There are several ways to install Windows 10 on your PC, whether you upgrade from Windows 7 or 8, install the new operating system from scratch, or reinstall a new version of Windows 10. The guide below helps install Windows 10 on PC or Laptop .
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How to obtain a Windows 10 license
There are several ways you can get a Windows 10 PC license and many of them are still free.
- Upgrade from Windows 7 or 8 : Microsoft is providing another free Windows 10 update to PC users using accessibility tools. You can also install Windows 10 and enter a Windows 7 or 8 key in the installer to receive a free Windows 10. Upgrade license. Once you upgrade once, your PC has a Windows 10 license forever. . So, if you upgraded to the Windows 10 release and downgraded shortly, you are still eligible to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. A license associated with your computer is stored on Microsoft servers.
- Buy a new PC with Windows 10 : If your PC came with Windows 10 installed, it probably has a license key built into its UEFI firmware. The manufacturer has paid for a license and you can reinstall Windows 10 on your PC without entering the key. The Windows 10 installer will remove the key from a chip on the motherboard.
- Buy a Windows 10 license : If you build your own PC and do not have an operating system yet, you can purchase a Windows 10 license from Microsoft , just as you could with earlier versions of Windows.
- You do not get a license: You can also install Windows 10 without entering a product key. You will see messages telling you that Windows 10 is not licensed and must be enabled, but it will be fully usable. You can even purchase a Windows 10 license from the Windows 10 Store to turn it into a properly licensed Windows 10 PC . This is a convenient solution for testing Windows 10 on a PC without first buying it.
Once you know what method will work for you, go to one of the sections below to install Windows 10.
Upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8
You can use the Microsoft upgrade tool to install Windows 10 on your PC if you already have Windows 7 or 8.1 installed. This will allow you to downgrade and revert to Windows 7 or 8.1 after you upgrade, if you don’t like it.
If you take advantage of the Assistive Technologies offer, download the tool from the Assistive Technologies website and click on the wizard. It will give your computer a free Windows 10 license and install Windows 10.
If you upgrade to Windows 10 for another reason you may have previously switched to Windows 10 on your current PC and you already have a valid license, you can use the Download Windows 10 tool . Click on ” Download Tool Now “, run it and select ” Upgrade this PC “. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the upgrade process.
The tool you are using will download the Windows 10 installation files and begin the installation process.
How to get the installation media and perform a clean install on Windows 10
If you do not want to upgrade from an existing Windows installation, you can download for free from the official Microsoft Windows 10 installation site and perform a clean installation. To do this, visit the Microsoft Download Windows 10 page , click ” Download Tool Now ” and run the downloaded file. Select ” Create installation media for another PC “.
Make sure you select the language, edition, and architecture you want to install on Windows 10. If you are installing on a 64-bit processor PC, you probably want the 64-bit version. If you are installing it on a 32-bit processor PC, you will need the 32-bit version. Check what kind of processor your PC has.
If you are installing Windows 10 on your current PC, consider the ” Use the recommended options for this PC ” option and the tool will automatically download the correct version for your current PC.
The tool will allow you to copy Windows 10 installation files to a USB drive or burn them to a DVD. If you are using a USB drive, it must be 4 GB or larger. All files on the USB drive will be deleted as part of this process.
If you want to install Windows 10 on a virtual machine, select the ” ISO file ” option . The instrument will download an ISO file and then you can upload the downloaded ISO into a virtual machine to install Windows 10 inside it.
Once you have created the installation media, you will need to enter it into the PC you want to install Windows 10. Then start from the installation environment. This may require changing the load order from the PC BIOS or UEFI firmware.
On the Windows Setup screen, select the language, time and currency format, and keyboard layout. Click ” Next ” to continue.
When you get to the installation screen, select ” Install Now ” and follow the instructions to install Windows 10 on your PC.
When you see the Activate Windows screen, you’ll need to enter a key or skip it. You may not see this screen if Windows 10 automatically detects a key associated with your PC hardware.
- If you have never installed Windows 10 on this computer, enter the Windows 10 key. If you do not have one, but have a valid Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 key, enter it.
- If you have previously benefited from the free Windows 10 upgrade offer on this PC, click ” I don’t have a product key “. Windows will automatically activate with a “digital license” associated with PC hardware on Microsoft servers after it is installed.
When you see ” Which type of installation do you want ?” On the screen , click ” Custom ” to perform a clean installation and remove everything from your PC. (If you have changed your mind and want to upgrade your existing installation, you can click ” Upgrade “.
On the next screen, select the hard disk you want to install Windows and delete it. If you have multiple partitions on that drive, you may also want to delete them.
Warning: When you delete a partition, you also delete all files in that partition. Make sure you have backups of important files before doing so!
When you have finished deleting partitions, you should have a large block of ” Unallocated Space “. Select this option, click ” New ” and after you format the drive, click Next .
Windows 10 will install itself and can be restarted several times during this process. When you are done, you will see the normal configuration interface you see when you configure Windows 10 on any new PC, where you can add user accounts and adjust different settings.
Install Windows 10 on a PC that already has Windows 10
If you already have Windows 10 on your PC and want to do a fresh install, you can do so.
Updating Windows 10 simplifies the installation of Windows 10 from scratch. You can use the ” Fresh Start ” option in Windows Defender to get a completely new system from Microsoft Windows 10. Unlike the standard refresh and reset options, which keep any bloatware installed by your PC manufacturer, it will clear everything. installed by the manufacturer and will leave only a new Windows 10 system.
If you do not currently have Windows 10 installed or you simply prefer to do things the old way, you can use the Download Windows 10 application to create Windows 10 installation media and reinstall them if you prefer. Whether your PC was shipped with a Windows 10 license or you have previously received a free upgrade offer, you will not need to enter a license key during this process. The Windows 10 license will be purchased automatically from your PC hardware or Microsoft servers.
