How can I upgrade my Windows 7 32

Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users ended a few years ago, but you can still technically upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge. While Microsoft has removed the special upgrade offer sites, the company continues to activate Windows 10 licenses for people who upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. That may even mean you’ll be able to upgrade to Windows 11 for free as well — here’s how the free Windows 11 upgrade works.

Table of Contents Show

Hackers stole encrypted LastPass password vaults, and we’re just now hearing about it
Microsoft says three future Bethesda games will be Xbox-exclusive
Read Microsoft’s response to the FTC’s Activision Blizzard lawsuit
The new trailer for That ‘90s Show brings back some old friends
Google’s alleged Pixel phone plans for the next three years have leaked
Verge Deals
Can you upgrade Windows 7 32bit to Windows 10?
How do I manually update Windows 7 32
How to increase 32
Is Windows 7 32

How to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 for free

ZDNet’s Ed Bott has been testing the Windows 10 method for years, and the free upgrade still works. It’s also really simple for anyone to upgrade from Windows 7, especially as support ends for the operating system today. Assuming your PC supports the minimum requirements for Windows 10, you’ll be able to upgrade from Microsoft’s site.

The most important thing to remember is that the Windows 7 to Windows 10 upgrade could wipe your settings and apps. There’s an option to keep your files and personal data, but because of differences between Windows 10 and Windows 7, it’s not always possible to keep all of your existing apps. Make sure you’ve noted what apps you use regularly so you can easily obtain them by downloading the installers again. Windows 8.1 can also be upgraded the same way, but without needing to wipe your apps and settings.

The best laptop you can buy right now

Here’s how to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10:

Back up all of your important documents, apps, and data
Head over to Microsoft’s Windows 10 download site
In the Create Windows 10 installation media section, select “Download tool now,” and run the app
When prompted, choose “Upgrade this PC now.”

Windows 7 upgrade promptMicrosoft

You’ll then be asked whether you want to keep your personal files or start fresh. Remember: starting fresh or keeping your files still means that all apps and settings will be deleted for the Windows 10 upgrade.
Once the upgrade is complete, you should receive a digital license for Windows 10, which can be found under Settings > Update & Security > Activation.

Update October 7th, 2021: Added links to the free upgrade path from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

Join the conversation

Verge Deals

/ Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily.

Email (required)Sign up

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

After 10 years, support for Windows 7 came to an end on January 14, 2020. This means your computer will still function but Microsoft will no longer provide technical support for any issues, software updates, and security updates or fixes. Now is the time to upgrade to Windows 10.

See also:

Minimum system requirements for Windows 10

While these bare minimum requirements will allow you to run Windows 10, you will have poor performance unless your system specs meets or exceeds your usage demands.

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster
RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit (8 GB at least recommended)
Hard drive space: 32 GB or larger (128 GB at least recommended)
Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 driver
Display: 800x600 screen resolution
Internet Connection: Internet connectivity is necessary to activate, perform updates, and to download and take advantage of some features.

This tutorial will show you how to upgrade from a legally activated Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free using the Media Creation Tool (MCT).

When you upgrade from a legally activated Windows 7 to Windows 10, Windows 10 will be the same 32-bit or 64-bit version as Windows 7.

You will not be able to upgrade from a 32-bit Windows 7 to a 64-bit Windows 10 OR a 64-bit Windows 7 to a 32-bit Windows 10. This would require a clean install of Windows 10 instead, and Windows 10 would not be activated unless you upgraded to Windows 10 using the method in this tutorial first to activate, and then clean install the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 10 you wanted afterwards.

After you upgrade from a legally activated Windows 7 to Windows 10, Windows 10 will be activated by a digital license.

If you like, you can also link your Microsoft account to the Windows 10 digital license to make it easier to clean install Windows 10 and activate with your Microsoft account.

If you are concerned about automatic updates in Windows 10, you can disable automatic updates to manually hide updates you don't want and install the updates you do want.

It is recommended to uninstall any 3rd party antivirus or security program before upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10 to prevent it from possibly causing an issue with the upgrade. Once the upgrade to Windows 10 has finished, you can reinstall the 3rd party antivirus or security program if wanted.

Verify that your PC and devices have Windows 10 drivers available for them from the manufacturer before upgrading to Windows 10.

It is also recommended that you create a system image backup of Windows 7 before upgrading to Windows 10 to have a way to quickly restore your Windows 7 installation if needed.

Windows 10 Upgrade Paths from Windows 7

Windows 7Windows 10 HomeWindows 10 ProStarter✔Home Basic✔Home Premium✔Professional✔Ultimate✔

EXAMPLE: Windows 7 End of Support notification

Here's How:

1 Enable the TLS 1.2 protocol in Windows 7.

2 Click on the Download button below to go to Microsoft's Download Windows 10 site, and click/tap on the Download tool now button at the site under Create Windows 10 installation media. (see screenshot below)
3 Save the MediaCreationTool21H2.exe file to your desktop, and run it.

4 If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes. (see screenshot below)

5 Click on Accept for the Microsoft Media Creation Tool EULA. (see screenshot below)

6 Select (dot) Upgrade this PC now, and click on Next. (see screenshot below)

7 Windows 10 Setup will now begin to download, verify, and create Windows 10 media. (see screenshot below)

8 Click on Accept for the Windows 10 EULA. (see screenshot below)

9 Windows 10 Setup will now check for and install any needed updates. (see screenshot below)

10 Windows 10 Setup will now check compatibility to make sure you're ready to install Windows 10. (see screenshots below)

If anything is found that needs your attention, you can click/tap on Confirm to accept and continue.

11 When ready, click/tap on Install to start upgrading to Windows 10. (see screenshots below)

If you would like to change what you keep in the upgrade, click/tap on the Change what to keep link, choose what to keep, click/tap on Next, and go to step 9 above.

If wanted, you can close the Windows 10 Setup window at this point to safely cancel the upgrade before it starts. This is your last chance to cancel the upgrade.

12 Windows 10 Setup will now start upgrading to Windows 10. (see screenshot below)

This will take a while to finish.

13 Dismiss the lock screen by performing one of the following actions below. (see screenshot below)

Press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys if secure sign-in is enabled.
Press any key on the keyboard.
Click on the lock screen.
Tap on the lock screen if you have a touchscreen.
Swipe up on the lock screen if you have a touchscreen.

14 Sign in to Windows 10 with your account. (see screenshot below)

15 When each user signs in for the first time, they will see the first sign-in animation.

16 When each user signs in for the first time, they will need to turn on or off the privacy settings they want, and click/tap on Accept when finished. (see screenshots below)

Can you upgrade Windows 7 32bit to Windows 10?

If you want to upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7, the computer must meet the minimum system requirements: Processor: 1GHz or faster CPU or System on a Chip (SoC). RAM: 1GB requirement for 32-bit or 2GB for 64-bit. Hard drive: 32GB clean install or new PC (16 GB for 32-bit or 20 GB for 64-bit existing installation).

How do I manually update Windows 7 32

Windows 7.

Select Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Update..

In the Windows Update window, select either important updates are available or optional updates are available..

How to increase 32

If you have a computer with a 32-bit setup, you can upgrade to the 64-bit version without acquiring a new license. The only caveat is that there is no in-place upgrade path to make the switch. The only option is to perform a clean installation of Windows 10.