Users can no longer activate Windows 11 with Windows 7/8 keys
Users can no longer activate Windows 11 with Windows 7/8 keys
- 60% of MD5 Password Hashes Can Be Cracked in Under an Hour with a Single GPU
- Dirty Frag: Root Access on Every Major Linux Distribution — No Patch, No Warning
- Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon): The Most Ambitious Ubuntu LTS in a Decade
- Proton Mail: Data Transferred to FBI Again!
- How Close Are Quantum Computers to Breaking RSA-2048?
- How to Prevent Ransomware Infection Risks?
- What is the best alternative to Microsoft Office?
Users can no longer activate Windows 11 with Windows 7/8 keys.
Users can still activate Windows 11 and 10 with valid Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 keys.
This practice dates back to 2015 when Microsoft launched Windows 10 and offered a one-year window for free upgrades.
Besides allowing Windows 7/8 users to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, Microsoft also permitted the use of previous version keys to activate the latest operating system.
Upgrading from Windows 7 and 8 to Windows is no longer possible, and Microsoft seems to be closing this loophole to prevent users from activating Windows 11 with old Windows license keys.
According to Deskmodder’s discovery, Microsoft has posted a message in the Device Partner Center, notifying customers that the installation path for free upgrades from Windows 7 and 8 to the latest Windows versions is no longer available. This means you can no longer upgrade from Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10 or 11.
Microsoft’s free upgrade service for Windows 10/11 ended on July 29, 2016. The installation path for obtaining a free upgrade from Windows 7/8 has also been removed. Upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is still free.
While older Windows 7 and 8 keys can still activate Windows 11 version 22H2, newer versions no longer accept such keys.
In tests, technicians successfully activated a virtual machine running Windows 11 version 22H2 with a Windows 7 key, but a similar virtual machine running the latest Windows 11 Canary version (likely version 24H2) refused to accept a Windows 7 key.
