The free upgrade offer officially ends on July 29

Jul 25, 2016 07:55 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft launched Windows 10 as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8.1 users if the switch is performed in the first year after the public unveiling, and now the company is getting ready to end this promo on July 29.

Users have only five more days to perform the upgrade to Windows 10 without paying a single cent, and every install beyond this date, unless the upgrade was completed before July 29, will require purchasing a full license for the operating system.

The best way to deal with this end of promo is to perform the upgrade to Windows 10 and then return to whatever version of Windows you are already using. If you do this, the Windows 10 license is tied to your PC, and the operating system continues to be free even if you install it after July 29, so you can continue using your existing OS without actually missing this deadline.

$119.99 for Windows 10 Home in the US

Windows 7 and 8.1 users who do not complete the upgrade to Windows 10 by the time the free promo comes to an end on Friday will have to pay the full price for a license, which starts at $119.99 for Windows 10 Home in the United States.

Microsoft is maintaining the same prices from Windows 8 for Windows 10 too, but this is the first time the company is giving users the option to upgrade free of charge from one version of Windows to another.

The end of free upgrades comes at a time when Redmond is also working to bring out the Anniversary Update, which is the second biggest update for Windows since its launch, after the November Update, which was released late last week.

The Anniversary Update will come in two waves (the second one is due in spring 2017) and will bring a long list of improvements, including here browser extensions for Microsoft Edge, a new Action Center and Start menu design, app updates, and many other touches here and there that should improve the general performance and usability of the operating system.