No more free Windows 11! Microsoft ends activation support for Windows 7 keys

tech.hindustantimes.com:

It appears that Microsoft has begun blocking Windows 7 and Windows 8 keys from activating Windows 11. The development came less than a month after Microsoft announced that it would be ending the installation path for free Windows 11 upgrades for older OS, particularly Windows 7/8. People have taken advantage of this loophole for years, especially after 2020, when Microsoft ended the extended support for Windows 11, making the older operating systems obsolete. But as per various reports confirming the same, after today, users are unlikely to be able to get a free Windows 11 copy with a digital license by using a Windows 7 activation key.

Last month Microsoft posted on its Device Partner Center, “Microsoft's free upgrade offer for Windows 10 / 11 ended July 29, 2016. The installation path to obtain the Windows 7 / 8 free upgrade is now removed as well. Upgrades to Windows 11 from Windows 10 are still free”.

Effectively, what this means is that anyone who tries to upgrade their system from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 11, will not be able to do so either through Microsoft offer or by pushing a download and then trying to activate it. Those who try to use a clean Windows 7 activation key to install Windows 11 will also not be able to do it. However, those who already have done this and are on the latest Microsoft OS will not be moved as they will already have a digital license and they can continue to use it.

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While the announcement was made late last month, some users still reported that the Windows 7 activation keys worked for them. However, multiple reports have emerged in the last 12 hours that confirm that it is no longer the case.

A report by The Verge confirmed that while the