Right-click on the offending application and select 'Uninstall.' In most cases, you'll need administrative privileges to do this. Uninstall them by going to Control Panel -> Programs and Features. The upgrade tool will scan your PC for applications that don't work in Windows 10. We'd advise erring on the side of caution and taking Bleeping Computer's advice. The Microsoft user forums say you just need the existing Windows 7 license key. Select 'Keep all apps and files' when prompted.īleeping Computer says you need to opt to keep all files and applications to get the free upgrade.

The other option is to create installation media on a burnable DVD or a bootable USB drive, which may be useful in the future but won't help you now. Launch the Media Creation Tool and select 'Upgrade this PC now'. Most people won't know how to update the BIOS, and we're not sure you need to uninstall the AV (especially if it's on our list of the best antivirus software), so do this only if you run into problems in the following steps.

Ignore the 'Update now' button - that's for machines that already have Windows 10 - and instead click 'Download tool now.' 1.5 (optional): You may want to update your BIOS and deactivate antivirus software.Įd Bott over at ZDNet, who has been tracking this stealth upgrade process for years (opens in new tab), recommends updating the PC's BIOS/UEFI firmware if the PC was built before 2015, and also uninstalling the antivirus software, just to be safe. Download Microsoft's Windows 10 Media Creation tool.Īs mentioned above, you need to download and install Microsoft's own installation tool from this page (opens in new tab). Likewise, Windows 7 Professional maps to Windows 10 Pro. So if you have Windows 7 Home Premium, you'll be getting Windows 10 Home.

One caveat: You can upgrade only to the Windows 10 version that corresponds to your build of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

Windows 7 to windows 10 free