Microsoft has quietly ended its support for free upgrades from Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 10 or 11, even though this offer was originally set to expire in July 2016. The installation path for this free upgrade has been removed.
Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for Windows 10 / 11 ended July 29, 2016. The Windows 7 / 8 free upgrade installation path is also removed. Upgrades to Windows 11 from Windows 10 are still free.
In addition to in-place upgrades, Windows 10 and 11 supported clean installs using retail product keys from Windows 7 or 8. This allowed users with such keys to perform clean installations without purchasing new keys. However, this policy may have also changed, and clean installations using older product keys may no longer be supported for free.
Users who wish to upgrade to Windows 11 should ensure that their devices meet these minimum system requirements, and they should be aware that some Windows 10 features may not be available in Windows 11. Additionally, to access certain Windows 11 features and apps, the device’s specifications may need to exceed the minimum system requirements.
Microsoft may be doing this to encourage users to upgrade to newer versions of Windows that are more secure and have more features.
via Thurrott