Windows 8.1 brings you the Windows Store, Start screen, and your Microsoft account, but also enhancements in personalisation, search, Store apps and cloud connectivity – along with the security and reliability features you expect from Windows.
1. Check your PCWindows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant will tell you if your PC can run Windows 8.1, then provides a compatibility report and optional steps for you to buy, download and install Windows. If you want to have a look at the system requirements, you can, but you don't have to. Upgrade Assistant will do all that for you – and you don't need to buy the upgrade to run it.
If you don't want to upgrade online, you can buy Windows 8.1 on a DVD from a participating retailer. You can see the current pricing on the Compare and decide about Windows 8.1 web page or in Upgrade Assistant. DVDs of the Windows 8.1 upgrade aren't available in all countries and regions. If you decide to buy a DVD, we still recommend running Upgrade Assistant before you install so you can make sure that Windows 8.1 will run on your PC.
Downloading and running Upgrade Assistant
1. Check your PCWindows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant will tell you if your PC can run Windows 8.1, then provides a compatibility report and optional steps for you to buy, download and install Windows. If you want to have a look at the system requirements, you can, but you don't have to. Upgrade Assistant will do all that for you – and you don't need to buy the upgrade to run it.
If you don't want to upgrade online, you can buy Windows 8.1 on a DVD from a participating retailer. You can see the current pricing on the Compare and decide about Windows 8.1 web page or in Upgrade Assistant. DVDs of the Windows 8.1 upgrade aren't available in all countries and regions. If you decide to buy a DVD, we still recommend running Upgrade Assistant before you install so you can make sure that Windows 8.1 will run on your PC.
Downloading and running Upgrade Assistant
Let's see what's compatible screen in Upgrade Assistant
Make sure you plug in and connect peripheral devices like printers or monitors before running Upgrade Assistant to check if they'll work with Windows 8.1. It's also a good idea to plug in your laptop or tablet if that's what you're using.
To run Upgrade Assistant
Reviewing the compatibility report
Make sure you plug in and connect peripheral devices like printers or monitors before running Upgrade Assistant to check if they'll work with Windows 8.1. It's also a good idea to plug in your laptop or tablet if that's what you're using.
To run Upgrade Assistant
- Click to download Upgrade Assistant.
Depending on your Internet connection, it might take several minutes to install. - When prompted by your browser, open, save or run the Upgrade Assistant program file. Any option will work, but if you choose Save, you might need to search for the file on your PC and double-click it to run it.
- Follow the on-screen steps. Upgrade Assistant scans your PC to make sure that it meets the system requirements. It also checks to see if your programs and devices are compatible with Windows 8.1.
- To learn more about how we use your information, read the Windows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant and Setup privacy statement.
- To buy and download the Windows 8.1 upgrade over the Internet, you have to first run Upgrade Assistant.
- If you want to reformat your drive – also known as a clean installation – you need to do it with installation media such as a DVD or USB flash drive from within Windows Setup. For more information, see How to perform a clean installation of Windows.
Reviewing the compatibility report
Here's what we found screen in Upgrade Assistant
When Windows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant has finished, you'll know if Windows 8.1 will run on your PC. You'll also get a free compatibility report that lists which of your current programs and devices will still work, ones that might not work and what you can do to get them working again after you've upgraded. You don’t have to do anything with this info—if we need any encryption software suspended, we'll let you know that later.
If you have a product that worked in Windows 7, then most likely, it will work in Windows 8.1, too. But there might be programs or devices on your PC that we have no info for.
Here's how we get the compatibility info:
2. Choose what to keep
When Windows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant has finished, you'll know if Windows 8.1 will run on your PC. You'll also get a free compatibility report that lists which of your current programs and devices will still work, ones that might not work and what you can do to get them working again after you've upgraded. You don’t have to do anything with this info—if we need any encryption software suspended, we'll let you know that later.
If you have a product that worked in Windows 7, then most likely, it will work in Windows 8.1, too. But there might be programs or devices on your PC that we have no info for.
Here's how we get the compatibility info:
- Independent software and hardware vendors test and officially certify some programs and devices for Windows 8.1.
- We base some compatibility info on reports from the manufacturer. This info hasn't been tested or confirmed by Microsoft.
- Microsoft tests the most popular programs and devices on the market, and provides compatibility info based on this testing. For some products that aren't tested on Windows 8.1, we might base its compatibility status on whether it worked onWindows 8.
2. Choose what to keep
Choose what to keep screen in Upgrade Assistant
Once you have the compatibility report, you can decide what you want to keep on your PC. You won't be able to keep programs and settings when you upgrade. Make sure you locate your original program installation discs or purchase confirmation emails if you bought programs online. You'll need these to reinstall your programs after you've upgraded to Windows 8.1 – this includes, for example, Microsoft Office, Apache OpenOffice and Adobe programs. It's also a good idea to back up your files at this time, too.
3. Buy Windows 8.1If Upgrade Assistant tells you that your PC meets the system requirements and is able to run Windows 8.1, it provides a recommendation for which edition to buy, with the option to buy, download and install it by following the on-screen steps. You'll see current pricing in Upgrade Assistant, or you can go to the Compare and decide about Windows 8.1 page.
Windows Media Center isn't included in Windows 8.1. To get it, you'll need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 Pro and then buy theWindows 8.1Media Center Pack. For more information, see the Add features web page on the Windows website.
If you don't want to upgrade online, you can buy Windows 8.1 on DVD from a participating retailer if it's available in your country or region.
Reviewing your orderWhen you get to the Review your order page in Upgrade Assistant, you'll have the option to buy a backup DVD of Windows 8.1if it's available in your country or region. If you need to reinstall later, you can use the link you'll get in the email receipt after your payment is processed. If you're worried about losing the email you might want to order the backup DVD. Tick the checkbox if you want to add the DVD to your order.
Enter purchase info and offer codesIn the next few steps, you’ll enter all the standard purchase info like your name and credit card number.
If you have an offer code, you need to make sure that you enter it to receive the promotional price. When you're on the Buyscreen, it will show the full price. However, on the order confirmation page, you'll have a chance to enter your promo code – the price will change to reflect the promotional price after you've clicked Apply.
Getting your receipt and product keyAfter your order is processed, you'll get an email receipt that includes a product key. If you continue through the upgrade process now, the product key will automatically be entered for you, but be sure to keep the receipt email and product key in a safe place.
4. Start the upgradeWith a high-speed Internet connection (1.5 Mbps – 10 Mbps), the download will typically range from 30 minutes to 3 hours. The time it takes to download depends on your Internet connection, PC and other factors, and might exceed these estimates.
Downloading Windows 8.1Click on Next, and the upgrade will start downloading to your PC. You can pause the download at any time, or if you need to stop it and start again later, use the Download Windows icon that appears on your desktop (instead of the link you get in the email receipt or the Upgrade Assistant download). This way, you'll resume the download from where you left off, rather than starting all over again.
If the download is interrupted, isn't working, or no Pause button appears, try restarting your PC. Once you've restarted, click on the Download Windows icon on your desktop to start the download again.
Note
Install Windows 8.1
Once you have the compatibility report, you can decide what you want to keep on your PC. You won't be able to keep programs and settings when you upgrade. Make sure you locate your original program installation discs or purchase confirmation emails if you bought programs online. You'll need these to reinstall your programs after you've upgraded to Windows 8.1 – this includes, for example, Microsoft Office, Apache OpenOffice and Adobe programs. It's also a good idea to back up your files at this time, too.
- If you only want to keep your files (documents, photos, music, films and other files), choose Just personal files.
- If you want to save none of your files, choose Nothing. We recommend you back up your files on an external drive before choosing this option.
- If you choose to keep nothing when you upgrade to Windows 8.1, your personal files won't automatically move with you, but you can still restore them after you've upgraded. Your files are saved to the Windows.old folder, where you can retrieve them after the upgrade. For more information, see Retrieving files from the Windows.old folder.
3. Buy Windows 8.1If Upgrade Assistant tells you that your PC meets the system requirements and is able to run Windows 8.1, it provides a recommendation for which edition to buy, with the option to buy, download and install it by following the on-screen steps. You'll see current pricing in Upgrade Assistant, or you can go to the Compare and decide about Windows 8.1 page.
Windows Media Center isn't included in Windows 8.1. To get it, you'll need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 Pro and then buy theWindows 8.1Media Center Pack. For more information, see the Add features web page on the Windows website.
If you don't want to upgrade online, you can buy Windows 8.1 on DVD from a participating retailer if it's available in your country or region.
Reviewing your orderWhen you get to the Review your order page in Upgrade Assistant, you'll have the option to buy a backup DVD of Windows 8.1if it's available in your country or region. If you need to reinstall later, you can use the link you'll get in the email receipt after your payment is processed. If you're worried about losing the email you might want to order the backup DVD. Tick the checkbox if you want to add the DVD to your order.
Enter purchase info and offer codesIn the next few steps, you’ll enter all the standard purchase info like your name and credit card number.
If you have an offer code, you need to make sure that you enter it to receive the promotional price. When you're on the Buyscreen, it will show the full price. However, on the order confirmation page, you'll have a chance to enter your promo code – the price will change to reflect the promotional price after you've clicked Apply.
Getting your receipt and product keyAfter your order is processed, you'll get an email receipt that includes a product key. If you continue through the upgrade process now, the product key will automatically be entered for you, but be sure to keep the receipt email and product key in a safe place.
4. Start the upgradeWith a high-speed Internet connection (1.5 Mbps – 10 Mbps), the download will typically range from 30 minutes to 3 hours. The time it takes to download depends on your Internet connection, PC and other factors, and might exceed these estimates.
Downloading Windows 8.1Click on Next, and the upgrade will start downloading to your PC. You can pause the download at any time, or if you need to stop it and start again later, use the Download Windows icon that appears on your desktop (instead of the link you get in the email receipt or the Upgrade Assistant download). This way, you'll resume the download from where you left off, rather than starting all over again.
If the download is interrupted, isn't working, or no Pause button appears, try restarting your PC. Once you've restarted, click on the Download Windows icon on your desktop to start the download again.
Note
- If you receive an error message that says "We can't connect at the moment", and you've verified that you have an Internet connection, you can try to download Windows 8.1 on another network – maybe at a friend's house if your PC is portable. If that doesn't work, contact support.
Install Windows 8.1
Install Windows 8.1 screen in Upgrade Assistant
After Windows 8.1 has downloaded to your PC, you have a few choices for how and when you want to install it.
After Windows 8.1 has downloaded to your PC, you have a few choices for how and when you want to install it.
- Install now. For most people, we recommend choosing Install now for the smoothest upgrade.
- Install by creating media. This is an advanced installation option that requires a USB flash drive or a blank DVD. We only recommend this for people who need to install in a virtual environment or as a dual-boot configuration. We don't recommend trying to install Windows 8.1 on a separate PC.
- Choose which media to use screen in Upgrade Assistant
If you decide to install using media, you need to install Windows 8.1 on a PC that's already running Windows, then perform a clean installation. For instructions, see Booting from media that you created to install on a partition and then How to perform a clean installation of Windows. If you don't follow these instructions, you won't be able to activate your PC later. - Install later from your desktop. If you choose Install later from your desktop, a shortcut will be created on your desktop so you can install Windows 8.1 when it's convenient for you.
Once you've finished, you'll be ready to install the upgrade. You'll see a recap of what you've decided to do. If you need to change anything, click Back, but when you're ready, click Install.
Your PC will restart several times while Windows 8.1 is installing. After Windows 8.1 installs, you'll first be asked to choose settings.
5. Choose your settingsAfter Windows 8.1 installs, you'll first be asked to choose settings for your PC.
Personalise
Personalise screen during setup
Choose a colour you like – you can always change this later from the Start screen. To do so, on the Start screen, point to the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, move your mouse all the way into the corner, click Settings, then click Personalise.
Use express settings
Choose a colour you like – you can always change this later from the Start screen. To do so, on the Start screen, point to the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, move your mouse all the way into the corner, click Settings, then click Personalise.
Use express settings
Settings screen during setup
You'll see a list of recommended settings, called express settings. To accept these settings and continue, click Use express settings. You can change any of these settings later, after you've finished setting up. If you'd like to change some of these settings now, click Customise.
For more information, click Learn more about express settings. To learn about how these settings affect your privacy, clickPrivacy statement.
Sign in
You'll see a list of recommended settings, called express settings. To accept these settings and continue, click Use express settings. You can change any of these settings later, after you've finished setting up. If you'd like to change some of these settings now, click Customise.
For more information, click Learn more about express settings. To learn about how these settings affect your privacy, clickPrivacy statement.
Sign in
Microsoft account sign-in screen during setup
Next, you'll be asked to sign in. If you see a local account sign-in page, you'll need to sign in with your local account first, then we'll ask you to set up a Microsoft account.
Next, you'll be asked to sign in. If you see a local account sign-in page, you'll need to sign in with your local account first, then we'll ask you to set up a Microsoft account.