windows 7 home premium anytime upgrade product key free

The news he's broken has been covered by outlets like the BBC, The Verge, Slate, Gizmodo, Engadget, TechCrunch, Digital Trends, ZDNet, The Next Web, and Techmeme. Beyond the column, he wrote about everything from Windows to tech travel tips. He founded PCWorld's 'World Beyond Windows' column, which covered the latest developments in open-source operating systems like Linux and Chrome OS. He also wrote the USA's most-saved article of 2021, according to Pocket.Ĭhris was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Beyond the web, his work has appeared in the print edition of The New York Times (September 9, 2019) and in PCWorld's print magazines, specifically in the August 2013 and July 2013 editions, where his story was on the cover. With over a decade of writing experience in the field of technology, Chris has written for a variety of publications including The New York Times, Reader's Digest, IDG's PCWorld, Digital Trends, and MakeUseOf. Chris has personally written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times-and that's just here at How-To Geek. Enter any Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 key that hasn't previously been used to upgrade to 10, and Microsoft's servers will give your PC's hardware a new digital license that will allow you to continue using Windows 10 indefinitely on that PC.Ĭhris Hoffman is the former Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. It works when installing Windows 10 with installation media or by entering the key after installing Windows 10. Now, even though the free upgrade offer is technically over, this method still functions in every version of Windows 10, from 2016's Anniversary Update to the November 2019 Update. Your PC will receive a digital entitlement. Even if you don't provide a key during the installation process, you can head to Settings > Update & Security > Activation and enter a Windows 7 or 8.1 key here instead of a Windows 10 key.

Windows 10 would then report that key to Microsoft's servers, and Windows 10's activation servers would give your PC a 'digital entitlement' (now a 'digital license') to continue using Windows 10 for free, just as if you had upgraded. This allowed users to perform a clean install Windows 10 and enter a valid Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 key during installation.

As part of Windows 10's first November update in 2015, Microsoft changed the Windows 10 installer disc to also accept Windows 7 or 8.1 keys.

Windows 7 home premium anytime upgrade product key free