Windows 10 for Free: How to Get the Activation Key Without Paying

Windows has always been a paid operating system. To use it it is necessary to pay the license to Microsoft. We can buy this directly in a store, in the Microsoft Store or through the manufacturer of our computer. Therefore, if we have ever bought a computer (either laptop or desktop) with Windows installed, we will have paid, even indirectly, for this system. However, times change, and today it is possible to get a legal Windows 10 key without going through the box, that is, free. We are going to explain how.

Windows 10 for Free

Advantages of using a legal Windows

People are generally reluctant to pay. Even if it is for a product that you use for several hours every day. This is why pir-cy continues to be a problem for music, movies, games, and even software. If I can get it for free, why should I pay?

It is true that we can find many legal keys on the network , in addition to activators, that allow us to use this operating system without paying. However, resorting to this type of program implies endangering our computer.

In the case of the keys that we can find out there, these at any time can be marked as “pirte” and blocked, leaving our computer without activating, and limiting its functions. This, at first, does not pose any security problem, but our Microsoft Account could be already marked by the company, and lead to possible bans or legal sanctions. It has never happened, but it is a real possibility if we stop to read the terms that we accept when installing the system.

If, on the contrary, we choose to use programs, then we are putting the computer at risk. These programs are closed source, and are created by hackers . Although they do their job, we don’t know what else they make to the computer. There are even many “rogue triggers” that are directly disguised malware. A proof of this is that all these programs force us to deactivate the antivirus. Is it really worth compromising your entire PC security?

Malware activador Windows ilegal

Methods to get Windows 10 Free

But not all methods of getting Windows 10 for free. Next, we are going to see some ways to obtain the license of the operating system totally free, and without taking unnecessary risks.

Update a Windows 7 or 8.1 key

One of the ways you can get the latest version of Windows for free is to upgrade an old license to work with the latest OS. Years ago, in the era of Windows XP and Windows Vista, Microsoft forced us to checkout again, although if we had an old license we could “upgrade” it cheaper. Now, this process is completely free.

If we have an original Windows 7 key , for example, we can directly update our PC to Windows 10 using Microsoft’s assistant. In the process, the key will be validated on Microsoft’s servers and, if it is truly genuine, it will be updated to become a fully valid Windows 10 key . When the update process is finished, our Windows 10 will be correctly activated with the legal key. Depending on the edition of the old system (Home, Pro, Ultimate, etc.) we will be assigned a Windows 10 Home or Pro key according to the edition used.

At no time will we see the new key, but there are programs (such as ProduKey ) that will allow us to rescue it from the system to use it, if we want, on another PC. Of course, if the key is OEM, it will be linked to the PC hardware, so we will not be able to use it on other computers, or we will have to do it through Microsoft’s technical service.

Interfaz produkey

Use Microsoft generic keys

Each Windows key should be private. If we share it on the Internet, people will start using it in a massive way to activate their computers, Microsoft will detect it as a “pirte” and will block it. And then we will have lost the money. However, not all the Windows keys that we can find on the net are pirted, but there are also some useful original keys to install the operating system. These are what we know as “generic keys”.

Generic keys are a type of Windows key, provided by Microsoft itself, so that users can download, install, and test the operating system. These generic keys to install and activate Windows 10 are:

  • Windows 10 Home : TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99
  • Windows 10 Pro : VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
  • Windows 10 Home Single Language : 7HNRX-D7KGG-3K4RQ-4WPJ4-YTDFH
  • Windows 10 Enterprise : NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43

Of course, we must bear in mind that, although the keys are legal, they will not activate Windows 10 permanently. What these keys are going to do is activate a kind of “trial period” during which we can make use of the operating system without limitations. When the trial period is over, we will have to change the license for the one we bought. Of course, we can do it from the Settings, within “Update and security> Activation”, we will not have to pay again.

Activación clave Windows 10

Activate Windows 10 for free with the Windows 7 or 8.1 key

If you still have the computer with Windows 7 or Windows 8 / 8.1, but you do not want to update it to Windows 10 using the wizard, there is a trick that allows us to activate the operating system using the key of our old operating system . As long as, of course, it’s legal.

To do this, we simply have to follow the following steps:

  • We downloaded a Windows 10 ISO. We mounted it on Windows 7 (or 8.1), and inside the “sources” folder we will find a program called “gatherosstate.exe”.
  • We copy “gatherosstate.exe” to the Windows 7 (or 8.1) desktop, and execute it.
  • In a few seconds we will see a file called “GenuineTicket.xml”.
  • We copy this “GenuineTicket.xml” to a USB stick.
  • We formatted the computer, and installed Windows 10 by omitting the license or using a generic key.
  • We copy the file “GenuineTicket.xml” to the directory C: / ProgramData / Microsoft / Windows / ClipSVC / GenuineTicket.
  • We rebooted the computer a couple of times using the “Restart” option (not turning off and on).

Clever. Now we can see how our Windows 10 has been activated correctly using the key of the original Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 for free, without paying.

Don’t the above methods work for you? Buy a cheap key

What happens if the above methods do not work for us? Then we have no choice but to go to the checkout and buy a license. Unfortunately, Windows keys are too expensive (145 euros in the case of the Home, and 259 in the case of the Pro), and this is a price that many cannot, or want, to pay.

There is an alternative in the limbo between the legal: buy cheap keys for Windows . Is it legal? Microsoft does not initially allow this technique as it is against the license terms. So by law, you have to allow it if you want to have a presence here.

What cheap OEM key stores do is take advantage of this loophole, get OEM keys from discarded computers and deactivate them over the phone with Microsoft. Once the key is deactivated, they sell it very cheaply to anyone interested. A Windows 10 Pro key can cost around 5 or 6 euros. It is not free, but it is what we know as “almost free”.

Is the key legal, or will it give us trouble? Broadly speaking, the key is legal, an OEM type key that is linked to our hardware and will allow us to use Windows 10 in an unlimited way. In theory, the store should only sell each key to one person, so we shouldn’t have a problem. But if the store sells the same key to multiple people, then Microsoft will end up disabling it.