Microsoft has closed the possibility of activating Windows 11 with keys from Windows 7 and 8

Users will no longer be able to activate new installations of Windows 11 with keys from Windows 7 and 8, writes Neowin.net.

The ability to activate Windows 10 and 11 using valid keys for Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 appeared in 2015, when Microsoft offered users a free upgrade from these operating systems to Windows 10 for one year. But after this period, the option was not removed, and in fact, it continued to work after the release of Windows 11 for this OS in 2021.

While recently upgrading the PC, the author used a Windows 7 key he received back in 2009 to activate the new Windows 11. Well, this loophole no longer works.

On September 20, 2023, Microsoft published a message in the Device Partner Center notifying customers that the path to get free updates to Windows 7 and 8 to newer versions of Windows is no longer available.

“Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for Windows 10 / 11 ended July 29, 2016. The installation path to obtain the Windows 7 / 8 free upgrade is now removed as well. Upgrades to Windows 11 from Windows 10 are still free,” the message says.

However, Neowin.net journalists managed to activate Windows 11 version 22H2 (released in September 2022) with Windows 7/8 keys, but the latest version of the OS, Windows 11 Canary build (likely to receive the 24H2 index), rejected the Windows 7 key.