How to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free

If you have a computer running Windows 7 you need to upgrade it to Windows 10 for free. Here's the procedure to follow

Upgrade: this is the watchword for all Windows 7 users who, as of January 14, 2020, no longer have any official support from Microsoft. And, if the operating system version is Windows7 Home, they can't even purchase extended support for another three years. Luckily, though, it's still possible to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free.

Theoretically, the free upgrade to Windows 10 for those with Windows 7 (but also Windows 8.1) ended several years ago, and the Web page to download it has been removed from Microsoft's site. But the method valid at the time is still valid and there are thousands of users who have upgraded to Windows 7 for free even after Microsoft's free offer expired. It is logical to believe, therefore, that Microsoft knows this very well and tolerates this practice to stimulate the transition to Windows 10 and limit the risks (very high) arising from the use of an OS that no longer receives essential security updates.

From Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free: can you do it?

Yes, you can do it but the PC to be updated must meet the minimum hardware requirements to run Windows 10, otherwise the update will not be installed. These requirements include a processor of at least 1 GHz, at least 1 GB of RAM for the 32-bit version of the operating system and 2 GB for the 64-bit version, at least 32 GB of hard disk space, a graphics card compatible with at least DirectX9 with WDDM certified driver, a monitor with a resolution of at least 800×600 and an Internet connection. In practice, the vast majority of PCs that still have Windows 7 installed are also compatible with Windows 10, although with the minimum requirements you will hardly have a satisfactory user experience.

How to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free

At this point, if our PC has the minimum requirements, after making a backup of data (settings and installed apps will be lost) we can upgrade it to Windows 10 for free. To do this we have to go to the Microsoft website web page dedicated to downloading Windows 10 and choose to create an installation disk by downloading the appropriate tool. After launching the tool, however, we must choose to upgrade the PC and not create an installation disc. At the end of the upgrade we will receive a fully legitimate and working Microsoft Windows 10 license number, which we can enter in the Activation Settings (which we can easily find by typing "activation" in the Start menu search box).