You Don’t Have To Have a Product Key to Install and Use Windows 10

Microsoft in a 180 degree turn away from its former self has made it very easy for anyone to download, install and use Windows 10 without a product key and without activation. And there’s no time limit on how long you can use it. Even more strange, Microsoft makes it easy to  activate Windows by provide a button in the Activation dialog that will take you to the Windows store where you can purchase a key and activate Windows.

There are only two limitations I have found that you will encounter if you don’t activate Windows:

There are just two limitations that I have noticed:

1. Microsoft places a watermark on the lower right-hand corner of your screen telling you to “Activate Windows” .
2. You cannot personalize a Windows 10 installation that has not been activated.  You cannot change start menu, taskbar, or notifications colors. You cannot change wallpaper, lock screen, or themes. All personaliztion options are grayed out. However, you can easily work around the desktop wallpaper restrictions. You can download wallpaper from any of the thousands of free wallpaper sites or use your own pictures. Install a program like Irfanview (free), open the photo in Irfanview, choose “Options” “Set as Wallpaper” and you’ve personalized your desktop.

It’s easy to download Windows 10 and create a bootable USB drive or create an ISO file from which you can create a Windows 10 installation disk. You can download Windows 10 from here in 32 – bit or 64 – bit versions.

(Keep in mind if you’re using Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 you can upgrade and Windows 10 will be activated. If you have a computer with no operating system, Mac Bootcamp, or you are using Windows Vista or Windows XP,  choose “Create installation media…” The best bet for anyone using a Vista or XP computer would be the ISO option. From the ISO you can easily create an installation DVD. Most Vista and XP computers are not set up to boot from a USB flash drive.

It’s about a 3GB download- so it’s going to take awhile.

Create installation media below. If you’re not upgrading and you’re not going to activate Windows, it doesn’t matter if you choose Home or Pro.

You can make either a bootable installation USB flash drive or an ISO file (disk image) from which you can easily create an installation DVD.

When you get to the product key / activation dialog, you can leave it blank and click “Next”

You can use Windows 10 for an unlimited time without a product key and without activation – with only the limitations noted above, Otherwise you have a fully functional Windows operating system without spending a dime.

However if you want to activate Windows 10 it’s really easy to do:

Click Start —-> Settings —->Update & Security —-> Activation —> click on the “Go to store” button near the bottom.

Windows 10 Home costs $119.99 , and Windows 10 Pro costs $199.99.

If you have an old Windows XP or Vista computer that you’re not using – this is a great way to try Windows 10. If you like it, you can use it indefinitely (with the restrictions noted above). Or you can purchase  a Windows product key and activate Windows 10. Do not install Windows 10 on a Windows XP or Vista computer that you’re using as your main computer – it will wipe out all your personal files and programs.  If you have your personal files backed up and you’re willing to reinstall any programs that are compatible with Windows 10 – this is an a very inexpensive (free) way to use Windows 10.

And in case you’re wondering – there is nothing illegal about installing Windows 10 this way.