How to Get Windows 10 for Free or Cheap
How Much Does a Windows 10 License Cost?
Before we talk about discounts, let’s talk about MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price).
In the early days of Windows 10, you could get a license for free, if you upgraded from Windows 7 or 8.1. This helped to make Windows 10 gain a noticeable market share. While Microsoft officially ended this offer, it still works. For now.
Today, if you pay the complete retail price, the basic Windows 10 Home license will cost you around 139 dollars, tax included. And should you later need to upgrade from your Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro, you have to pay an additional $99, meaning that it would have been cheaper to buy a Pro license, to start with.
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But what can you do if you need Windows? Happily, you can still get yourself a cheap copy or copies of Windows 10. Here are your options.
1. Get a Discount From Microsoft
If you are a student, parent of a student, a faculty member, or a US military member, Microsoft will give you a 10% discount on select Microsoft Store products. Unfortunately, you cannot get the discount on a Windows 10 license key anymore, but the devices that are included in the offer always come pre-installed with Windows.
2. Get Windows 10 Free or Very Cheap From OnTheHub
OnTheHub largely replaces Microsoft Azure for Education. This new service offers students in certain institutions with free software, including Windows 10 Education. Faculty members have to pay a small fee.
Visit the OnTheHub website, select whether you are a student or a faculty member, then enter your country, state/province, and your school to find out which software that can you have access to. If your school has its own web store, you may need to obtain additional login credentials.
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Not all schools are included in this program, nor do they all have a free Windows 10 Education license. If you’re out of luck, you can try one of the other options below.
3. Download Windows 10 From a Certified and Licenced Windows 7/8/8.1 PC
When the free Windows 10 upgrade expired, we found ut that, Windows 7 and 8.1 users using who are using assistive technologies, like the magnifier, narrator, or closed captions that are found in the Ease of Access menu on windows, could still upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Meanwhile, Microsoft has removed this option.
But there’s another loophole that is currently working: make use of a PC that has a genuinely licensed and activated copy of Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 to download Windows 10.
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When you are running the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, you can either create an installation media for another PC or if you’re running it on the machine that you want to upgrade you can select upgrade this PC now.
4. Find Great Discount Deals for Windows 10 Product Keys
Microsoft will charge you the cost of an "arm and a leg" for a Windows 10 license. But many retailers can give you a much cheaper Windows 10 product key. Amazon and Newegg regularly sell the full edition of Windows 10 for as low as $85.
That’s not bad, but you can get a much better deal. On Kinguin, you can currently obtain a Windows 10 Professional OEM key for as low as $31.66.
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Note that in many cases, you’ll only pay for the key and you won’t receive the actual installation files on a storage drive. When that’s the case, you can either purchase a repair/recovery drive or download the respective Windows version from Microsoft and create Windows 10 installation media yourself.
5. Download Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation
Microsoft gives out free evaluation copies of The Microsoft Windows Enterprise for businesses that are seeking to switch to Windows or upgrade their older machines. All you need to get the free evaluation license is a Windows 10 Enterprise disk and a Microsoft account.
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The catch here? Every license is only valid for 90 days. When the evaluation period terminates, your computer will start to automatically shut down every hour. This isn’t a long-term solution, but it’s a good one if you are saving money to buy the full version or only need Windows for a few months.
The Last Resort: Don’t Activate Windows 10
If all else fails, try this: Download Windows 10 from Microsoft, install it on the desired computer, and just don’t activate it.
It’s completely free, buys you some time until you can afford to buy a Windows 10 license, and the downsides are negligible.
You’ll have to live with an “Activate Windows” watermark on your desktop, you won’t be able to personalize Windows 10 with a custom background or themes, and you won’t receive support from Microsoft. That is but a small price to pay to have a free Windows 10 license.
