Microsoft announced at the time of launch, that the Windows 11 upgrade would be free for everyone who was running a legal copy of Windows 10, which was also a free upgrade on Windows 8.1. However, if you have an older version of the Windows OS, or own a laptop or PC that features any other operating system, then you would have to purchase a copy of Windows 11. But that’s not all. While Microsoft has mentioned that the upgrade is free for eligible PCs, there will be some PCs that may have the required specifications but will be deemed ineligible for the free upgrade. In this case, you will have to purchase a licensed copy of Windows 11. Now, the hardware manufacturers have been given a benchmark price, but as always, they will always try to sneak in a little extra profit. Whatever the case, the benchmark that has been set by Microsoft for stand-alone copies of Windows 11 is as follows –
- Windows 11 Home – $139
- Windows 11 Pro – $199.99
Also, if your device is eligible for the free upgrade for Windows 11, the package was not released for all eligible devices at the same time, as Apple does for example. Instead, the newer devices that were released, were shipped with Windows 11 out of the box, while the existing devices were put on a schedule by the respective OEMs. Some devices have received the upgrade to date, but there are still a lot of eligible devices left waiting, and if you own one such device, the best approach is to visit the manufacturer’s website and look for news on the Windows 11 upgrade schedule.
