How To Upgrade From Windows 7 to Windows 10
Back in 2015 when Windows 10 was released, Windows 7 users were allowed to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Although this offer ended officially in December 2017, there is still a way that you could upgrade your older version of Windows for free to Windows 10.
Yes, Microsoft hasn’t talked about a free Windows 10 upgrade over the past couple of years now. But with a legitimate Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, you could upgrade for free.
So how to upgrade from windows 7 to windows 10 for free? Simply, you will need to use a tool called Windows 10 Media Creation.
But there is a lot to the process than just running the tool which I am going to cover in this article. Once the upgrade is complete, you will have to connect to the internet where your Windows license gets converted automatically to a Windows 10 license.
You could also buy windows 10 and upgrade your older version of windows. The price starts at $139 on the Microsoft Store and it depends on the product you are buying whether its home edition, pro or pro for workstations. Each edition has its limitation. To read more about that click here
In this article, we will take an in-depth look at how to upgrade to Windows 10 using the free and paid way.
Step 01 - Check whether you are eligible for Windows 10
In order to upgrade to windows 10, you need to make sure that your system meet the minimum software and hardware requirements.
Software Requirements: If you are upgrading from windows 7 to windows 10 you need to have the latest version and latest service pack. all you need to do is running windows update and make sure your system is fully patched and there is no pending update. It should say your system is up to date…Do not worry I will take through the entire process.
You also need to be an administrator on your device to set up this upgrade by yourself, which means that you own the device and you set it up by yourself. Work computers can be tricky to upgrade especially when they are managed by an IT department. In such a situation, you will need the help of an expert to upgrade your work computers.
Minimum Hardware Requirements
- 1GHz CPU processor or faster
- 1GB (32-Bit) or 2GB (64-bit) RAM
- 16GB (32-bit) or 20GB (64-bit) disk space
- DirectX 9-capable video graphics card with WDDM driver
Free up space
You need a free space of at least 16GB to install Windows 10. Check your computer and ensure that you have sufficient free space. Clean up space by going to Disk Cleanup which uninstalls programs that you don’t use anymore.
Step 02 - Back up Your Computer
Before you begin the process of upgrading to Windows 10, as it always a good practice to you back up your computer before you do major upgrade. This is just a precautionary step to ensure you don’t lose any important files should something go wrong. If you don’t know how to back up your files don’t get alarmed because I will take you through the entire process.
Step 03 - Update Your Current Version of Windows
You must install all the required updates of the current Windows that your device runs on. However, should you have set up automatic updates, then you should be good to go. It's always a good thing to double-check.
If running on Windows 7, click on the Start button then proceed to the Control Panel, System and Security, then finally Windows Update.
Windows 7 will let you know whether there are certain updates that you need and how to go about downloading and installing.
To finish this process, you might find yourself checking and installing updates a couple of times.
Step 04 - Upgrade to Windows 10
a) So how to upgrade from windows 7 to windows 10 for free? So simply the answer is; you will need to use a tool called Windows 10 Media Creation.
This tool is free and next you need to open your browser and visit the official Windows 10 download page.
b) Click on the "download tool now" option to start your download of the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. And run the file.
c) You then need to proceed and accept the license terms of the Media Creation Tool.
d) Select ‘Upgrade this PC now’ and click on the ‘Next’ button.
e) You will be asked to choose between starting from scratch and keeping everything. It’s always a good idea to click on keep files and apps before proceeding.
f) Once you proceed to the ‘Install’ option, the installation of Windows 10 on your device will start. Now, this process will take a while and you need your PC plugged in. it is also quite common that your PC will restart several times during the installation and this shouldn’t alarm you.
g) Once the installation is complete and your device is running on Windows 10, connect to the internet to activate it. Proceed to Settings, Windows Update, and then Activation. Your PC will be automatically activated with what is referred to as a digital license. You could manually enter the Windows 7 product key to activate your device should it not activate itself.
Note
Remember what we stated earlier on, this offer only works for genuine Windows 7. This guide will ensure you get a digital license that is valid for your hardware. When you move to the Windows activation page, you will find that your Windows is activated.
The digital license you get is activated for your device and you can always perform a clean installation using the same edition of your Windows 10 Media Creation tool.
Conclusion
I hope this in-depth guide will make your upgrade to Windows 10 simple. Microsoft is no longer supporting Windows 7 which means that there are no driver and software updates anymore. Upgrading to Windows 10 is the smart thing to do at this time. Remember that you need to make a backup of your files before you start any installation process. Windows 10 comes with a lot of cool features such as Cortana Assistant that you should take advantage of. The above simple steps should help you upgrade to a secure and safe Windows 10 operating system.
