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How to Get a Free Upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro via Product Key

You can upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro for free or at low cost using an old product key. We show you how to get all the associated features without data loss.

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Contrary to popular belief, an upgrade of to Pro doesn't require a system reinstall. Once you have a Pro product key, which can be free or low cost, you can start in just a few clicks.

How to Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro at no cost

Usually, charges $200 for a product key, but you may be able to get it much cheaper than that due to a workaround. But Microsoft also still accepts product keys for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 8.1 Pro in its place. Those you can either find on one of your older PCs and use them for a free upgrade or purchase them for just around $5 on sites like eBay.

Such cheap product keys often work just fine to upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro, though it's worth noting that you should verify they're obtained legitimately. Microsoft can revoke stolen keys, so there's always a risk when using unknown sellers.

Ebay - Windows 8.1 key

But if you already own an older Windows version, you can use that as a free Windows 10 Pro key. With that tip, let's get into how to upgrade without data loss.

Upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro

Time needed: 5 minutes

Microsoft has made upgrading from Windows 10 Home to Pro with an older product key much simpler in recent times. It's no longer a two-step process and follows the usual upgrade path.

  1. Open Windows 10 settings


    You can get to the activation settings screen by pressing “Windows + I” and changing to the “Updates and Security” section.

    02 Windows 10 - Updates & Security

  2. Enter activation settings and open the product key dialog


    Click “Activation” on the right-hand menu and select “Change product key”.

  3. Enter your product key


    A blue pop-up with “Enter a product key” will appear. Paste or type your Windows 10 Pro product key and click “Next” to start the upgrade process from Windows 10 Home to Pro.

    Windows 10 - Update & Security - Activation - Enter product key
    If the key is valid, your PC will now restart to complete the upgrade process. If not, contact Microsoft support.

  4. Verify that your Windows 10 Pro upgrade was successful


    Now you'll want to check that your upgrade from Windows 10 Home worked. Head back to activation settings by repeating the above steps and check the edition of the product key.

    05 Windows 10 -Updates & Security - Activation - EditionIf successful, your edition will be marked as “Windows 10 Pro”.

 

Last Updated on August 14, 2020 8:30 pm CEST by Markus Kasanmascheff

Ryan Maskell
Ryan Maskellhttps://ryanmaskell.co.uk
Ryan has had a passion for gaming and technology since early childhood. Fusing the skills from his Creative Writing and Publishing degree with profound technical knowledge, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. As an avid writer, he is also working on his debut novel.