The final version of Windows 10 has just been released. Microsoft is rolling out the final version of Windows 10 in “waves” to all registered users. Windows 10, the best version of Windows ever, offers a familiar Start menu, a digital personal assistant called Cortana, a virtual desktop, all new web browser called Edge, Sandbox to run programs that you don’t trust, and tens of small but handy features.
As many of you likely know, Windows 10 is a free upgrade to existing PC users running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. The upgrade is free only in the first year after the official release of Windows 10. In other words, you need to upgrade your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 installation to Windows 10 before Windows 10 turns a year old to get Windows 10 for free. Once the upgrade is done and activated, Windows 10 is free on that device for life.
Millions of PC users are eagerly waiting to upgrade their Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 installation to Windows 10. If you are also planning to upgrade to Windows 10 and have already registered for the free upgrade, then you’ll be delighted to know that you will be able to keep most of the installed programs during the upgrade.
Upgrading to Windows 10 without losing programs and data
If you’re planning to upgrade your existing installation of Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 preview, you might want to know what you get to keep during the upgrade.
Since most PC users are running Windows 7, let’s get started with the same. If you’re running Windows 7, you can preserve Windows settings, personal files, and most applications during the upgrade. Some software, such as antivirus programs, might not just work. You might also need to update hardware drivers after completing the upgrade.
If you’re on Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, just like Windows 7, you can keep your personal data, Windows settings, and most of the applications while upgrading to Windows 10.
However, note that Windows Media Center will not be available in Windows 10. When you upgrade your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 installation with Windows Media Center to Windows 10, Windows Media Center will be left out.
And if you’re on Windows Vista, unfortunately, you cannot keep anything during the upgrade. That is, you need to create a bootable USB of Windows 10 and then boot from the same in order to install Windows 10.
The system requirements for Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 are more less the same, meaning Windows 7 users should be able to upgrade to Windows 10 without any issues. For directions, refer to our how to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 guide.
Important
That said, according to Microsoft, if you’re running Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 and your system language isn’t English, Brazilian Portuguese, or Chinese Simplified, you will not be able to keep your installed applications and Windows settings while upgrading to Windows 10. Only your personal files will be preserved.
IMPORTNAT RWAD THIS says
Everyone, Windows Media Player stays, the only thing that will be removed is Windows Media CENTER which was basically 2010 Netflix that you could download. It doesn’t work anymore, sadly.
Glen says
I was thinking of upgrading to Windows 10 as after buying a brand new top of the range 3 in 1 scanner printer etc. (This was a second printer, as the first one I bought would not install either) I discovered I was unable to install it as after spending hours trying to find the problem AND, HAVING THE INSTALLATION DISK). It relates to a feature in Windows 7 that prevents drivers from being downloaded (I forget the actual wording). I cannot reverse this now that support from Windows 7 has stopped!!!
After reading all the horror stories everyone is posting regards to their old programs refusing to work, losing files etc etc after upgrading. I’ve decided I won’t bother. I’ll get a cheap laptop and use that for the printer at a later date, or borrow a friends laptop with Win 10 already on and test the installation first before I waste even more money.
As for one post where Microsoft tells the user Windows 10 is the ‘LAST’ upgrade. I think that is misleading bullshit!! I don’t believe them for one minute, neither trust Microsoft full stop!!
I think it is bad too, that this website has ‘admin’ has hardly ever answered any of the concerned users who have posted questions to them; they’ve just ignored them. Pathetic really!
John says
I am wondering if Outlook will be adversely affected? Will folders be retained etc.? I have backed everything up but am just curious….?
Patrick says
A lot of these comments, even 4+ years later, are still relevant for those of us still running Windows 7.1
I find it fascinating, however, that so many people are fuming and crying about ‘losing their music; losing their photos; losing this, that and the other thing…’
I have to wonder “Didn’t any of these people copy all their valuable stuff to a second (or more) hard drive?”
I do that as a matter of routine, even when I am not upgrading.
I’m dying for some feedback from people. Please tell me why you, or others, didn’t formulate a plan before you upgraded and prevent frustration, or why ‘backing up’ is not being done as much as it should be on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Best wishes to all on your upgrades and/or recovering from any mishaps.
TKA004 says
I have windows 7 now. I’m planning to update it to windows 10. So will I lose all my games, photos and documents if I update windows? Or they will still be there?
mousekiller says
Don’t want to lose something when up grading to 10. give some thought to LINUX.
jesse says
would i loose any of my drivers if i upgrade to windows 10
salman khan says
Is it okay that I can upgrade my windows 7 to 10 technical preview without having any issues of losing the data regarding of the personal files?
I have Windows 7
margot says
“nicole says
Warning! you lose all of your bookmarks!”
I upgraded and did not lose any bookmarks or personal info. In fact my bookmarks were also saved in documents
Check your documents folder
nicole says
Warning! you lose all of your bookmarks!
Daksh says
What do u mean by personal data?
Jack Craig says
Will I need to reinstall QuickBooks after installing windows 10?
Dianne Berry says
I run Windows 8.0 and removed all the upgrade codes and turned off my automatic windows upgrade so Windows cannot screw up my computer like it did someone else’s I know! I am a professional singer/musician and cannot afford to lose all my music on iTunes. I don’t like not being able to use Windows Media player either! If it’s not broke, why try to fix it?!! Everyone (with a few exceptions) I know and have talked to hates Windows 10…we should have a choice on what system we wish to use. I talked to Microsoft and the technician told me they will eventually force everyone to have to use Windows 10 because that will be the last Windows…really?? Do you think I believe that it will be the last? Already, my computer has info coming up on my screen that tells me different things will no longer be supported unless I upgrade..yeah okay and then if I do it DEFINITELY won’t be supported! I hate all this and would rather buy a Mac! I will NOT upgrade as long as I can keep them at bay by removing the upgrade codes!
Colin Bailey says
That’s sorted it for me!
Will keep my venerable Vista PC and all my programs, files and settings, and disconnect it from the internet and keep it purely for scanning and printing my artwork. No need for Chrome, AVG, Thunderbird or those endless bloody Microsoft updates! Going to get a cheap and cheerful Android Tablet and do my internet stuff on that – a lot less stress!
adam says
After reading the users’ (victims) comments here and the lack of helpful admin response, in fact, the sparseness of any kind of response from the admin, I’m in no hurry to install Windows 10. I’m a software developer using windows 7 and I can’t afford a major disruption to a system that I use for work.
rajat says
if I upgrade my windows 8 to windows 8.1 then maybe my data will lose???? or not?
Sarosh says
I have Microsoft word so if I upgrade will I lose it?????
chris says
do not “upgrade” to windows 10 this has been the worst operating system i have ever used it.
last update i had to reinstall all of my drivers
claimed they were pirated but it has not touched my pirated apps
windows 10 by far is the largest pain in the ass ever im pulling my hard drive today and putting Linux back in im tired of my computer shutting off every time it feels like it while i had windows 7 my computer never did any of this
sincerely
enraged consumer who will not eat this shit anymore
Doug Rogers says
Upgraded from 7 to 10. Lost 300 Meg of music. What it didn’t lose was scrambled and only one album art survived.
gillian says
Lost all my photos and files. Also, Itunes wont sync now.
ramesh says
when i upgrade windows 7 to windows 10, that time i lost my any DATA in my system, please suggest me
Joseph Carruthers says
Bad choice for you to remove Windows Media Player when you upgrade to Windows 10. To be honest if I loose Window Media Player I do not want the upgrade. How can that possibly be better. The people you provide for will not be happy either as I am reading from the comments here. We all would like an explanation. Are you going to provide a suitable alternative? Please explain so we can all understand this choice you have made. I have many hours of music and work in Windows Media Player.
Jon Bishop says
I can’t seem to find the answer to this question anywhere. Right… If I upgrade to Windows 10 with the free upgrade that is offered, will I lose Windows 7, or can I keep both Operating System’s, with a Multi-Boot set-up. Can somebody please answer this very simple question. Thank you.
Joe says
I can’t find any details on this anywhere but I’ve been hesitant to upgrade as I don’t want my IDE settings (Visual Studio, Eclipse, Python IDLE) altered. Will these be affected if I upgrade?
simon says
Absolute disaster. I HATE windows 10!
Lost all my AVG safe files. All it’s done is add the worst of windows 8 into windows 7 and wrecked the whole experience.
I’m furious at this heap of junk.
admin says
David, you may contact AVG from the registered email address.
DAVID MCCONNELL says
LOSY MY AVG ANTIVIRUS AND AVG PC TUNE UP. SYILL HAVE TIME LEFT ON SUBSCRIPTIONS. WHAT DO I DO TO GET LOST PROGRAMS BACK ? THANK YOU
Christine says
Ok so it says my personal files will be preserved….does that mean I won’t lose all of my photos and videos uploaded to my laptop from my digital camera’s SD card?
Dennis.S.J says
It’s good to know that there is no need of antivirus for windows 10 but the problem is i want windows media player and windows media center which is one of the best thing than iTunes and just now a few months ago I have installed
Office 365 2015 and i don’t want to loose it since it is very expensive.I kindly request you to find a way to solve my problems ,its not only me who is facing the problem even my friends are also facing it.
Darryl Westbrook says
I’m really not pleased to hear that Windows Media Center will not be included with Windows 10. When Windows Media Player is corrupted, it can’t be uninstalled-reinstalled, and with this move, Windows seems to be moving backwards. I’d always considered Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center far superior to iTunes overall, although, with today’s media, working with all three is invaluable. I don’t want to lose my tv tuner connection, my OS,
(of which I will lose thousands of files, [probably hundreds of thousands of files with modern external hard drive storage capacity], that will only play on my current OS). I’m not willing to sacrifice ANYTHING or ANY of my programs for the loss of quality that Windows 10 provides. How can I decline the offer to try Windows 10 so that I won’t keep getting prompted to, “download your Windows 10 upgrade now!”?
randall says
Doesn’t seem to have many Answers from Microsoft here and I am not convinced I willnot lose my photoshops Editing programs and my library of scripts and other research data. Clearly someone has to clarify all of the questions above
Elvis says
Hello.
Will I loose all my installed programmes after the upgrade? I’m into graphics and I’ve lost my purchased copy of my programmes due to moving. Will I lose my photoshop and indesign?
Plz reply by mail.
Thanks
Catherine says
I would buy a usb put all important files on there and then upgrade incase you do lose files you can put them back on
Shakeela says
Please tell me that when i upgrate to window 10,will i lose all my apps and files like photos,videos,music,games and antivirus?i am currently using window 8.1 and system language is set to English.
nikhilchotai says
How to get installed software after installation of Windows 10 as i upgrade from Windows 8.1
ROBIN says
I upgraded to Windows 10, without doing enough research. I’ve lost all my music that was on my hard drive. Is there any way to recover it? My music was stored in Windows Media player, not itunes.
Tim says
If I have Inventor 2015 on my computer will the program still run without problems once I have 10 installed? I’m currently using windows 7.
Dene Girma says
Good morning. I just want to ask some certain questions regarding the free upgrade offered by Windows. I currently have a Windows 7 Ultimate OS running on my laptop. And Windows Update offered me a free reservation for the free upgrade of a full version of Windows 10. So I accepted it and made a reservation. So here’s my questions..
1. Can I keep all my files from my Local Disk C and Local Disk D? I mean when the free upgrade of Windows 10 comes to my laptop.. Can I keep all my program files, settings, personal data and files? Including my software programs like the games, browsers, antiviruses and all other software? Especially my files because I have been running Windows 8 for quite a long time already and I have so many personal files here regarding my career, pictures and music. A lot of them. And some programs too like my games. So will I keep them when the upgrade comes?
2. I am also a gamer. Can I still play my games here in my laptop when I upgrade my laptop to Windows 10? I mean will I not face certain compatibility issues for my games when I upgraded my OS to Windows 10? Or it will be a better option because most games now require Windows 7 at least, and when I got my Windows 10 upgrade.. Will it improve my compatibility and gaming experience?
Blocksas44 says
Will YOU lose games and the data if u upgrade to windows 10?
Pls answer!
barabara says
hello.. if i upgrade will i lose all my passwords that are already saved when i visit certain websites?
Hieu Nguyen says
Dear Microsoft,
What do you mean while saying that i can keep most of my apps?
I have McAfee Antivirus that still have 2 years of license expiration. And how about microsoft offices? Can i keep these apps?
I am using windows 8.1
Please answer me via email.
Thanks you for your infomation.
Gijs says
do you lose al your games and internet downloads and pictures?
Carla says
Hey i’ve got a question what if i what to downgrade will i loose all my programs?
Judith H. says
I will be upgrading from Windows 8 to 10 I have a lot of very important pictures I an not lose! Will I lose them if I upgrade?? Please help!
Bob says
Have lost my microsoft money program because it needs explorer is there any other program that will allow me to continue to use it win 10 does not support explorer
jacquie williams says
What takes the place of Windows Media Player in Windows 10? I have Win 7 and I have downloaded tons of photos and music. I don’t want to lose it. What does Win 10 offer for music lovers? Thanks
Ronald T. says
Hello! I am currently using windows 7 (64 bit) and i was just wondering if that if i was to upgrade to windows 10, would all my family photos be gone? That is my main concern.
Thanks! -Ronald
Federico says
I have Microsoft Word, Publisher, Powerpoint, Excel, and Office on my laptop. Will those be eradicated once I update to Windows 10?
vatsal says
Hi, I have created a bootable USB of windows 10 and I am currently running genuine windows 8.1. Can I upgrade to windows 10 using USB with without loosing data? Please not that it won’t be possible for me to directly upgrade from windows 8.1 update center.
admin says
Travis,
Your media files or playlists will not be deleted during the upgrade. But that said, we advise you backup important files before the upgrade just to be safe.
Travis says
Hi, I’m currently running Windows 7 on my laptop, if I upgrade to Windows 10 will I lose all my music and videos from Windows media player? …Thank you for your time.
Michelle M. says
Do you know why I’m coming against the problem of the installer saying I cannot keep my personal files if I upgrade ??
(going from Windows 7 64 bit Home Professional > Windows 10)
Samuel says
Upgrading from Windows 8.1 Enterprise to Windows 10 Education – throws up the following message;
“You can’t keep Windows settings, personal files, and apps because you’re installing an edition of Windows that’s different than the one you’re currently using”
…even though Win10 Enterprise and Win10 Education editions are the same.
Microsoft! Why is this so?
Brandon J. Chetram says
will all my pictures be gone? i have over 3,000 family pictures, i have Camtasia 8 (video editing software), Blender (animation software), Photoshop CS6 (photo editor/maker), and other little apps such as Elgato Game Capture and BlueStacks. I do NOT want to REINSTALL any of those. i just got this PC and everything on my laptop i needed to REDOWNLOAD
admin says
@ D. Carlson
Please check the following guide to check what programs you can keep while upgrading to Windows 10:
intowindows.com/check-which-programs-you-can-keep-while-upgrading-to-windows-10/
D. Carlson says
I’m running win 8.1 on my laptop with office 365 on both. I have one program on the laptop that is working well with 8.1 and I don’t want to take a chance on not having it work on 10.
D. Carlson says
If I upgrade to windows 10 from 8.1 will my AVG cleaner still be there? And duplicate finder? What about outlook, where will my email go that is there?
MARCUS RODRIGUEZ says
WHEN UPGRADING TO WINDOWS 10 FROM WINDOWS 8..WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO MY SONGS I HAVE SAVED IN MY WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER? WHAT IS GOING TO REPLACE WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER? AND WILL MY PICTURES STILL BE SAVED?
admin says
Silas Warner,
We meant, almost all the applications work great on Windows 10 without any issues. But some antivirus programs might not support Windows 10 at this point.
Silas Warner says
what do you mean by “most” of your apps?
Daniel Hulseapple says
My wife has already upgraded her laptop to windows 10 and has now lost her e-mail program. She cannot find anything related to emails on her computer. Now what? MS email programs are worthless as far as I am concerned and that is why we have been using THUNDERBIRD for email. It’s the closest there is to the old Outlook Express we used for many years.
Daniela says
What about programs like Camtasia and all of its project files, or VirtualXP and the programs I have connected to that? Will they still work?
James T. says
OK, so I am really thinking about upgrading to Windows 10, but however, I don’t know 100% if I’ll like it or not… I am looking forward to the performance increase, since I play games and stream them on Twitch.tv. I have two questions: 1. If I upgrade, and decide that I do not like what is going on in windows 10, can I downgrade back to Windows 7 in some way other than having to have the guy who built my machine reintall the disk? 2. From what this says, I will be able to keep “some” programs. Does this mean that if a program isn’t 100% compatible, it will just be deleted? And what about files like App Data, and other files containing user data?
jake says
I am worried that since Media Center is removed on 10, will I lose my music library. I have over 1,000 songs of music. Will I still have the standard music playback program 11? Is upgrade really worth the hassle of having to replace drivers and or having to re-install 3rd party software.
Master says
I wonder will i be able to enable Fast Boot option after upgrading from windows 7.
Trond says
have win 7 , do i have to reinstall office pack after upgrade to win 10 ?
Pat Sledge says
I’m running win 8.1 on my desktop and laptop with office 365 on both. I have one program on the laptop that is working well with 8.1 and I don’t want to take a chance on not having it work on 10.
If I upgrade the desktop, will the laptop upgrade automatically?
Marilyn Long says
Thankyou. I could only see the reply after I posted the question again. Marilyn
Marilyn Long says
I have asked this question before but don’t seem to have a response.
If I don’t reserve Windows 10 now can I take up the free offer anytime in the next year and how do I do this?
Thankyou
admin says
@ Marilyn Long
Yes, you don’t need to register in order to upgrade. You will have 12 months of time for free upgrade.
Marilyn Long says
If you don’t register for the offer now can you take it up anytime later within the 12 months it is on free offer?
admin says
Yes, it’s possible but only after upgrading to Windows 10.
More information can be found here:
intowindows.com/you-can-clean-install-windows-10-after-the-upgrade/
Doug says
Unlike most, I WANT the upgrade to wipe everything and start new. Is that an option as well? (I have Windows 7 home premium)
Marilyn Long says
If I reserve Windows 10 will it be automatically loaded when available or am I advised and then I load it – so I can decide later whether I want it or not?
I read it will be available free for 1 year so do I have to reserve to get it free or if I decide in 3 mths or whenever that I want it can I have it? Will the icon stay on my computer for the year?
s31064 says
I really don’t understand why this is such a cause for concern to so many people. You should never, ever do any major changes to your system without doing a full backup, preferably an image backup, so what’s the problem? If the upgrade doesn’t do what you expect, you simply restore the backup and get on with your life. When Microsoft or a third party comes up with a way to do the upgrade without the problems you encountered originally, you make another full backup and try it again. It’s not rocket science, it’s common sense.
And to the person that asked about his antivirus software, Microsoft has already said most AV programs will not work with Windows 10, you’ll need to get an updated version from your vendor of choice. You can do that ahead of time, or Microsoft will install Defender during the upgrade until you get what you want.
Frances O. Petrino says
I’m still running Windows 7 because I wanted to still use my Sims 2 program. Will Windows 10 it be compatible with Sims 2?
Jack Medlyn says
Hi, After installing Windows 10 will I be able to revert back to Windows 8.1 if needed. Just encase BT internet etc. is not compatible.
EvaW says
Hi!
Will I be able to keep using my installed programs if I upgrade to Windows 10? Or will I have compatibility issues?
For example:
1. My printer is an HP Officejet J4580. I had to download a new driver set from HP after I bought my desktop (which runs Windows 7) in order for me to keep using it. Will I have to do the same for the Windows 10 upgrade? And will I have to wait for HP to have compatibility software written – assuming they do so?
2. I am still using MS Office 2003. Will this work after I upgrade?
3. And so on. I have numerous installed programs that work in the Windows 7 environment. Will I have to go searching for versions that work in Windows 10? IOW, will it be like having a whole new computer and then having to install all programs from scratch? If not, is it because Windows 10 has some feature that can talk to devices that understand Windows 7? If someone could explain this to me, I’d feel more comfortable signing up for the upgrade.
Thank you very much for your response in advance.
admin says
@ Rickvdsommen
You don’t need to uninstall programs. But the Upgrade Advisor might ask you to uninstall the language pack before the upgrade.
rickvdsommen says
I have Windows 8.1 with Dutch language.
If i upgrade to Windows 10, do I need to reinstall all of my programs?
I have a lot of big programs and games on my laptop :(
paul says
i still don’t see an answer to the question about software? like many i have Microsoft office word excel outlook power point games and such don’t feel i should have to pay for a sub when i paid for a full version (over 200.00+ cost of laptop 780.00) and loaded it on my laptop in July 2012 if upgrading means i lose that (its a road im not going down) i will not upgrade and cant reload due to my disk being destroyed from the elements of time i do have 10 on my ASUS laptop and was OK with losing all my programs on it (didn’t have much on it anyway) but not willing to lose everything on my work laptop its one thing to not lose files but the programs used to open them i don’t think so oh i do like 10 preview on the little ASUS can i get a straight answer ?? yes or no???
Donne John Pascua says
Good morning. I just want to ask some certain questions regarding the free upgrade offered by Windows. I currently have a Windows 7 Ultimate OS running on my laptop. And Windows Update offered me a free reservation for the free upgrade of a full version of Windows 10. So I accepted it and made a reservation. So here’s my questions..
1. Can I keep all my files from my Local Disk C and Local Disk D? I mean when the free upgrade of Windows 10 comes to my laptop.. Can I keep all my program files, settings, personal data and files? Including my software programs like the games, browsers, antiviruses and all other software? Especially my files because I have been running Windows 7 Ultimate for quite a long time already and I have so many personal files here regarding my career, pictures and music. A lot of them. And some programs too like my games. So will I keep them when the upgrade comes?
2. I am also a gamer. Can I still play my games here in my laptop when I upgrade my laptop to Windows 10? I mean will I not face certain compatibility issues for my games when I upgraded my OS to Windows 10? Or it will be a better option because most games now require Windows 7 at least, and when I got my Windows 10 upgrade.. Will it improve my compatibility and gaming experience?
3. I have a Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit, Pentium (R) Dual-Core CPU, 2.0 GHz processor, 2.0 gb RAM, DirectX 11 and Mobile Intel(R) 45 Express Chipset Family display. So when my laptop will be upgraded to Windows 10.. Will it not affect the performance of my laptop? I mean I only have those specs and I think that’s one of the lowest specs in laptop. Will upgrading to Windows 10 slow my laptop or will it speed up or remain the same performance I have now?
That will be all. Thank you in advance for answering my questions. Those questions really bother me and make me double think of continuing or cancelling my Windows 10 free upgrade. Thank you so much and good day.
Kyle Piira says
I am honestly super excited for the first windows version that will allow users to actually keep their software when upgrading the system. I remember upgrading from Win 7 to Win 8.1 and having to re-install nearly 100 programs onto my PC.
admin says
Allain, you can upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 Preview without losing personal data. The upgrade should be smooth but we recommend you create a backup just to be on the safer side.
Allain Mojica says
Is it okay that I can upgrade my Windows 8.1 to 10 technical preview without having any issues of losing the data regarding of the personal files?
I have Windows 8.1 Single Language.