When Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 7, many computer users had a decision to make: Stay on Windows 7 or upgrade to Windows 10. If you’re one of these people and you need to upgrade, you should know you have a couple of ways to do it.
Contents
- Buy a Windows 10 license
- Get a USB mailed to you, or make your own
- Start setup and follow the on-screen process
Difficulty
Easy
Duration
55 minutes
What You Need
Computer with Windows 7
Windows 10 ISO
Whether you prefer to download Windows 10 or use a USB to install it, there are a few essential steps. If you follow the right steps, you can easily upgrade to the latest operating system.
If you prefer a clean install, you can select “Create installation media” and then provide a valid Windows 7 or 8 key while installing Windows 10.
After the Upgrade
During the upgrade process, you can choose whether you want to keep all the files on your system or start fresh.
Once it’s installed, you can head to the Settings > Update & Security > Activation screen. You’ll see that your system is “activated with a digital license.”
If you sign in to Windows 10 with a Microsoft account, that license will be linked to your Microsoft account, making it even easier to reactivate Windows 10 on your PC if you ever need to install it.
And yes, you should be able to perform a clean install of Windows 10 in the future. Windows 10 activation will then “phone home,” notice that your hardware configuration has a valid license on file, and automatically activate itself.
If you have a Windows 7 system, it really is a good idea to upgrade. If you don’t want to use Windows 10, consider installing Linux, getting a Chromebook, or switching to Mac. You don’t have to use Windows 10, but we think you should move on from Windows 7.
We’ve been testing this out for years, and other sites like PCWorld, ZDNet, The Verge, and Bleeping Computer have recently verified this method as well.