In big news in the tech world, Windows 10, Microsoft’s latest operating system, is scheduled to launch on July 29th. The bad news is that the company has created a good bit confusion regarding who will get a free upgrade to Windows 10. In fact, the software giant ended up making multiple revisions to official blog posts related to this topic. Naturally, this has resulted in users being confused about the situation.
Who is eligible for a free Windows 10 upgrade
Microsoft has made it clear that if you are running a genuine copy of Windows 7 (SP1) or Windows 8.1, then you are eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10. However, if you are using an older copy of the OS, such as Windows 7 or Windows 8 proper, then you would first need to upgrade to the current version of your OS first, which will also be free. Labnol has created a flowchart which explains this in a simple and easy to understand manner.
If you are running Windows XP, or Windows Vista, or a pirated copy of any OS, then you will definitely not be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. In these cases, you will need to buy a new license for Windows 10 and perform a clean install of the new OS.
But wait, this free upgrade offer is only good for one year after Windows 10 is launched. So if you are a Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 user, then ensure that you upgrade to Windows 10 within the first year only.
If you are not eligible for a free upgrade, then the new OS will cost the same as its predecessor. Windows 10 Home will only cost $119, while the Pro version will cost $199.
Hopefully the easy to use flowchart above will help clear up any confusion on whether you are eligible for free upgrade to Windows 10 or not.
