The end of an era: Free migration to Windows 10 and 11 officially ends

Windows 10 and 11 upgrades that Microsoft offers to users for free have officially ended. Windows 7 and 8 keys will no longer be available. Here are the details...

As you know, Windows 2021, which debuted in 11, had difficulty meeting expectations, especially hardware requirements. So much so that Windows 10's market dominance still continues and we started to hear the footsteps of Windows 12. Now in the midst of this confusion, a loophole that allows users to upgrade to Windows 10 or 11 for free has officially been removed. Windows 7 and 8 keys will no longer work on the new versions.

Free migration to Windows 10 and 11 is officially over

For those who do not know, for many years, Microsoft has been allowing Windows 7 and 8 users to upgrade their Windows versions for free. So much so that this feature, which was expected to end in 2016, was extended to Windows 11, which debuted in 2021. However, it seems that it will no longer be available.

News of the inability to upgrade from Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10 or Windows 11 was first shared last September. At the time, however, we saw that the keys were still active, and it was unclear when it would actually take effect. Today, Microsoft confirmed in an interview with The Verge that Windows 7 keys have been completely blocked.

So users will now see a warning on older Windows 7 and 8 keys saying "We can't activate Windows on this device because you don't have a valid digital licence or product key." However, if you have previously upgraded from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 11 or used one of these old keys, your activation status will not change.