Microsoft is putting an end to what was until now a great possibility: the activation of Windows 10 or Windows 11 with a Windows 7 key and license.
Since the failure of Windows Vista in the mid-2000s, Microsoft has worked to make new versions of Windows cheaper, in an attempt to solve its fracture problem. Thus, Windows 7 was available for only 49.99 euros when it was launched, and the update to Windows 8 was offered for 15 euros.
For the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft went even further. The company wanted to make it the ultimate version of Windows, the one on which all of its users would be. So, it offered the update to Windows 10 for free to all Windows 7 and Windows 8 users.
Officially, this launch offer expired on July 29, 2016, a year after the launch of Windows 10. In fact, it was still possible to activate Windows 10 and even Windows 11 with Windows 7 or Windows 8 keys. activation worked without problem. It is now finished.
Microsoft cuts the floodgates
Microsoft officially announced
on September 20, 2023 that it was no longer possible to install Windows 10 or Windows 11 using a Windows 7 or Windows 8 key. Upgrading from these versions is no longer offered for free.
The firm specifies that updating from Windows 10 to Windows 11 remains completely free and encouraged.
This is bad news for affected users. A license for Windows 11 costs 145 euros today for the Home edition of the operating system. This means that the next time the system is installed, Microsoft could refuse a new activation.
This change is already effective in the latest Insider Canary versions of Windows according to the specialized site Windows Central. As a reminder, the Canary channel of the Insider program allows you to test in advance the new features planned for Windows 12.
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