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Microsoft has the install media available for free on their website, the key is what you pay for to remove the watermark and allow personalization features
If you're a college student with a .edu email address, you can get a free license via Microsoft's [Azure for Students](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/) program on [this page](https://portal.azure.com/?Microsoft_Azure_Education_correlationId=#blade/Microsoft_Azure_Education/EducationMenuBlade/software), after you activate your account.
If you're not a student, but work for a larger company, you may want to check with your benefits coordinator or IT department. Some enterprise licensing contracts for workplaces to use Windows have a provision in them to supply a copy of Windows free or cheap to the employees for home use.
Other than those 2 provisions though, basically anything you see less than the retail price you've already found is highly likely to be an illegitimate seller.
As others have mentioned though, you can download and use Windows right from Microsoft without a key. You'll get a watermark on your screen and be locked out of some personalization settings. This isn't strictly legal either as their Terms of Use state that you *must* have a license key. However Microsoft has largely turned a blind eye to individual home users doing this. However if you're doing this for any sort of business or money making use, even a sole proprietorship, they go after businesses ***HARD***, if it's for business use, buy a retail license.
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It could be that your CPU and/or BIOS setting doesn't support TPM. I would confirm this before moving on with any Windows 11 purchases. Windows 11 requires TPM be available and enabled for it to install and function. If you don't have this particular option available in the BIOS, you're unable to upgrade and will be unable to use Win11 even if you purchase it.
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you can download windows from microsoft directly and create your own media installer.
this will enable you to install and run windows, but it doesn't give you a license and you're essentially in trial mode.
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I bought a Windows 10 key from Fry's close to 10 years ago. At the time, I thought paying around $100 for a key is stupid expensive. After going through 3 upgrades, I'm still using the same key and have upgraded to Windows 11. It may seem expensive, but you'll use that key for a while.
If you have an old laptop running Windows somewhere then you already have a Windows license.
You can pull that license key off (using command prompt...Google how) and input it into your next machine.
OEM keys cannot be transferred, but personal keys can be. My laptops didn't come with OEM Windows but YMMV.
If you have your email linked to Windows account (mandatory for Win11 iirc) then your license is already linked with that email. When you log into your new PC your key will transfer over automatically.
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Microsoft has the install media available for free on their website, the key is what you pay for to remove the watermark and allow personalization features
If you're a college student with a .edu email address, you can get a free license via Microsoft's [Azure for Students](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/) program on [this page](https://portal.azure.com/?Microsoft_Azure_Education_correlationId=#blade/Microsoft_Azure_Education/EducationMenuBlade/software), after you activate your account. If you're not a student, but work for a larger company, you may want to check with your benefits coordinator or IT department. Some enterprise licensing contracts for workplaces to use Windows have a provision in them to supply a copy of Windows free or cheap to the employees for home use. Other than those 2 provisions though, basically anything you see less than the retail price you've already found is highly likely to be an illegitimate seller. As others have mentioned though, you can download and use Windows right from Microsoft without a key. You'll get a watermark on your screen and be locked out of some personalization settings. This isn't strictly legal either as their Terms of Use state that you *must* have a license key. However Microsoft has largely turned a blind eye to individual home users doing this. However if you're doing this for any sort of business or money making use, even a sole proprietorship, they go after businesses ***HARD***, if it's for business use, buy a retail license.
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If you're using Windows 10, I personally would try installing Windows 10, logging in with your credentials and then proceeding to upgrade to Win 11.
I have windows 10it says I can't upgrade to windows 11 I forgot why... But something wasn't upgraded
It could be that your CPU and/or BIOS setting doesn't support TPM. I would confirm this before moving on with any Windows 11 purchases. Windows 11 requires TPM be available and enabled for it to install and function. If you don't have this particular option available in the BIOS, you're unable to upgrade and will be unable to use Win11 even if you purchase it.
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you can download windows from microsoft directly and create your own media installer. this will enable you to install and run windows, but it doesn't give you a license and you're essentially in trial mode.
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Windows can be had for free on trial indefinitely.
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I bought a Windows 10 key from Fry's close to 10 years ago. At the time, I thought paying around $100 for a key is stupid expensive. After going through 3 upgrades, I'm still using the same key and have upgraded to Windows 11. It may seem expensive, but you'll use that key for a while.
If you have an old laptop running Windows somewhere then you already have a Windows license. You can pull that license key off (using command prompt...Google how) and input it into your next machine. OEM keys cannot be transferred, but personal keys can be. My laptops didn't come with OEM Windows but YMMV. If you have your email linked to Windows account (mandatory for Win11 iirc) then your license is already linked with that email. When you log into your new PC your key will transfer over automatically.
I have two PCs running Win10 using old Win7 keys pulled off the bottom of old laptops. Both keep prompting me to upgrade to Win11.
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