Microsoft offers students attending certain universities and high schools the ability to get Windows 11 Education at no cost (it’s unclear if you can get Windows 10 this way anymore). If you’re in college, you may be able to get Windows 11 for free, just by being enrolled. Microsoft Student or Teacher Discount: Free We’ve known folks who used unactivated Windows for months or years without a problem, but we can’t guarantee that Microsoft won’t crack down and limit functionality further in the future. Other than those inconveniences, unactivated Windows should work just fine and receive automatic updates too. But come on does anyone actually do that? You also can’t get tech support from Microsoft should you call for help with Windows. Microsoft blocks out your personalization options if you get Windows 10 for free and don't activate it. See our article on how to transfer a Windows 10 or 11 license to a new PC for step-by-step information on how to retrieve and move your key. However, you must first make sure it's deactivated on the old PC it came from. If you have an old, retail (non-OEM) copy of Windows 7, 8 or 10 you are no longer using on another PC, you can likely use the product key when you do a fresh install of Windows on your new PC. Use an Old Windows 7, 8 or 10 Key From Another PC: Free Whether you’re going from 7 / 8 to 10 or 10 to 11, you can upgrade either by using an install disk (created with the media creation tool) or with Windows update. If you are still on Windows 7 or 8, you can upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Windows 7 and 8 will upgrade to 10 and Windows 10 will upgrade to 11, if your computer meets Windows 11’s stringent system requirements, which include TPM 2.0 support, at least 4GB of RAM and at least 64GB of storage space (you can bypass Windows 11’s TPM and RAM requirements but we don't recommend it). If you already have a prior version of Windows installed on the computer and you just want a newer version of the OS on the same hardware, you can likely upgrade it for free (obviously this method doesn’t help if you are building a new PC).

Upgrade from a Prior Windows Version: Free

If you need a product key and don’t have one available already from an existing build or copy, you’ll want to check out method 5, which involves using a low-cost key marketplace.

Below, we’ll also show you the different methods for saving money on Windows and compare them.

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