The watermark's transparency helps it blend in with what else is going on across your monitor most of the time, and you'll be surprised how quickly you get used to it. The words 'Activate Windows' scrawled in the bottom right corner of the screen may prompt you to upgrade, though. All you have to do is head to Microsoft's official Windows download site (opens in new tab), grab the tool, and create a USB drive to boot your new build from and kick-start the installation process. However, functionality is limited without a genuine key. That's the bit of Microsoft's OS that you actually need to buy as the OS itself has a longer grace period. The operating system files will continue to be available from the Microsoft download page until it retires on October 14, 2025.It's actually free to install Windows 10 without a license key. On the other hand, if you have a retail version of Windows, which you purchased separately from the computer, then you can transfer the license as long as you first erase the old installation to free up the license.įinally, even though, the website states that after January 31, you won’t be able to download Windows 10, the page is referring to the paid product. One thing to keep in mind is that you are only permitted to do this in the machine with the original installation because you will probably be using an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) license that doesn’t include the rights to transfer the product key to another computer. Of course, as long as you first erase the old installation to free up the license. In the same way, if you plan to upgrade from an older version of Windows, you still can use a Windows 7 and even a Windows 8.1 product key to activate Windows 10. For example, since Windows 11 and 10 are similar, you can use a Windows 11 license key to activate Windows 10.

This is only the Microsoft store side, after January, you may still buy licenses from other retailers like Amazon and Newegg while stock is available.Īlthough this is not good news for everyone since there still are a lot of people who don’t want to switch to Windows 11, you will still be able to activate a Windows 10 installation in a number of ways. Windows 10 will remain supported with security updates that help protect your PC from viruses, spyware, and other malware until October 14, 2025.” Windows 10 product license details The product page on the Microsoft website reads: “January 31, 2023, will be the last day this Windows 10 download is offered for sale.

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