Is the upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 available without any cost?
Is the upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 available without any cost?
I looked for information on whether Microsoft offers Windows 11 Pro "upgrade" licences at a lower price than the initial purchase, as some software suggest. I came across the following link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...s-...68ee5b2bf9 Are there any details about whether these are free or if context matters when reading this?
Clear. "Permanently" isn't always a guarantee. Microsoft might cancel the deal tomorrow without notice.
The upgrade from Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 10 came without cost. Not a workaround or loophole... genuinely free from Microsoft. Until then, it was a paid process. Now it's free again. The upgrade from 10 to 11 also costs nothing. And likely from 10 and 11 onward, to Windows 12 as well.
Well, if you come across my other recent posts later, it looks like there might be a loophole after some time. Since the computers I upgraded for free from Windows 7 Ultimate Retail to Windows 10 Pro, ... now that I'm considering a full upgrade, I realized they have a license that can't be transferred to another machine and I'm still unsure if they can be upgraded to Win 11 Pro. It seems like they've lost some of their original "Retail" advantages (still unclear on the extent).
I actually came here asking questions about this (on another thread). It seems guesses are that if I don't want a Microsoft Account, it will be impossible, and if I do use one, it's not guaranteed to work. (Someone even mentioned Win 11 licenses that came from Win 7 upgrades to Win 10 that got un-activated afterward.)
There have been some uncommon instances where valid Win 10/11 licenses were suddenly deactivated. The reason remains unknown, and Microsoft appears to be quite disappointed. None of the affected systems have experienced this issue. Some of these cases began with Windows 7 years ago. However, through your MS account, your setup might still function properly. It’s uncertain until you test it yourself. There seems to be a strange, irrational concern about MS licenses among users. My systems are tied to an MS account that is mainly used for activation problems, while daily operations run with local Standard and Admin accounts. On my primary system, I haven’t logged into the MS account in many months—possibly not even this year. Bonus: my MS account isn’t even '[email protected]' or '@microsoft.com'. It’s just a fairly old Gmail address.