UPDATE: A workaround has been developed to get Windows Media Center in Windows 10. Refer to our how to install Media Center in Windows 10 guide for directions.
Microsoft is all set to officially release Windows 10 on 29th July, 2015. Starting July 29th, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users will be able upgrade to Windows 10 for free. That is, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users who upgrade their installation to Windows 10 in the first year of the official release.
No Windows Media Center in Windows 10
In addition to announcing Windows 10 release date, Microsoft has also confirmed that Windows Media Center will not be available on Windows 10. On the official Windows 10 upgrade Q & A page, Microsoft has clearly mentioned that Media Center will not be available on Windows 10. That is, none of the edition of Windows 10 will include Media Center, and there will not be an official way to get Windows Media Center on Windows 10.
What happens when I upgrade Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 with Media Center to Windows 10?
If you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 with Windows Media Center, then you’ll be alerted during the upgrade that the Windows Media Center is not available in Windows 10. In other words, when you upgrade your copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8 with Media Center, the Media Center program will be removed from the installation.
It can be recalled that Windows Media Center was not part of Windows 8 as well but Microsoft allowed users running Windows 8 Pro copies to buy Windows Media Center for a small fee (was free for a very limited time).
In short, if you can’t live without Windows Media Center, you shouldn’t upgrade your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 installation to Windows 10. That said, there are plenty of alternatives to Windows Media Center and you can expect to see a few more of them in the next few months.
The good news is, many developers and Windows enthusiasts are already planning to port Windows Media Center to Windows 10. By the time of the official release of Windows 10, there might be an unofficial way to get Windows Media Center on Windows 10.
As of now, there is no workaround that exists to install Windows Media Center on Windows 10.
Leave a Reply