7 Ways to Get Windows 11 For Free or Purchase at The Best Price - 2022

I've done detailed research about the best Windows deals, and listed 3 methods to get Windows 10 or Windows 11 securely for free or purchase it at a low cost in 4 options.

1. How to use Windows for Free

💡Download Windows from the official site, unactivate it

• Prepare a new USB


• Download Windows 10 or Windows 11 official from Microsoft.


• Create a bootable Windows USB Windows (Step by Step)


• Unactivate it, and use it directly!

Have any limits with not activating ❓
Currently, Microsoft allows users to use inactivated Windows Free
But have a few limitations:

• Include a watermark on the right corner of the screen (can remove it)


• Not able to customize settings (can fix it)


• Not able to access some features at Microsoft account

Have any problems with using a cracked version❓
Yes, It’s not safe to use. The crack software may contain viruses or spyware, and your personal data like passwords, and credit card info will be at risk.

💡Windows Education License

At the moment, Windows 11 is available for students for Free with Windows Education License.
Teachers can also get Windows for only $14.99.

Does Windows Education License have any limitations❓
Nope, there is no restriction.
Windows 10 Education is effectively a variant of Windows 10 Enterprise that provides education-specific default settings, including the removal of Cortana (source)

💡Use the Windows license code from an old computer

The old system may still be functional even though the hardware is outdated!
So far, Win 7,8,10 can be upgraded to Win 11 for Free

That means you can use a software (Free) to get Windows Key from your old computer

Then transfer the license to a new PC (Step by Step)
Note: If your old system is an OEM version, it may cause activation failure, but you can give it a try still.

2. Get genuine Windows 10/11 at a low price

First, remember that you can upgrade Win 10 to Win 11 for free, so there's no need to worry about whether to get Win 10 or Win 11. Just pick the one that costs the least.

Why do some cost over $100 while others only cost around $18 - $30? What's the difference?

• FPP (Retail License): Price range: $139 - $199


• OEM License: Price range: $18 - $99


• Vol License: Price range: less than $10

The difference is that you get a different License Type.

📘 FPP License (Retail License)

This type of license can be used lifetime, and the license code can be transferred to any device.
As long as Windows is continuously updated for free, one code can always be used on new computers.

Is that OK to get Windows from Amazon, Newegg, eBay, etc.❓
It's hard to ensure if the product key is legit or not when you buy it from some third-party sellers on those sites. Therefore, we don't highly recommend it, or you can message customer support to ensure the license is FPP or OEM before ordering.

I've emailed many sellers about the Windows digital version, including Amazon, eBay, and other individual sites. It seems like the discount they offer is huge, but most of the sellers answered that the licenses are OEM versions, or they didn't give me a straight answer. That's why we don't recommend buying from them.

Most of the cheap Retail Licenses from eBay are for the box version.


I personally recommend you to get it from Microsoft Store (need to wait until Black Friday to get discounts though)

📗 OEM License - Recommend

The OEM License is the best value as it's no different from FPP except that the registration code may be invalid when the motherboard is replaced in the future.

Amazon, eBay is sold on most of the OEM License, but the price is up to hundreds of dollars, and it is not worth.

I've looked into almost 20 retail sites, and here I recommend two sites. The prices are not the lowest, but the sites are considered more trustworthy than others so that you can shop confidently.

PC World
PCWorld Software Store

I believe the OEM license offered by PC World should be reliable since it is a professional PC magazine website.

But again, remember that you can choose the cheap Win 10, don't have to be Win 11 only because you can upgrade it to Win 11 for free anyway.

Kinguin

Kinguin Store

I must acknowledge that this is the only link in this whole article where I can earn a small commission when you click through and buy. However, this is not the only reason why I recommend it.

There are still retail sites that sell Windows 10 cheaper than Kinguin, and I can also earn a commission, but through my research, I found they could be risky for users. On the other hand, Kinguin is the one that has been mentioned in several articles and also has the most quantity of user purchases, so the risk is much lower, which is why I would recommend it to you.

He claims to have sold 100,000 licenses, around $20-$30 each. The activation process may be a bit frustrating (official tips recommend using the automated phone system), but he guarantees that if the buyer buys a license that cannot be activated, the official will pay for a valid key and let the seller get punished.

📕 Volume Licensing (VLK) - Risky

Volume Licenses were designed for large corporations, education, and government, and usually, one key can activate different computers.

The licenses are however selling on the market since there are no strict restrictions, which is usually the case when a license costs less than $10 or even for free.

However, because of Microsoft regulations, you can not activate non-organizational devices with this kind of license and most of these have a time limit.

So this is the cheapest, but there are risks.

Get Windows License at $1 only❓

Yes, but have a great risk,
allkeyshop

It can be hard to differentiate, and most likely, it's a Volume License.
Also, no one can guarantee if the seller is reliable, so it is not recommended if you are not that geek.

How to quickly overview which license you have purchased❓

• Open Start


• Search for "CMD"


• Type: "slmgr /dli"

References

📄 How to Get Windows 11 or Windows 10 for Free (or Under $20)
📄 How to get Windows cheap (or even for free)