14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 will be free for Windows 7 and 8.1 users who upgrade during the first 12 months after launch, but it now turns out that Microsoft has prepared another special promo that makes the operating system available to more people at no cost.
In a blog post, Microsoft reveals that anyone participating in the Windows Insider program, which was specifically designed to allow users to test early builds of Windows 10, will have the option to update to the final version of Windows 10 without paying a single cent.
That copy of Windows 10 will be activated completely free of charge, and all you need is to log in with the Microsoft account used to register for the Windows Insider program.
“As long as you are running an Insider Preview build and connected with the MSA you used to register, you will receive the Windows 10 final release build and remain activated. Once you have successfully installed this build and activated, you will also be able to clean install on that PC from final media if you want to start over fresh,” Microsoft said in the announcement.
“For registered insiders” only
On Twitter, Gabriel Aul, head of the Windows Insider program, confirmed that once you are on the latest build of Windows 10 preview, and the RTM version is out, you are updated automatically to the final build and your copy of the operating system is activated.
“For registered insiders,” Aul explained when asked if the original announcement means that users can clean install Windows 10 preview and use a Microsoft account to update to RTM when the OS becomes available and get a free activated install.
Certainly, making Windows 10 available to as many people as possible is a priority for Microsoft, especially because Redmond is hoping to bring the new OS on 1 billion devices by 2017.
But if you're paying close attention to Microsoft’s statements, there's still some ambiguity that leaves room for interpretation, so don't be too surprised if the company makes a sudden change of strategy and requires users a paid Windows 7 or 8.1 license to upgrade to Windows 10 RTM.
We've contacted the company for a new statement to make sure this is the correct message of today's announcement, so we'll update the article when we get an answer.
Update: still no word from Microsoft, but the company posted a message in the original blog, saying that Windows 10 might not be free for preview users. We're still waiting for a comment on this from Microsoft, so we'll update the article when an answer is provided.
Update 2: In a post on Twitter, Gabe Aul says that Windows 10 will be free for preview users, as long as they use the Microsoft account they introduced when registering for the Windows Insider program. Still no word on activation though.