Ars Technica

Microsoft says you can’t activate Windows 10/11 with old Windows 7/8 keys anymore

Ugh this kinda sucks but I guess it doesn't really matter. I had a bunch of Windows 7 keys from 2009 that have been great with 10 and 11. I get that this free ride is over but it still sucks. It ...
Neowin

You can no longer activate new Windows 11 builds with Windows 7 or 8 keys0 0

Bad news for those planning to activate Windows 11 with a Windows 7 or 8/8.1 key: users noticed that the latest Windows 11 preview builds no longer allow activation with old license keys. In December ...
CCM

If you want Windows 11 for free, you have to hurry...

Without much fanfare, Microsoft announced that users will no longer be able to install and activate Windows 10 or Windows 11 with older Windows 7 and Windows 8 product keys. Neowin performed a number ...
Ars Technica

Microsoft will stop old Windows product keys from activating new Windows installs

At least for now, though, it seems like this change will only apply to future Windows versions. We were able to activate a fresh Windows 11 Pro 22H2 install with a Windows 8 Pro product key as of this ...
Android Authority

If you ask nicely, Microsoft Copilot will help you activate Windows 11 for free (Update: Not anymore)

Users are learning that they can ask Microsoft Copilot how to activate Windows 11 without paying. The AI will reply with third-party scripts you can use to pirate the OS. You can even ask it to ...