Download Windows 10

Before updating, please refer to the Windows release information status for known issues to confirm your device is not impacted.

Windows 10 October 2020 Update

The Update Assistant can help you update to the latest version of Windows 10. To get started, click Update now.

Create Windows 10 installation media

To get started, you will first need to have a license to install Windows 10. You can then download and run the media creation tool. For more information on how to use the tool, see the instructions below.

Here’s when to use these instructions:

• You have a license to install Windows 10 and are upgrading this PC from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.
• You need to reinstall Windows 10 on a PC you’ve already successfully activated Windows 10.

If you are installing Windows 10 on a PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista, or if you need to create installation media to install Windows 10 on a different PC, see Using the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) to install Windows 10 on a different PC section below.

Note: Before you install Windows 10, check to make sure your PC meets the system requirements for Windows 10. We also recommend going to the PC manufacturer’s website for any additional info about updated drivers and hardware compatibility.

1. Select Download tool, and select Run. You need to be an administrator to run this tool.
2. On the License terms page, if you accept the license terms, select Accept.
3. On the What do you want to do? page, select Upgrade this PC now, and then select Next.

After downloading and installing, the tool will walk you through how to set up Windows 10 on your PC. All Windows 10 editions are available when you select Windows 10, except for Enterprise edition. For more information on Enterprise edition, go to the Volume Licensing Service Center.

• If you don’t have a license to install Windows 10 and have not yet previously upgraded to it, you can purchase a copy here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/get-windows-10.
• If you previously upgraded to Windows 10 on this PC and you’re reinstalling it, you don’t need to enter a product key. Your copy of Windows 10 will automatically activate later using your digital license.

When Windows 10 is ready to install, you’ll see a recap of what you’ve chosen, and what will be kept through the upgrade. Select Change what to keep to set whether you would like to Keep personal files and apps, or Keep personal files only, or choose to keep Nothing during the upgrade.

Save and close any open apps and files you may be running, and when you’re ready, select Install.

It might take some time to install Windows 10, and your PC will restart a few times. Make sure you don’t turn off your PC.

Follow these steps to create installation media (USB flash drive or DVD) you can use to install a new copy of Windows 10, perform a clean installation, or reinstall Windows 10.

Before you download the tool make sure you have:

• An internet connection (internet service provider fees may apply).
• Sufficient data storage available on a computer, USB or external drive for the download.
• A blank USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space or blank DVD (and DVD burner) if you want to create media. We recommend using a blank USB or blank DVD, because any content on it will be deleted.
• When burning a DVD from an ISO file, if you are told the disc image file is too large you will need to use Dual Layer (DL) DVD Media.

Check a few things on the PC where you want to install Windows 10:

• 64-bit or 32-bit processor (CPU). You’ll create either a 64-bit or 32-bit version of Windows 10. To check this on your PC, go to PC info in PC settings or System in Control Panel, and look for System type.
• System requirements. Make sure the PC meets the system requirements for Windows 10. We also recommend going to the PC manufacturer’s website for additional info about updated drivers and hardware compatibility.
• Language in Windows. You’ll need to choose the same language when you install Windows 10. To see what language you’re currently using, go to Time and language in PC settings or Region in Control Panel.
• Edition of Windows. You should also choose the same edition of Windows. To check what edition you’re currently running, go to PC info in PC settings or System in Control Panel, and look for Windows edition. Windows 10 Enterprise isn’t available in the media creation tool. For more info, go to the Volume Licensing Service Center.
• Microsoft Office products. If you just purchased a new device that includes Office 365, we recommend redeeming (installing) Office before upgrading to Windows 10. To redeem your copy of Office, please see Download and install Office 365 Home, Personal, or University on your PC. For more information, check How to upgrade to Windows 10 on new devices that include Office 365.

If you have Office 2010 or earlier and choose to perform a clean install of Windows 10, you will need to locate your Office product key. For tips on locating your product key, check Find your Office 2010 product key or Enter the product key for your Office 2007 program.

Using the tool to create installation media:

1. Select Download tool now, and select Run. You need to be an administrator to run this tool.
2. If you agree to the license terms, select Accept.
3. On the What do you want to do? page, select Create installation media for another PC, and then select Next.

Select the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) for Windows 10. This table will help you decide which edition of Windows 10 you’ll choose:

Your current edition of Windows	Windows 10 edition
Windows 7 Starter Windows 7 Home Basic Windows 7 Home Premium Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Ultimate Windows 8/8.1 Windows 8.1 with Bing Windows 8 Pro Windows 8.1 Pro Windows 8/8.1 Professional with Media Center Windows 8/8.1 Single Language Windows 8 Single Language with Bing Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro	Windows 10
Windows 8/8.1 Chinese Language Edition Windows 8 Chinese Language Edition with Bing	Windows 10 Home China​

Select which media you want to use:

• USB flash drive. Attach a blank USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space. Any content on the flash drive will be deleted.
• ISO file. Save an ISO file to your PC, which you can use to create a DVD. After the file is downloaded, you can go to location where the file is saved, or select Open DVD burner, and follow the instructions to burn the file to a DVD. For more info about using an ISO file, see Additional methods for using the ISO file to install Windows 10 section below.

After the installation media is created, follow the steps below to use it.

After completing the steps to install Windows 10, please check that you have all the necessary device drivers installed. To check for updates now, select the Start button, and then go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and select Check for updates. You may also wish to visit your device manufacturer’s support site for any additional drivers that may be needed.

Note: Drivers for Surface devices may be found on the Download drivers and firmware for Surface page.

Before you install Windows 10, it’s a good idea to save any work and back up your PC before you start. If you used the media creation tool to download an ISO file for Windows 10, you’ll need to burn it to a DVD before following these steps.

1. Attach the USB flash drive or insert the DVD on the PC where you want to install Windows 10.
2. Restart your PC.

If your PC does not automatically boot to the USB or DVD media, you might have to open a boot menu or change the boot order in your PC’s BIOS or UEFI settings. To open a boot menu or change the boot order, you’ll typically need to press a key (such as F2, F12, Delete, or Esc) immediately after you turn on your PC. For instructions on accessing the boot menu or changing the boot order for your PC, check the documentation that came with your PC or go to the manufacturer’s website. If you do not see the USB or DVD media device listed within the boot options, you may need to reach out to the PC manufacturer for instructions for temporarily disabling Secure Boot in your BIOS settings.

If changing the boot menu or order doesn’t work, and your PC immediately boots into the OS you want to replace, it is possible the PC had not fully shut down. To ensure the PC fully shuts down, select the power button on the sign-in screen or on the Start menu and select Shut down.

On the Install Windows page, select your language, time, and keyboard preferences, and then select Next.

Select Install Windows.

If you downloaded an ISO file for Windows 10, the file is saved locally at the location you selected. If you have a third-party DVD burning program installed on your computer that you prefer to use for creating the installation DVD, that program might open by going to the location where the file is saved and double-clicking the ISO file, or right-click the ISO file, select Open with and choose your preferred DVD burning software.

If you want to use the Windows Disk Image Burner to create an installation DVD, go to the location where the ISO file is saved. Right-click the ISO file and select Properties. On the General tab, click Change and select Windows Explorer for the program you would like to use to open ISO files and select Apply. Then right-click the ISO file and select Burn disc image.

If you want to install Windows 10 directly from the ISO file without using a DVD or flash drive, you can do so by mounting the ISO file. This will perform an upgrade of your current operating system to Windows 10.

How to Get Windows 10 for Free

From late night homework dates with Microsoft Word or to the legendary Internet Explorer which was so slow that by the time you took a shower and have your breakfast, it will still be loading.

That being said Microsoft’s Windows has come a long way and Windows 10 brings a lot of new changes and upgrades that combines both of the best features of Microsoft Windows 7 and 8.

In this not-so-little guide, I’ll guide you step-by-step on ways on how you can get Windows 10 for free and hopefully get it up and running as soon as possible. 🙂

How to Get Windows 10 for Free: 9 Ways

1. Upgrade to Windows 10 from the Accessibility Page

Here’s how you can upgrade to Windows 10 from the Accessibility Page:

Step 1: Jump into Microsoft’s Accessibility Page where you’ll be directed to the Windows 10 free upgrade for customers who use assistive technologies page.

Step 2: Click the Upgrade Now button to get started. (The page will download the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant program)

Step 3: Run the program, and then you’ll be brought to the license agreement page before continuing.

Step 4: Once the upgrade is complete, you’ll have your Windows 10.

You do not need to worry about Microsoft charging you later on, as they don’t really spend all their time checking and spying on you whether you are really disabled or not.

Since this offer is for people using assistive technologies you’ll find that there will be additional tools such as

• a magnifier to see the screen better
• a narrator to read text aloud
• keyboard shortcuts
• an on-screen keyboard

If you follow this method, you will also get a “digital license” that is valid for the life of the device you are using.

This means, even if you were to uninstall Windows 10 or if it were to crash at some point, you can always reinstall it and continue using Windows 10 in the future for free.

2. Provide a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 Key

NirSoft’s Produkey is the easiest way to find your Windows product key if you don’t know where it is.

All you have to do is just download it, unzip it, and then run it. After that, you can immediately see all of your product keys.

It’s as simple as that.

(NirSoft’s Produkey is a quality tool and crapware-free, however, do note that the only issue that it has is that some antivirus will detect it as a false positive because there are some malware out there that might try to steal your product key)

How to upgrade using your Windows Key.

Before you proceed with this method, it is best if you have activated your Windows 7/8/8.1 first (by entering the product key) and then re-run this installation process for Windows 10. This way, you won’t be asked to enter the product key during the Windows 10 installation process.

If you do, however, find yourself being prompted to enter a product license key when you boot from the Windows 10 setup installation media, click the option I don’t have a product key.

Whereas if you are downloading Windows 10 out of the box, then when prompted for the product key, Click Do this Later. Complete the installation and then you will have your own Windows 10.

Here’s how you can upgrade to Windows 10 after activating your Windows 7/8/8.1 key

Step 1: Go to Download the Windows 10 media creation tool from Microsoft and Click Download tool now.

Step 2: Once downloaded, run the tool.

Step 3: Next, chooseth Upgrade this PC now option and follow the on-screen instructions

Step 4: Once done, you will be given a product key for Windows 10.

Step 5: You can always check on your digital license or if you are still having problems entering your product key then you can click Start > Settings (press Windows key + i) > Update & security > Activation then click Change product key

Things to know

The version of Windows 10 you will get depends entirely on which version of Windows 7/8/8.1 you upgraded from.

• If you are upgrading from Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Windows 8.0 Core, Windows 8.1 Core, then this will install Windows 10 Home.
• If you are upgrading from Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8.0 Pro, Windows 8.1 Pro, then this will install Windows 10 Pro

Another thing you should know is that, if you were to ever sign in into your new PC with your Microsoft account, remember that the product license key will always be associated with your Microsoft account. This makes it easy to reactivate your digital license if you ever need to reinstall Windows 10 later.

When your PC acquires a “digital license”, you can continue using it and reinstall Windows 10 on it anytime in the future. Even if Microsoft does block this trick in the future, your PC will keep its digital license and Windows 10 will remain activated.

3. Reinstall Windows 10 if You’ve Already Upgraded

You can get Windows 10 for free if you’ve already taken advantage of any free upgrade offer.

That includes if you have either went through with the original free upgrade offer during the first year, the accessibility offered, or by installing Windows 10 and providing a key for an eligible previous version of Windows.

If you did any of that, you can continue to get Windows 10 for free on the same hardware.

Here’s how you can reinstall Windows 10 if you’ve already upgraded to it before

Step 1: Download the Windows 10 installation media and install it on your computer.

Step 2: Don’t provide any key during the installation process. (Just press ‘skip‘ or ‘do this later‘)

Step 3: Your Windows 10 will automatically activate after it contacts with Microsoft’s servers. It can take a while before it gets activated.

4. Download Windows 10 ISO File

You can use the same ISO to install on any number of computers but you would need a separate license for each.

This method is ideal if you have many computers’ lying around since all you’ve got to do is download an ISO file and upgrade each computer you want to get Windows 10.

Here’s how you can download the Windows 10 ISO File

Step 1: Head over to the Windows 10 Download page and Click Download tool now and run it.

Step 2: Select Create installation media for another PC, and then click Next. Here you will be asked how do you want your installation should come in.

Step 3: Select ISO file, then click Next. You will be asked where to save the ISO file.

Step 4: Once the download is complete, you will have the ISO file on your computer’s hard drive.

Here’s how you can follow up by upgrading to Windows 10 using the ISO file you just downloaded (it’s pretty easy)

Step 1: Browse the folder where you saved the Windows 10 ISO file and right-click on it. Select Open with than Windows Explorer.

Step 2: You will be able to see the contents of the ISO file. Click on setup (setup.exe)

Step 3: The setup will begin and you will be asked if you want to download updates now or later.

Step 4: Clicking on Next will start downloading the updates.

Step 5: Once you are all set, you will be asked to Accept the license terms. Click on Accept to proceed.

Step 6: You will then see a ‘What needs your attention’ message. The setup will make sure that your PC is ready to install. If anything requires your attention, it will be highlighted here.

There are plenty of other uses for a Windows 10 ISO file.

For example, you may want to install Windows 10 on your Mac or set up Windows 10 in a virtual machine application. In either case, you would need the ISO file, as it is the preferred tool for installing Windows 10.

I am going to clarify again that the free ISO file isn’t a free Windows license. It’s just a more convenient way to get Windows 10 for free on any number of devices.

5. Skip the Key and Ignore the Activation Warnings

I’ll let you on a little secret: You don’t need to provide a product license key to install Windows 10.

But wait, isn’t that like illegal?

Well, truth is, what you can actually do is just download Windows 10 and use it (but without the perks of a licensed edition).

Step 1: Download Windows 10 installation media from Microsoft

Step 2: Install it on your PC, in Boot Camp on your Mac, or in a virtual machine

Step 3: Whenever you’re prompted to provide the key, just Skip it or Do it later and continue on with your Windows 10 without providing a product key.

This method is great for testing out Windows 10 and to find out what it can really do. Your Windows will continue to work and you can proceed to do whatever you want with it.

The only downside to doing this is, is that Windows will keep nagging you to activate it, but hey if you can bear your nagging girlfriend then you’re all good to go.

6. Become a Windows Insider

Now if you want to become a Windows Insider you have to first download Windows 10 (but you do not need the product key) which means you can go about it freely.

Truth is if you had become a Windows Insider right before when the Windows 10 was actually released, you would have got all the sneak peeks into the latest features before anyone else ever did.

That’s not all; Microsoft even gave free Windows 10 to every Windows Insider when it came out.

You can read more on about it on here .

So if you become a Windows Insider not only can you also get the latest updates, free stuff, and upgrades, you can even gain free access and get a free copy of the next version of Windows.

Here’s how you can join Microsoft’s Insider Program.

Step 1: Join the Insider program by heading to Microsoft’s Windows Insider page , Click Get Started and then sign in into your Microsoft account.

Step 2: Read the Program Agreement, and join the program. (You don’t have to select an area of interest at the bottom of the page.)

Step 3: Go to All Settings (on Windows 10)

Step 4: Select Update & Security

Step 5: In the Windows Update section, Choose Advanced Options

Step 6: Under Get Insider Preview builds, Click to Get started

Step 7: Hit Next on the information screen

Step 6: Hit Confirm on the warning

Step 7: Select Restart now (don’t worry, your PC won’t install the update yet)

Step 8: After the PC reboots, repeat the above steps to get back to the Get Insider Preview builds area. Now you can select which Insider Ring you want to join by using the slider: Release preview, Slow, or Fast

Note

After your PC reboots you could check for an OS update now. You can do this by going to Settings > Update & security > Check for updates

It can take up to 24-hours before your PC is enrolled in the Insider program. The updates will download automatically and do its thing when your PC does its regular once-a-day check.

Also, don’t worry, enrolling your PC will not affect other computers you have associated with your Microsoft Account

What you need to about Insider Rings.

In short, Insider Ring is basically like a difficulty level in a video game (Amateur, Pro, and Legendary). In this case, it is the amount of risk and issues you are willing to take on, as you’ll be one of the first people now who would get their hands on to test all of Microsoft’s Windows latest features, updates etc.

7. Change your Clock

This method was hyped up by the Reddit community, and they seem to apparently say that you can change your system clock back to July 28 and the upgrade will still work.

Now honestly speaking I haven’t really tried this but if this is a loophole by simply changing your system’s clock back to July 28th which will then re-activate the Upgrade Prompt and allow the upgrade to be started then hey, why not?

As long it is a way to get Windows 10 for free, you might as well try, right?

And besides, there is always that fun of exploration.

You can follow the Reddit guys here at:

8. A Pirated Upgrade

Is the Windows 10 upgrade really free for pirated users?

The Windows 10 upgrade is free even for pirated users but for now, there is no hack to go about to get Windows 10 for free by getting a free product key.

You can follow and be updated by the Reddit guys and join the other pirates there

If you are using a Pirated/Non-genuine Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 you can upgrade from your pirated Windows to Windows 10 (without the license key of course) by clicking here .

9. Get a Job at Microsoft

You may read up on Eric Zheng, a former employee at Microsoft for 13 years, and how he got around by getting free upgrades and software by working at Microsoft.