How to upgrade windows 10 version

Note: This article was originally published in January 2017. It has been updated multiple times since then to reflect the most current information. The most recent update was on December 20, 2022.

Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for Windows 10 ended more than six years ago, but no one told the people who run the Windows activation servers. As a result, you can still upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and claim a free digital license for the latest Windows 10 version, without being forced to jump through any hoops.

Also: ZDNET editors loved these tech products and gadgets in 2022

That upgrade is more important than ever with support for previous Windows versions officially ending in January 2023. And it turned out to be a great relief to household budgets when the pandemic made working from home (or going to school via remote sessions) suddenly popular. In the past three years, millions of people have taken old PCs out of storage and gotten up to speed quickly, thanks to these free upgrades.

You can also still upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro by using a product key from a previous business edition of Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 (Pro/Ultimate). That can save you as much as $100 in OEM upgrade charges if you buy a new PC with Windows 10 Home preinstalled. (For details, see «How to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro without hassles.»)

Every technique I describe in this article works the same for Windows 11 as well, although most older PCs will be blocked from upgrading to Microsoft’s newest operating system by the stringent Windows 11 hardware compatibility requirements. For those PCs, Windows 10 remains a viable option until at least October 2025.

In this post, I’ll cover the basics of how to install Windows 10 as an upgrade on older hardware. I’ll also talk about the licensing issues involved, which are (as always) confusing.

Also: Windows 11 FAQ: Here’s everything you need to know

I wrote and published the first version of this post in early 2017, shortly after Microsoft’s initial free upgrade offer ended. When I downloaded the Windows 10 upgrade tool and ran it on an old Windows 7 PC, I fully expected that the upgrade would fail activation and I’d be asked for a product key.

Imagine my surprise when, instead, I was greeted with this screen.

For the past five-plus years, I have repeated those steps on test PCs at regular intervals and confirmed that the free upgrade tool still works. I continue to receive email messages regularly from readers offering firsthand reports that their free upgrades were successful, with no purchase or product key required.

A small number of readers have reported that the upgrade fails because of a Setup error or a compatibility block. For details on how to troubleshoot these errors, see «This free Windows 10 upgrade offer still works. Here’s why — and how to get it.» For help decoding setup errors, see «Windows 10: Use setup log files to troubleshoot installation problems.»

Want your own digital license to the latest Windows 10 version? Follow these instructions.

How to upgrade an old PC to Windows 10

If you have a PC running a «genuine» copy of Windows 7/8/8.1 (Windows 7 Home, Pro, or Ultimate edition, or Windows 8.x Home or Business, properly licensed and activated), you can follow the same steps I did to install Windows 10 as an upgrade.

Before getting started, I recommend a few preliminary tasks that can head off potential problems:

• Confirm that your copy of Windows is activated. This is especially important if you recently reinstalled Windows.
• Check for any recent driver updates, especially for network and storage hardware.
• Download and install any available BIOS updates for your hardware; this step is especially important for systems that were originally designed in 2017 or earlier, when hardware makers were still shaking out issues with Windows 10.
• Back up your data files to an external hard drive or cloud storage (or both). Consider doing a full system backup to an external hard drive using the Windows 7 backup program, which is also available in Windows 8.x and Windows 10. Just run the command Sdclt.exe, and then choose the Create A System Image option.
• Temporarily uninstall third-party security software and low-level system utilities that can interfere with the upgrade. You can reinstall those programs after the upgrade is complete.
• Finally, disconnect any unnecessary external devices, especially USB flash drives and external hard drives. (Several common installation errors can be traced to the Setup program being confused by these additional drives.)  

With those preliminaries out of the way, go to the Download Windows 10 webpage and click the Download now button. After the download completes, double-click the executable file to run the Media Creation Tool.

If you’ve downloaded the Media Creation Tool on the machine you plan to upgrade, and you plan to upgrade that PC and only that PC, you can choose the Upgrade This PC Now option. That option installs the most recent version of Windows 10. It typically takes about an hour, depending on your hardware. (Having an SSD as your system drive is the best way to speed up the process.)

If you know you’ll want to upgrade to Windows 10 on more than one PC, or if you just want more flexibility in the event that the instant upgrade fails, choose the second option and save the installation files to a USB drive or as an ISO file. The download takes a little time but when it’s complete, you can run the Windows Setup program manually to install Windows 10 on any PC running any supported Windows version (sorry, this won’t work with PCs running Windows Vista or Windows XP). The exact steps depend on which download option you chose:

• USB flash drive  Insert the USB flash drive you just created into a free USB slot on the PC you want to upgrade. Then open File Explorer (Windows Explorer in Windows 7) and double-click Setup to install Windows 10. Note that you cannot boot from the newly created USB drive or DVD to perform an upgrade to Windows 10. You must run the Windows 10 setup program from your currently installed and activated copy of Windows.
• ISO file  After the download is complete, you’ll need to mount the ISO file and open it in a Windows Explorer/File Explorer window. On a PC running Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, you can double-click the ISO file to open it as a virtual drive. On a PC running Windows 7, you’ll need to install a third-party utility such as the free, open-source WinCDEmu. After mounting the ISO file, double-click Setup to start the install process.

Then just follow the prompts to complete the upgrade to Windows 10. You will not be asked for a product key, and when the upgrade is complete and you’ve connected to the internet, you’ll have a digital license that is valid for the most recent Windows 10 version, which you can confirm by going to Settings > Update & Security > Activation. All your apps and data files will be available.

The digital license is associated with that specific device, which means you can reformat the disk and perform a clean installation of the same edition of Windows 10 anytime. (If you’re thinking of upgrading your old system drive to an SSD, perform the upgrade to Windows 10 on the old hardware; after confirming that the new Windows 10 version is properly activated, install the SSD and then either restore from a backup image or boot from the USB flash drive to do a clean install. You won’t need a product key, and activation is automatic.)

Is your license valid?

And now the big question: If you avail yourself of this upgrade to Windows 10, is the resulting license valid?

The entire «free upgrade» offer was always accompanied by language that was, to put it politely, a bit squishy. And the language around the end of that offer was similarly vague. For example, see the answers I’ve highlighted here on Microsoft’s Windows 10 Upgrade FAQ:

That’s very odd language. The free upgrade through the Get Windows 10 app ended on July 29, 2016. Likewise, the discussion of product keys says a key will be necessary «for this tool to work» (not true) but doesn’t say a word about licensing.

And unlike the weaselly «Genuine Windows» label on older upgrades, the activation screens for a Windows 10 upgrade specifically confirm the existence of a «digital license.»

Anyway, the free upgrade offer was extended briefly, at least for people who use assistive technologies. The FAQ on a separate page even called it a «free upgrade offer extension» and pointedly noted that it was not limited to specific assistive technologies. (I regularly use the Magnifier utility in Windows, which is indisputably an assistive technology.)

Of course, I’m not a lawyer, and this column isn’t legal advice. But I will say that I am personally confident in the activation status of any PC upgraded using the tool on that page during the eligibility period.

This extension was, I think, a very large nod and a wink, designed to make it easy for those who wanted a Windows 10 upgrade to still get it while placating the OEM partners who were none too happy about the year-long emphasis on upgrades rather than new PC sales.

Alas, I say «was,» because the extension (which was itself extended) officially ended on Jan. 16, 2018. The page that formerly ran an Upgrade Assistant now returns an error message.

The big question now is whether Microsoft will ever turn off the code on its activation servers that dispenses digital licenses after an upgrade from an earlier Windows version. I’ve continued to test that scenario, and I can confirm, long after the end of support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, that it still works.

I continue to hear from readers sharing their experiences. If you’ve used this technique on a PC, send a note to edbott (at) realworldwindows (dot) com to let me know how it went for you.

And a note from the author: After nearly 17 years at ZDNET, I’m leaving at the end of 2022. You can stay in touch by signing up for my newsletter, Ed Bott’s READ.ME. It’s free (for now) and I’ll be doing a lot of the same things I’ve done here at ZDNET and in my books. To sign up, go to https://edbott.substack.com/.

Привет, друзья. Microsoft не изменяет традиции поставки дважды в год масштабных функциональных обновлений, повышающих текущую версию Windows 10 до последней. И каждый из вас, кто захочет обновить систему до новой версии, сможет это сделать путём установки последней с нуля, либо же путём обновления с сохранением всего, что есть в системе – пользовательского профиля, настроек, установленных программ, личных файлов на диске С. И вот, собственно, о последнем варианте заполучения новейшей версии Windows 10 мы и поговорим ниже. Заполучить новую версию системы путём обновления можно четырьмя разными способами. Windows 10 – вещь капризная, в её работе не всё бывает гладко, а обновляться надо дважды в год. Так что все четыре способа обновления и берите на заметку. Поехали…

Но, прежде чем мы приступим к рассмотрению непосредственно темы статьи, поговорим об общих моментах и некоторых нюансах этой темы.

Примечание: друзья, это обновлённая публикация. Предлагаемая ниже четвёрка способов обновления Windows 10 до последней версии была и ранее описана на нашем сайте, но некоторые инструкции со временем устарели. Все четыре предлагаемые ниже способа обновления Windows 10 на дату этой отредактированной публикации перепроверены, они работают, их мануалы освежены в соответствии с изменившейся работой используемых инструментов. Ну и, соответственно, всё описанное ниже в конкретных шагах актуально на момент выхода версии Windows 10 2004.

Примечание: друзья, если вы не знаете, какая у вас сейчас стоит версия Windows 10, не имеете представления о её сроке поддержки, вам нужно сначала узнать свою текущую версию. Делается это в системном приложении «Параметры» по пути «Система – О системе». Либо же вы можете ввести в системный поиск:

winver

• Первый – скачивание обновления с Интернета или подготовка локальной программы установки (если мы обновляемся с установочного ISO). Здесь будут разные механизмы в зависимости от выбранного способа обновления, собственно, о чём мы и будем говорить ниже при рассмотрении самих этих способов;

• Второй – установка обновления, она обычно происходит в предзагрузочном режиме, на синем фоне с индикатором прогресса установки.

• Третий – внедрение обновлений, обычно идёт в том же предзагрузочном режиме, на сиреневом фоне с индикатором прогресса работы с обновлениями;

• Четвёртый – предфинальный этап, здесь уже задействуется пользовательский профиль, и проводятся последние обновления, затрагивающие в том числе и профиль;

• Пятый — финальный этап.

И всё: далее мы лицезрим рабочий стол Windows 10 в её новой версии. Ну а теперь, друзья, давайте же рассмотрим сами способы обновления.

Второй способ обновления Windows 10 до новой версии мы можем использовать, когда захотим. Даже в первый день релиза полугодичного масштабного обновления. Идём на сайт Microsoft, на страницу загрузки официального дистрибутива Windows 10:
Жмём «Обновить сейчас». На компьютер скачается утилита Windows 10 Upgrade – помощник по обновлению (Update Assistant). Запускаем её. В приветственном окошке жмём «Обновить сейчас». Жмём «Далее». Ждём, пока утилита подготовит обновление. В процессе подготовки помощник по обновлению Windows 10 проверит, всё ли в порядке, можно ли обновить вашу версию до актуальной, есть ли место на диске для подтягивания обновления с Интернета. Ну и загрузит само обновление. Прогресс загрузки будем видеть в окне помощника, и пока этот процесс будет идти, мы пока ещё сможем работать с системой.
Когда помощник сделает всё, что ему нужно, он в своём окошке выдаст уведомление о готовности обновления к установке. Мы можем перезагрузиться сейчас же для установки обновления, а можем отложить этот момент на более удобное время. Если мы готовы сейчас, то жмём, соответственно, «Перезапустить сейчас».
И после перезагрузки система пройдёт все описанные выше этапы внедрения масштабного обновления. После того, как Windows 10 обновится, запустится финальное окошко помощника с благодарностью за обновление. Закрываем его, и на этом всё – процесс завершён.

Microsoft Rolled out Windows 10 2022 update version 22H2 for Everyone with a few features and that mainly focus on productivity and management. This time it’s delivered with a small enablement package available through the windows update. It means it’s quicker to download and install windows 10 version 22H2 as regular windows updates. Compatible Devices connected to Microsoft Server will get the update and Upgrade To Windows 10 22H2 update Automatically via windows update, Also Microsoft Offered Various Tools Such As Upgrade Assistant, Media Creation Tool, and Windows 10 ISO File To make The upgrade process easier.

Install Windows 10 2022 Update (22H2)

If for any reason your Machine has not received the update, Here are Some Different Ways to Manually Upgrade to Windows 10 2022 update for free. In this post, we have to share some Basic Tips To check what prevents windows from getting the latest update. And how to manually Get the Windows 10 2022 Update using Upgrade Assistant, Media Creation Tool, and Windows ISO File.

Check the windows Service Is Running

Before forcefully Upgrading or Install windows 10 2022 Update first check the basic Things and find out why windows didn’t receive the latest upgrade.

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First, make sure the windows update service is running and set to start automatically. So the latest windows 10 update will be delivered through the phased rollout. To check and Enable Update Service

• Press the Windows key + R, Type services.msc, and click ok to open the windows service console,
• Scroll down and look for windows update service double click on it to open its properties,
• Change the startup type automatic and start the service if it’s not running.

Force via Windows update

With Windows 10 Microsoft sets Windows Updates To Install Automatically. But if Due to any Reason Updates are not Installed, windows didn’t check for the latest updates then you may not receive the Windows 10 22H2 Update. That causes you to have to manually check and install windows updates:

• Press windows key + X and select settings from the context menu,
• Go to update & security then windows update and hit check for updates button,
• If your device is compatible, you should start seeing the feature update to windows 10 version 22H2,
• Click on Download and install to allow upgrade your device, once the downloading process complets, click the Restart Now button.

Note: If Windows Update Fails with Different errors, stuck at downloading the update, Then Reset windows update components by the following link and again check for updates.

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Once you complete these steps, the update will begin installing just like a regular update, but it’ll take a little longer to apply. If a prompt appears, select your privacy settings, and continue with the installation.

Using Windows 10 Update Assistant

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Sometimes a computer is compatible with the latest feature update for Windows 10, but for unknown reasons, it didn’t get the latest updates. To deal with issues like this Microsoft also offers the “Windows 10 Update Assistant Tool,” which is specifically designed to manually update a supported device to the latest version of the OS.

• You Can Download the Update Assistant Tool, then Right-click on the executable file and Run As Administrator.
• Click yes if ask for User Account Control Access.
• Now you’ll see the Windows 10 Update Assistant introductory screen, When you are ready to proceed, click Update Now.

• First The Update Assistant will run a compatibility check on your system and check each of its major components.
• If your device is compatible, click the Next button to begin the upgrade.

• Now click next The actual download will begin a few moments after this screen appears. The download process will take a little while to complete, Wait until complete 100% complete.
• Once the download is complete, the Update Assistant will verify the download to ensure a successful installation.
• Now you will see a countdown will appear in the lower-left corner of the screen.
• Once the update is ready, You can wait 30 min to automatically restart windows, click on Restart now to restart immediately, and install the windows 10 version 22H2 Update or you can schedule restart later.

• After clicking on Restart, this will start the windows 10 2022 update installation process.
• The installation takes about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your hardware and internet speeds.
• After your computer restarts (a few times), Windows 10 will go through the final steps to finish installing the update.

Then You’ll see the Login screen, After you enter your password and get back into your system, you’ll encounter the final screen of the Update Assistant, Like, Thank you for updating to the latest version of Windows 10, click on exit.

Using Windows 10 Media Creation Tool

Microsoft also offers the Media Creation Tool that allows you to manually perform an in-place upgrade or clean installation of Windows 10 latest version 21H2.

• Download the Media Creation Tool from the Microsoft support website by clicking the Download tool now button.
• Then Double-click the MediaCreationTool.exe file to start the process.

• First Click Accept to agree to the terms and conditions, Next Select the Upgrade this PC now option and click Next.

Confirm that the Keep personal files and apps option is selected. If it’s not, click the Change what to keep link to modify the settings. Otherwise, your files, apps, and settings will be erased in the process. Then click the Install button to begin.

The Windows 10 setup will take over and install the 22H2 Update on your PC, laptop, or tablet while keeping your apps, settings, and personal files. The installation shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes, but it’ll depend on your hardware configuration, internet speeds, and other factors.

Upgrade windows 10 21H2 Update using ISO file

Microsoft also releases the Windows 10 ISO files for the Version 22H2. You can now download the Windows 10 2022 yodate 22H2 ISO files Directly from Microsoft Server By the Following link, Bellow.

• Windows 10 ISO 22H2 64 bit
• Windows 10 ISO 22H2 32 bit

Then Create A Installation Media (CD / DVD) Or Bootable USB Device by following this link. And with the help of installation media, you can upgrade or Perform clean install windows 10.

I hope by Following the above steps you can easily upgrade to Windows 10 Version 22H2. Still have any queries, or suggestions, or face any difficulty while applying the above steps feel free to discuss in the comments below.

Also, Read

• Windows 10 Update Error 0x80070422 (Problems installing updates)
• Windows 11 2022 update (22H2) released here is how to Get it now
• Google chrome Won’t download files on windows 11 (Solved)
• How To well Optimize Windows 10 Performance For Gaming
• Network adapters missing after Windows 10 update? Try these solutions

Starting May 18, 2021, the Windows 10 May 2021 Update (21H1) is officially available, and you can upgrade your computer to the latest version manually whether it has version 20H2, 2004, 1909, or an older release.

Although it is not recommended to rush and install a new feature update as soon as it becomes available to avoid potential bugs and other problems during the early days, you can upgrade manually in at least two ways using the Windows Update settings and Media Creation Tool.

If you have a device with version 20H2 or 2004, the best way to install version 21H1 is using Windows Update. The reason is that the new release of Windows 10 is a small update based on the two previous versions, and you only need an enablement package to upgrade without reinstallation.

However, if the computer has version 1909 or an older release, the Windows Update option is also available, but it will take longer until you receive the new version. If you want to force the upgrade, you can use the Media Creation Tool to perform an in-place upgrade, which is virtually the same as using Windows Update or the Update Assistant, and during the process, it will preserve your files, apps, and settings.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to upgrade version 20H2, 2004, 1909, or an older version to Windows 10 21H1.

• Upgrade to Windows 10 21H1 from version 20H2 or 2004
• Upgrade to Windows 10 21H1 from version 1909

Important: These instructions will work whether you are trying to upgrade from version 20H2 to 21H1, 2004 to 21H1, or from any other release, including version 1909, back to the original release (such as 1803, 1709, 1703, 1607, 1511, or 1507).

Upgrade to Windows 10 21H1 from version 20H2 or 2004

To upgrade to Windows 10 21H1 (May 2021 Update) manually from version 20H2 or 2004, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

2. Click on Update & Security.

3. Click on Windows Update.

4. Click the Check for updates button (if applicable).

5. Under the “Feature update to Windows 10, version 21H1” section, click the Download and Install now button.

   

   Quick tip: If the option is not available, likely, the update is not ready for your computer.

6. Click the Restart now button.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 10 version 21H1 will install as a regular monthly update on your device without the need for full reinstallation. You can also watch this video tutorial with the instructions to quickly upgrade from version 20H2 or 2004 to the Windows 10 May 2021 Update using Windows Update.

Windows 10 version 21H1 preview 

If you want to test version 21H1 before it becomes available, you will need to enroll the device in the Beta Channel of the Windows Insider Program.

Quick note: After May 18, 2021, this option is no longer recommended.

To install the latest preview of Windows 10 21H1, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Update & Security.

3. Click on Windows Insider Program.

4. Click the Get started button.

   

5. Click the Link an account button.

   

6. Sign in with your Microsoft account.

7. Click the Continue button.

8. Under the “Pick your Insider settings” section, select the Beta Channel or Release Preview option.

9. Click the Confirm button.

10. Click the Confirm button to agree to the terms and conditions.

11. Click the Restart button.

12. Open Settings after the reboot.

13. Click on Update & Security.

14. Click on Windows Update.

15. Click the Check for updates button.

16. Under the “Feature update to Windows 10, version 21H1” section, click the Download and Install now button.

    

17. Click the Restart button.

After you complete the steps, the device will install the May 2021 Update, and it will continue to receive updates for as long as the release is supported. You can also remove the device from the program from the “Windows Insider Program” settings page to prevent upgrading to a follow-up version by turning on the “Stop getting preview builds” toggle switch.

Upgrade to Windows 10 21H1 from version 1909

If you cannot wait to get to receive the update automatically, you can use the Media Creation Tool to upgrade any version of Windows 10 to the May 2021 Update.

To upgrade to Windows 10 21H1 from version 1909, use these steps:

1. Open Microsoft support website.

2. Under the “Create Windows 10 installation media” section, click the Download tool now button.

3. Save the installer to the device.

4. Double-click the MediaCreationTool21H1.exe file to launch the tool.

5. Click the Accept button.

6. Select the Upgrade this PC now option.

   

7. Click the Accept button again.

8. Select the option to keep your files and apps (unless it’s not already checked).

9. Click the Install button.

   

After you complete the steps, the setup will continue upgrading your device to the new release of the operating system. You can also watch this video tutorial with the instructions to upgrade from version 1909 (or older release) to the Windows 10 May 2021 Update using the Media Creation Tool.

Installing the latest Windows 10 release should be an easy process, but you can use these recommendations to avoid problems during the upgrade process.

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