As the July, 29 deadline fast approaches, time is running out for you to get your free version of Windows 10, unless you do some preparation now.

Microsoft has been reminding all users who have not made the move to Windows 10 that the year-long free upgrade will come to an end on July, 29. If you have not upgraded to Windows 10 by this date, and suddenly want the latest operating system you will need to fork out $119.

If you are not one of the 300 million users who have already made the move over to Windows 10, there is a way to ensure you get a free upgrade post-July, 29.

We look at how this is possible and provide you with the necessary steps to complete now so that you can benefit from a free Windows 10 upgrade after July, 29.  

A Windows 10 upgrade gives your PC ‘digital entitlement’

If you are running a genuine and activated Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 OS, and you upgrade to Windows 10 your PC receives a ‘digital entitlement’. This means that Microsoft will note on its servers that going forward this specific PC’s hardware is eligible for Windows 10.

Once your PC’s hardware is eligible, it remains eligible and allows you to upgrade to Windows 10 at any stage, even after the July, 29 deadline.  

Tip: As the ‘digital entitlement’ is not tied to your Microsoft account, but rather your PC’s hardware you will need to install Windows 10 on the PC that received the ‘digital entitlement’.

Upgrade to Windows 10 and roll back

The easiest method to use is upgrading to Windows 10 and then rolling back to your previous version of OS. However, this method may not work perfectly every time and you may end up losing certain programs that you will need to reinstall.

If you don’t want to take any chances, then you should create a complete image backup. An image backup will copy everything on your drive (operating system, boot sector, programs, and data files) into one large file. If something goes wrong during the install and roll back process you can easily use your image backup to get everything back to normal.

Follow the steps in this How-To Geek article to create a complete image backup. Once that is complete you can follow the upgrade and roll back steps below.  

If you aren’t concerned or don’t want to spend the time waiting for an image backup to complete, you can skip straight into the upgrade and roll-back instructions below.

• Download the Windows 10 upgrade tool > run the download > agree to upgrade your PC to Windows 10.
• Once the install is complete > click the Start button > Settings > Update & Security > Activation.
• Next to Product Key, make sure it says Windows 10 on this device is activated with a digital entitlement. It may take a while to display so just be patient.

• Once you have ‘digital entitlement’ for Windows 10 you can roll back to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > click the Get Started button under Go back to Windows 7 or Go back to Windows 8.1. You have 30 days to roll back to your old OS.  
• Windows 10 will be uninstalled and your old OS will be restored. If you decide you want Windows 10 after July, 29 you can upgrade without the $119 price tag.

Image via: Windows Blog