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Upgrade to Windows 10 For Free ( Guide) | Geek’s Advice.Upgrade Windows Home to Windows Pro
You’ve got a new PC running Windows 10 Home. You want to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro. Here’s how to get that upgrade for free. This article provides two free methods for you to upgrade Windows 10 from Home to Pro edition without formatting or losing any data.
Upgrade windows 10 home to pro free free download
Find it in the confirmation email that contains the order history. If you’re having trouble locating your product key, see Find your Windows product key and Find your Microsoft downloads and product keys.
If you have a digital license for Windows 10 Pro, and Windows 10 Home is currently activated on your device, you’ll see one of two messages when you select Go to Microsoft Store :. If you see Buy , you may need to purchase a Windows 10 Pro license. Or, try to sign in to Microsoft Store with the Microsoft account that was used to purchase the Pro license. Then, follow the instructions to install Windows If you have a digital license for Windows 10 Pro, but Windows 10 Home isn’t activated on your device, select Troubleshoot and then follow the instructions to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
Select Change product key , and then enter the character Windows 10 Pro product key. See the following for more help activating your valid product key or digital license for Windows 10 Pro:. Get help with Windows activation errors.
When prompted, be sure to choose Windows 10 Pro as the edition to install. The system was properly activated, because Microsoft’s servers recognized the hardware and used the digital license. The ultimate Windows 10 information hub.
Looking for technical information about Windows 10 releases, new features, known issues, troubleshooting, and tech support? Start here. The one gotcha in this series of scenarios comes when you have a system that includes digital licenses for both Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro. In that scenario, you can inadvertently restore Windows 10 Home. This happened recently when I used a recovery image to reinstall Windows 10 on a Surface Pro PC that had originally shipped with Windows 10 Home and had been upgraded to Windows 10 Pro.
Not surprisingly, using the recovery image gave me an installation of Windows 10 Home. If that happens to you, don’t bother searching for the product key you used to upgrade. Instead, use Microsoft’s generic product key to force the upgrade.
Next, enter the default Windows 10 Pro product key:. Follow the prompts to upgrade from Home to Pro. Because your hardware already has a digital license for the Pro edition, it will activate automatically. That generic product key isn’t magical, of course. If your hardware doesn’t already have a Pro license, you’ll get an activation error and you’ll need to supply a proper product key or pay for an upgrade.
This article has been completely rewritten to incorporate developments in recent feature updates to Windows Windows Microsoft apologizes for compatibility confusion, hints at changes. Will your PC run Windows 11? Even Microsoft can’t say for sure. Windows Microsoft deletes these Windows 10 features and apps.
Here’s how to get Windows 10 for free, if you’re currently running a licensed and activated copy of Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.
Go to the Download Windows 10 website. Under Create Windows 10 installation media , click Download tool now and Run. If you’re upgrading a different machine, choose Create installation media for another PC , and save the installation files. It should be noted that if you have a Windows 7 or 8 Home license, you can only update to Windows 10 Home, while Windows 7 or 8 Pro can only be updated to Windows 10 Pro. The upgrade is not available for Windows Enterprise.
Other users may experience blocks as well , depending on your machine. This upgrade using the media creation tool isn’t meant for the general consumer, but it works for many nonetheless. To get the best Windows 10 experience and take advantage of features like passwordless sign-on through Windows Hello , you’ll want to purchase a new Windows 10 PC or one released after July with all the hardware upgrades.
If you’re a student or university faculty member, you may also be able to download Windows 10 for free search for your school’s software offerings here. Both times you can chose the option to skip entering the key. When prompted, be sure to choose Windows 10 Pro as the edition to install.
The should be properly activated. There is one scenario that can cause some issues. When your system includes digital licenses for both Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro.
In that case, it can happen that it only restores Windows 10 Home. Next, enter the default Windows 10 Pro product key:. You need a proper Product Key. But you can use this key for a clean Windows 10 Pro install.