Microsoft has closed the "loophole": Win7 and Win8 keys no longer support activating Win10 and Win11.
CTOnews.com October 13 news, Microsoft began this week to formally block the "loophole" that has existed for many years, and the product keys of Win7 and Win8 systems no longer support activating Win10 and Win11 systems.
CTOnews.com reported in September that Microsoft announced that it would close free upgrades from Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 11 and 10.
Microsoft did not specify a specific effective date at that time, and according to foreign science and technology media The Verge confirmed that Microsoft began to close this "loophole" this week.
Recall that Microsoft launched Windows 10 in 2015 and promised to provide users with free upgrade to Windows 10 within a year, which ended on July 29, 2016. In fact, even after the offer is over, users can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free, but Microsoft has not made it public. Even after the release of Windows 11, the free upgrade channel is still open to anyone with compatible hardware.
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Microsoft: you can no longer activate Win10/11 using Win7/8 product keys