Microsoft allows anyone to download Windows 10 for free and install
it without a product key. It’ll keep working for the foreseeable future,
with only a few small cosmetic restrictions. And you can even pay to
upgrade to a licensed copy of Windows 10 after you install it.
Whether you want to
install Windows 10 in Boot Camp, put it on an old computer that
isn’t eligible for a free upgrade, or
create one or more virtual machines, you don’t actually need to pay a cent.
How to Download Windows 10 and Install it Without a Key
First, you’ll need to
download Windows 10. You can download it directly from Microsoft, and you don’t even need a product key to download a copy.
There’s a
Windows 10 download tool
that runs on Windows systems, which will help you create a USB drive to
install Windows 10. If you aren’t on Windows, you can visit the
Windows 10 ISO download page to
download an ISO directly (say, if you’re installing Windows 10 in Boot
Camp on a Mac). If you visit that page on a Windows machine, it’ll
redirect you to the download tool page instead.
Just begin the installation process and install Windows 10 like you
normally would. One of the first screens you’ll see will ask you to
enter your product key so you can “Activate Windows.” However, you can
just click the “I don’t have a product key” link at the bottom of the
window and Windows will allow you to continue the installation process.
You may be asked to enter a product key later in the process, too–if you
are, just look for a similar small link to skip that screen.
When you select this option, you’ll be able to install either
“Windows 10 Home” or “Windows 10 Pro.” Bear in mind that, if you plan to
pay to upgrade to the paid version later, it’ll be cheaper to upgrade
to Windows 10 Home, so you may want to install the Home version.
Whatever version you choose, Windows 10 will install normally.
The Cosmetic Limitations
After you’ve installed Windows 10 without a key,
it won’t actually be activated.
However, an unactivated version of Windows 10 doesn’t have many
restrictions. With Windows XP, Microsoft actually used Windows Genuine
Advantage (WGA) to disable access to your computer. These days, Windows
just complains at you in a few minor, cosmetic ways.
Initially, you won’t notice a difference. Eventually, Windows will
start nagging you a tiny bit. First, you’ll notice a watermark in the
bottom-right corner of your screen. You’ll also see a “Windows isn’t
activated. Activate Windows now.” link at the bottom of the Settings
app. This is the only form of nag you’ll see–there are no pop-up
windows, for example.
Second, you’ll be unable to change your desktop wallpaper and from
the Personalization > Background screen in the Settings app. You’ll
see a “You need to activate Windows before you can personalize your PC”
message at the top of this window, and the options for changing your
wallpaper will be grayed out.
You can still change your wallpaper in other ways, however. For
example, you can right-click an image in File Explorer and select “Set
as desktop background.” You could also open an image in the Photos app,
click the menu button, click “Set as,” and click “Set as background.”
Windows 7 eventually switched you back to a black background, but
Windows 10 doesn’t seem to do this.
You’ll find Windows 10’s included wallpapers under the C:\Windows\Web folder in File Explorer.
Aside from these basic limitations, your Windows 10 system will
continue to work forever. There are no nag prompts aside from the
watermark, you’ll get all the system updates, and everything else is
completely functional. The only thing that could change this is a
Windows 10 update, but Microsoft has become increasingly lenient since
Windows 7.
How to Upgrade Windows 10 to an Activated Version
With Windows 10, you can now pay to upgrade a “non-genuine” copy of
Windows to a licensed one. Open the Settings app and head to Update
& Security > Activation. You’ll see a “Go to Store” button that
will take you to the Windows Store if Windows isn’t licensed.
In the Store, you can purchase an official Windows license that will
activate your PC. The Home version of Windows 10 costs $120, while the
Pro version costs $200. This is a digital purchase, and it will
immediately cause your current Windows installation to become activated.
You don’t need to purchase a physical license.
We installed Windows 10 Professional as an example here, so the
Windows Store will only let us purchase the $200 Windows 10 Pro license.
This option may not be available in all countries. The prices here
are for the US version of the
Windows Store. Microsoft charges different
prices in different countries and currencies.
Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 worked about the same way. Microsoft just
didn’t officially allow you to download Windows without a product key,
and there was no way to fully upgrade to a licensed system from within
Windows. That makes this all the more tempting with Windows 10–for
example, you can install Windows 10 in Boot Camp on your Mac for free
and, if you find yourself using it frequently, you can quickly pay to
remove the watermark if that’s worth it for you. It’s like a free demo,
and you can use it to make all the virtual machines you like for testing
purposes.
Sure, the license agreement may say you’re not supposed to use it
without a key, but Microsoft’s license agreements say all sorts of
confusing things. Microsoft’s license agreement still
forbids using the popular “OEM” copies of Windows 10
on PCs you build yourself. If Microsoft doesn’t want people using
unactivated copies of Windows 10 for extended periods of time, it can
release a system update that disables this.
