Microsoft: Windows 10 upgrades will cost $119 starting July 30th

Microsoft is reminding everyone today that the free promotion for Windows 10 upgrades is finishing soon. The software maker first released Windows 10 as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 machines on July 29th last year, giving everyone a year to upgrade at no cost. Many had assumed Microsoft would keep the free upgrade rolling past the year cut off, but it appears the company is sticking to its original promise.

"Time is running out."

In an announcement of 300 million Windows 10 users, Microsoft has started driving awareness of the July 29th date. "Time is running out," says Yusuf Mehdi, who heads up Microsoft's Windows and devices marketing efforts. "The free upgrade offer will end on July 29th and we want to make sure you don’t miss out." After July 29th, Microsoft says you'll need to purchase a full version of Windows 10 Home for $119 or get Windows 10 on a new machine.

Windows 10 has proved popular, especially with 300 million machines now running it, but the company wants one billion devices using the software within the next two years. Reminding people that they only have two months left to upgrade free of charge is one way of driving upgrade numbers, but opting to extend the promotion could also have similar results. It's hardly surprising that Microsoft is sticking to its original plans, but there's still time left for the company to change its mind.

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• SourceThe Windows Blog