Windows 7 and 8.1 users can upgrade to Windows 10 for free

Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and Windows Phone 8.1 users can upgrade to the latest version for free for the first year after the release of Windows 10. Microsoft announced this on Wednesday evening.

The option to upgrade for free is only valid for the first year; whoever wants to upgrade after that will have to pay. It is not yet known how high that amount will be; Microsoft has not yet announced the prices of the latest Windows version. Incidentally, Windows 8 users can also upgrade to Windows 10 for free, although they will first have to upgrade to Windows 8.1.

Microsoft revealed the free upgrade option during the Windows 10 event Wednesday evening. At that event, the software company also announced that 1.7 million people took the opportunity to test the latest Windows version. In total, a preview version of Windows 10 would have been tested 3 million times.

Windows 10 comes out for PC as well as for tablets and smartphones; this will remove the distinction between Windows and Windows Phone for consumers, although visually there will probably still be significant differences. In September it already appeared that Windows 10 for PCs will include a new start menu, which is equipped with live tiles and an Expose-like mode.

Image: The Verge