With over a decade of writing experience in the field of technology, Chris has written for a variety of publications including The New York Times, Reader's Digest, IDG's PCWorld, Digital Trends, and MakeUseOf. Chris has personally written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times-and that's just here at How-To Geek. This is a convenient solution for testing Windows 10 on a PC without purchasing it first.Ĭhris Hoffman is the former Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. You can even purchase a Windows 10 license from the Store within Windows 10 to turn it into a properly licensed Windows 10 PC. You'll see messages telling you your Windows 10 system isn't licensed and needs to be activated, but it will be completely usable.

Don't get a license: You can also install Windows 10 without entering a product key.

Purchase a Windows 10 license: If you're building your own PC and don't yet have an operating system, you can purchase a Windows 10 license from Microsoft, just as you could with previous versions of Windows.Windows 10's installer will pull the key from a chip on the motherboard. The manufacturer paid for a license and you can reinstall Windows 10 on the PC without entering the key. Buy a new PC with Windows 10: If your PC came with Windows 10 installed, it likely has a license key embedded into its UEFI firmware.

A license associated with your PC is stored on Microsoft's servers. So, if you upgraded when Windows 10 was released and downgraded shortly after, you're still eligible to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Once you've performed the upgrade once, your PC has a Windows 10 license forever.

You can also still install Windows 10 and enter a Windows 7 or 8 key in the installer to receive a free Windows 10 upgrade license.

Upgrade from Windows 7 or 8: Microsoft still offers a free Windows 10 upgrade to PC users who use accessibility tools.

There are a variety of ways you can get a Windows 10 license for your PC, and many of them are still free. Related: All the Ways You Can Still Upgrade to Windows 10 for Free

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