please double-click them and try it again.
If these tips didn’t help you, then follow the below steps.
1. Use Ccleaner / TFC to clean all the junk files from your computer before starting the Windows 10 upgrade process.
2. Remove or move all the extra-large files to your backup drive.
3. Remove all the Windows Update downloaded files from the following location: “C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution”
4. Reboot your computer and then try to upgrade to Windows 10 once again.
If the above steps doesn’t help then reply again.
Thanks for this. Before I found this I had already gone to the Microsoft website and was ready to buy Win 10 but decided to do a web search for upgrade information. Did the upgrade from 7 pro to 10 pro today (July 19, 2019) with no problems.
You’re welcome!! Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Have a great day.
Thank you for your advise. Downloaded and installed Windows 10 as described perfectly. Upgraded from Windows 7 home.
You’re most welcome!!
Thanks for the instructions – they are very clear. I did the in-place upgrade of Windows 7 on my msi laptop. Everything went as you described and it didn’t ask for the product key. During the last stage I had to go out. When I left it was saying it was 27% through the process and that it would need to close down and restart several times. I returned to the blue screen of death! There was no response to any key pressing – I could only think of Esc and Ctrl+Alt+Del. On restarting after a forced shutdown, I got the Windows logo with the loading spinning circle for a short while before the return of the blank blue screen.
Any suggestions?
Thank you.
Hi everyone..
Have followed your steps of downloading Media creation tool then upgrading to Windows 10 Professional.
I have Windows 7 Professional.
I did the upgrade and it works a treat. No need to type Product Key.
I have an Asus i7 1st build laptop….Works a treat..
19th June 2019 Australia
Thank you for your posts
You’re most welcome!!
I upgraded from Windows 7 to 10 on my PC and it worked exactly as described. Now I want to help my friend do the same but her copy of Win 7 is not legal. Will it work? Will it ask for a product key? If we follow the advice in one of the FAQs on how to get the product key, will that work?
Glad to know that our tutorial helped you.
No, the upgrade won’t work on a not activated Windows 7. First, you’ll have to activate your Windows 7 before starting the upgrade process.
Yes, you can get the product key if you want. Using the product key, you can activate your Windows 7 and after that, you can easily upgrade it to Windows 10 OS.
Trying to upgrade a friend’s computer from Win 7 Pro to Win 10 but her copy of Win 7 is not legal. I got the product key by following your advice in one of the FAQs and tried to activate Win 7 but got error message saying Invalid Product Key because it’s a default key which cannot be used to activate Windows. Is there any way to activate Windows for free so that the upgrade can proceed? Thank you.
This Windows upgrade process won’t be authorized an illegal copy of Windows. Sorry to say, but we don’t have the option to upgrade illegal windows. Even we do not support to use illegal Windows. Always use original windows so that your windows keep up-to-date all the time.
I was upgrading several old computers in a kids computer lab last weekend. None of the computers had their Windows 7 activated. I was pretty tired when I got to the last one and forgot to activate Windows 7 before doing the upgrade. I was waiting for it to throw an error so I could go back and activate Windows when, to my surprise, it installed an unactivated (but completely functional) version of Windows 10 without any problems.
Thanks for sharing your experience here. Maybe it will ask for activate later. So the outcome is: we can upgrade the non activated windows as well.
Again Thanks for sharing.
how can i download window 10
You’ll have to use a Microsoft media creation tool to download the Windows 10. Please check out this video tutorial on how to download and upgrade.
I have a Surface Pro 3 with Windows 8.1 Professional 64bit. Will this upgrade to the Windows 10 equivalent (Windows 10 Professional 64bit)? I’m guessing it should but I just want to make sure.
Yes, Surface Windows 8.1 64bit can easily upgrade to Windows 10 64-bit.
I’m updating mine from windows 7 home edition to windows 10 home edition and I never made a DVD or anything and it didn’t ask for a product key thanks for the advice
You’re most Welcome.
Thanks for visiting!!
I did the upgrade this weekend and it works exactly as described. I found this site very helpful and I am glad that I found it.
Just one remark:I had to start the upgrade three times as I did not have sufficient free space on the C: drive. The first time, the upgrade procedure raised an error message, that 10 GB free space were not available. After cleaning up, the second attempt simply ended with a not very specific error. Searching in the web gave me the idea that I had to provide more free memory. With 25 GB free space on C:, the third attempt was successful.
On March 26, 2019, followed your instructions and replaced Windows 7 on my HP desktop with Windows 10. Installation proceeded without a hitch. Windows 7 was a clean/updated legal copy. Windows 10 incorporated everything that was on 7.
Thanks
Still works for anyone wondering
Went through the whole process then got a “Windows couldn’t be installed” box right at the end.
Hi, We’ll help you to fix this issue. Could you please check if did you get any error code along with this error message? Please see the below screenshot of reference.
Just worked for me. I tried to use an ISO of the install media I created when the free upgrade was first offered but it rejected my Win7 key. I tried again with the media creation tool and it worked without a hitch and didn’t even ask for a license key and I’m activated.
I upgraded today March 14, 2019 at no cost on my Dell desktop that was running windows 7 home. I did not have to do nothing major only download the windows media creation tool and chose upgrade this pc now just like the directions stated, and let it do its thing (it took a couple hours). Now my computer is upgraded to windows 10 home and running smooth again. Thanks Tech Support for the information I am very happy with my computer again. The only thing was that the upgrade deleted all of my personal files it only transferred all of my software extras, so I figured I would post this so everyone knows ahead of time to make a copy of all your documents, pictures, music, etc. and re install after the upgrade. I already done this ahead of time on USBs. Good luck to you all and I hope you get great results too!! Thanks again for the useful information on this site.
Warning: do not select x86 and x64 in the same ISO, otherwise you will need a disc that supports 6.8GB of data (DVD Dual Layer). A standard DVD supports up to 4.7GB.
It just giving you a warning that you need a high capacity DVD, which have more than 7 GB disk space. Standard DVDs come with a 4.7 GB capacity. Or If you have a standard DVD disk then you can just select one either 32 bit or 64 bit. x86 = 32 bit and x64 = 64 bit Windows. Hopefully we have answered your question or let us know if you have still any doubt. Thanks.
Don’t you need to boot from USB or DVD to do the upgrade installation.? Can you run the setup in Windows 7? Microsoft says you need to boot to the USB?
If you are upgrading from Windows 7 then you do not need to boot from any USB or DVD. In-place upgrade work fine, but internet connectivity will be required. Or if internet connectivity is possible on the PC or have a slow internet connection then you can create a USB or DVD from another computer and it can used to upgrade any PC. You can change the boot from USB or DVD from the boot menu if required.
OK, just to confirm.. IF you are doing an in place Windows 7 to Windows 10 upgrade and DON’T want to run it from the internet, you CAN? run the setup executable IN Windows 7 without having to boot to USB, Correct? I would assume installing from USB would be much faster than doing the in-place upgrade over the internet?
Yes, you can easily upgrade your Windows 7 to 10, even if you don’t have Internet connectivity, but you should have Windows 10 bootable DVD/USB/ISO or Windows 10 files in the hard drive. Although, the Windows 10 doesn’t allow you to upgrade your Windows 7 if you boot your computer from windows 10 bootable USB/DVD. The upgrade will work only if you start the Windows 10 setup file from Windows 7 PC.
Yes, upgrading/installing Windows 10 through USB would be faster than online.
Where do you find the key for a pre installed version of Windows 7. My system came with it already installed with no disc.
Download the ProduKey Viewer by Nirsoft which shows you all the installed Microsoft product keys on your computer. See the below Screenshot.
How to Find Windows Product Key in Windows 7, 8, 10.
Does the licence type of the windows matter? Like if you have OEM/FPP/OA/KMS/MAK? Can only some of them be upgraded this way (since some are intended for companies)? Thanks if you have any insight into this.
I think it does not matter whether you have an OEM license or any other license you are entitled for free upgrade. But because the offer was initially for a limited time and Microsoft have rights to close it any time. So best of luck for your upgrade. Now its time to upgrade as Microsoft is going to end windows 7 support
You can also contact Microsoft for more details.
Please ignore my previous comment. Turns out I was just being impatient. I had been out for eight hours and it had been processing for an hour or so before that. All it needed was a few more hours and now I have Windows 10!
Many thanks.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. While upgrading Windows 10, it does update windows 10 in background. Sometimes, it might take hours to upgrade to Windows 10. It depends on your Internet speed. So, we advise all to please let it do what it does.
Still worked for me today March 9/19! Thanks Techexpert!
Hi, I currently upgrading from windows 7 professional on a computer I bought a few years ago, will what you have suggested upgrade to windows 10 professional or the standard edition. Thanks
Yes, you’ll get Windows 10 Professional edition if you plan to upgrade from Windows 7 Professional. Hopefully you will get a free upgrade.
Well i did it once again and it worked all right.
thank you
You’re welcome!!