How to Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro for FREE in 2021
If you want to upgrade your Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro for free?. All you need is a Pro/Ultimate product key from any older version of Windows. Or buy one of the cheaper options mentioned in my video:
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How to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro for free
If you have Windows 10 Home preinstalled: This version doesn’t have the features you need for getting real work done: Remote Desktop server access, BitLocker disk encryption, group policy support, and control over when updates get installed, just for starters.
You could pay Microsoft up to 199$ for an upgrade. But before you do that consider a less expensive way.
If you have an old product key from Windows 7 Pro, Windows 7 Ultimate, or Windows 8/8.1 Pro? You can use these keys to enable an free upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro.
If you can locate any of those old keys. You only need to use the older product key one time. After you upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro, the digital license is attached to the specific hardware you just upgraded. That means you can reinstall that edition of Windows on that hardware anytime, without the need for a product key.
This scenario still worked on many machines even in early-2021. Microsoft first made this option available in Windows 10 version 1511. Since then, they have simplified the process dramatically.
Upgrade a new PC with Windows Home to Pro
If you buy a new PC with Windows 10 Home installed. Some vendors offer an upgrade option as part of the purchase, but many PCs sold in the retail channel are preloaded with Home edition. If so, the upgrade takes just a few minutes.
Start at Settings > Update & Security > Activation, where you should see a screen like this:
If you don’t have a Win 10 Pro product key, you can also buy one and click “Go to the Store” and purchase the upgrade there.
But if you have a product key for Windows 10 Pro, Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate, or Windows 8/8.1 Pro, you can click the “Change Product Key” and enter the 25-character product key here:
After entering the product key, follow the prompts to perform the upgrade. You’ll see a succession of progress screens and your system will restart. After the upgrade completes, you should see a Success notification. Check the Activation screen again to confirm that you’re now running Windows 10 Pro.
How to do a CLEAN REINSTALL from Windows 10 Pro
If you perform a reinstallation of Windows, Microsoft’s activation servers will recognize the hardware and activate Windows 10 automatically.
When you reinstall Windows 10, the installation process will ask to enter a product key. Both times you can chose the option to skip entering the key. When prompted, be sure to choose Windows 10 Pro as the edition to install.
After the setup up, check the activation status (Settings > Update & Security > Activation). The should be properly activated. Because Microsoft’s servers recognize the hardware and uses the digital license.
How to do CLEAN REINSTALL of Windows 10 Pro with a Edition Upgrade
There is one scenario that can cause some issues. When your system includes digital licenses for both Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro. In that case, it can happen that it only restores Windows 10 Home. If that happens, don’t bother searching for your original product key. Instead, use Microsoft’s generic product key to force the upgrade.
Go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation and click Change Product Key. Next, enter the default Windows 10 Pro product key:
VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
>>> IMPORTANT: This key does not activate your Windows 10! You need a proper Product Key. But you can use this key for a clean Windows 10 Pro install. <<<
Follow the prompts to upgrade from Win 10 Home to Win 10 Pro. If you your hardware has already a digital license for Win 10 Pro edition, it will activate automatically.
Let me know if this was helping you? See my steps in my Video.
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September 19, 2024 @ 10:20 am
Thanks for sharing it but people who are using non genuine, cracked or pirated operating system, Mostly facing problems and after the bogus updates their issues may become complex. I also used windows 11 pro trail with many issues on weekly basis but when I activated it there’s no more issue found. To fix it, I purchased license key from odosta store which I think is a Microsoft product reseller.