Windows 11: towards a free upgrade from Windows 7, 8.1 and 10?

Written by Guillaume
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There doesn't seem to be any particular reason for Microsoft not to renew the offer it initiated at the launch of Windows 10.

Between the latest rumors and the leak of a preview version, the question of a possible Windows 11 doesn't really arise anymore. Everyone even agrees that Microsoft will reveal its new operating system on June 24 and could release it fairly quickly. No, the only question that arises today is to know the business model on which Microsoft will rely to distribute this new version.

Please note that everything that follows has absolutely nothing official: the preview version of Windows 11 being leaked, Microsoft does not comment on this version of the OS and, even less, on the exploitation of the files it contains. However, some smart guys on the XDA forum have noticed some interesting information in the build. Information that mentions configuration keys that refer not only to Windows 7, but also to Windows 8.1. Such configuration keys are most likely a sign that it will be possible to upgrade from these two OSes to Windows 11. We suspect that the same will be true for Windows 10. On the other hand, for Windows 8 the thing should be a little more complicated: the OS should not be directly supported and will require an update to Windows 8.1 before, in a second time, moving to Windows 11.

As we said earlier, this information does not mean that the free upgrade to Windows 11 is set in stone. However, they confirm the "service" orientation taken by Microsoft for its Windows: the operating system is no longer seen as a product that needs to be made profitable and sold, but rather as a means of building user loyalty, so that their Windows license follows them as their configuration evolves, both in terms of hardware and software.