Windows 10 is due to be officially released on July 29 and, as Microsoft promised, the present owners of a legitimate copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, can upgrade for free. Immediately after Microsoft announced the release date of Windows 10, eligible users started to receive a notification telling them to reserve their copy. However, many questions about this procedure appeared on the Internet, so we thought it would be good idea to show you what this reservation process is and how it works. Let's get started:
What Do You Need In Order To Be Able To Reserve A Free Windows 10 Upgrade?
First of all, there are a few requirements you need to meet in order to be able to reserve and ultimately use Windows 10 on your device:
- Your device must be running the latest version of Windows with the latest updates. That means you either run Windows 7 Service Pack 1, or Windows 8.1. If you don't know what version of Windows you're using, this article will help you: How to Determine What Version of Windows You Have Installed.
- In order to be able to reserve your free upgrade to Windows 10, you need to have this Windows update installed: KB3035583. If you don't know how to check for updates, read this guide: Check for Windows Updates, Learn What They Do & Block Those You Don't Need.
How To Reserve Your Windows 10 Free Upgrade
If the two requirements we mentioned before are met, your device will have installed an app called "Get Windows 10". You can find it by looking at the system tray, on your Desktop. You should see an icon with the Windows 10 logo.
To start the reservation process, click or tap on this icon. Once you do that, the Get Windows 10 app is launched. The app will present you 6 slides with various information about Windows 10. However, only the first slide is sharing information about how the upgrade works:
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Reserve: Reserve your FREE upgrade to Windows 10 now. It will download once available, and you can cancel your reservation at any time.
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Install: You'll get a notification after Windows 10 is downloaded to your device. Install it right away or pick a time that's good for you.
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Enjoy: After it's installed, Windows 10 is all yours!
Every slide of the Get Windows 10 app, also includes a button called "Reserve your free upgrade". In order to reserve your Windows 10 copy, click or tap this button.
Once you have clicked or tapped the button, the app reserves your free upgrade to Windows 10. Additionally, it also lets you register your email address in order to get confirmation of your Windows 10 upgrade reservation and, only if you want, to receive other news or offers from Microsoft.
If you don't want to enter your email address, you can skip this step without worries: your upgrade is still reserved.
Once the confirmation was sent (or skipped), the Get Windows 10 app will tell you that you are "All done for now". And that is true… at least until July 29th, when this app will let you know that your Windows 10 is ready.
How To Check If Your Upgrade Is Reserved
Even if you already reserved your free Windows 10 upgrade, you might want to check its status. If so, you can check it anytime. To do that, launch again the Get Windows 10 app. Then, click or tap on its menu icon on the top left corner.
Then, click or tap on View confirmation, in the Getting the upgrade section.
Once you do that, the app will tell you if your reservation is confirmed.
Another way of checking if your Windows 10 upgrade is reserved is to open Windows Update on your Desktop. If you confirmed your reservation, Windows Update should greet you with message similar to the one below.
How To Check If Your Device Is Compatible With Windows 10
The Get Windows 10 app not only allows you to reserve your free Windows 10 upgrade but also checks if your device can run Windows 10 without issues.
To see the report it generates, open the app's menu and click or tap on the first option from the Getting the upgrade section.
If everything is OK, you should see a message that tells you "You're good to go!". Otherwise, you will get a list of issues found.
If you'd like more information about what this report covers, check this link: Compatibility report for Windows 10: FAQ.
How To Cancel Your Windows 10 Reservation
If you changed your mind and you no longer want to keep your Windows 10 upgrade reservation, you can cancel at any time, using the same Get Windows 10 app. To do that, launch the app and open its menu. Then, click or tap on the "View confirmation" link.
On the bottom left of the window you will see a link called Cancel reservation. Click or tap it.
The app will ask you to confirm that you want to cancel your Windows 10 reservation. If you are really sure this is what you want, click or tap the Cancel reservation button and you're done. Otherwise, choose to "Keep my reservation".
Conclusion
Microsoft is keeping its promise and offers Windows 10 as a free upgrade to any user who owns a genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 license. Pushing the Get Windows 10 app through Windows Update only confirms that. Also, this is an easy method of making sure you will get Windows 10 as soon as it's released officially. Did you get the app? We are really enthusiastic about Windows 10 and can't wait for it to be released. Do you feel the same?
