Cheap Windows 10 Keys: Do They Work?

 

Microsoft charges about $200 for a Windows 10 Professional product key. But with a quick online search, you can find websites that promise Windows 10 Pro keys for $12 or less.

 

Why is it so cheap?

 

Websites that sell cheap Windows 10 and Windows 7 keys don't get legitimate selling keys directly from Microsoft.

Some of these keys come from other countries where Windows licenses are cheaper. These switches are referred to as the "grey market". They may be legitimate, but they are sold cheaper in other countries. For example, Windows keys were once cheaper in China.

Other keys can be purchased with stolen credit card numbers. The criminal acquires some credit card numbers, purchases a set of Windows keys online, and sells them via third-party websites at a discount. When credit card thefts are reported and chargebacks occur, Microsoft deactivates the keys, and those Windows installations won't activate - but the criminal gets away with the money people paid for them.

Some keys may be educational keys intended for students but obtained fraudulently. Other keys may be "Volume License" keys, which are not intended to be resold individually.

On highly fake websites, you may buy a completely fake key or an already known key that has been used to hack Windows on multiple systems that have been blocked by Microsoft. A very bad website might steal the credit card number you use to purchase the key and use it to start the credit card fraud game all over again.

 

But do they work?

 

Okay, okay, so these switches are sketchy. But you wonder: does it work?

Well maybe. They often do the work... for a while.

We once bought a Windows 7 key for about $15 from one of these sites. We stuck it in a virtual machine, and it worked for about a year. Then, Windows started saying that we "might be a victim of software piracy". Our Windows license is no longer "genuine".

In other words, at some point that year, the key we purchased was flagged by Microsoft. It may have been purchased with the stolen credit card number, and eventually was blacklisted on Microsoft's servers. So it stops working, and we have to buy a new key.

This is just one anecdote, but it is our experience. Your key may never work in the first place, it may work for a month, or it may never be blacklisted. It all depends on where the key originally came from, and you'll never know where that was from.

 

These keys are not legitimate

 

These keys are not legitimate. By purchasing them, you may be supporting criminals who steal credit card numbers. Or you might reward people who abuse programs that are set up to help students and encourage them to stop running those programs.

We all know: There is no way to legally get a $12 Windows product key. this is not possible. Even if you are lucky and your new key works forever, buying these keys is unethical.

 

Be suspicious anywhere you see a cheap key

 

The switches we're talking about here are often found in major resale markets such as G2A (G2deal), Kingpin, and many other smaller sites. These sites also sell gray market video game keys, which are also of dubious origin and may be canceled in the future. Polygon, a gaming website, has a good look at the issue of gaming keys being grayed out.

However, you can encounter this problem on many websites. Websites like Amazon.com, eBay, and Craigslist are user marketplaces, and it is often possible to find sellers who have Windows 10 or Windows 7 product keys very cheaply on these sites.

You may have an easier time filing a dispute after buying a shady key from Amazon.com, but just because someone bought a $Windows 10 product key on Amazon doesn't mean it's legitimate. Amazon is a huge market, and it has a problem with counterfeiters. Amazon might not want to help you if your key worked for a year before revoking it, either.

 

How to get Windows 10 for free

 

Well, let's say you need a Windows 10 license, and cheap keys are all you can afford. Here's what we recommend: Don't buy Windows 10.

We are serious here. You can install and use Windows 10 without a product key. It will show you a watermark and annoy you a bit, but you can use it without paying anything or providing a product key.

This is a good solution to install Windows in an episodic virtual machine to test the software. It's also a good stopping point if you've just built a PC and can't buy a full Windows 10 retail license yet.

We mean it: It's better not to buy Windows than to buy it through one of these sites.

When you're ready to buy Windows 10, you can pay to upgrade directly from within the Windows 10 Store, or by purchasing a legitimate product key and typing it into the Windows 10 Settings app.

 

How to save money on windows 10 keys

 

You can still save money on real Windows licenses too! For example, we just looked at Amazon selling legitimate OEM Windows 10 Home licenses directly from Microsoft for $99 versus the Microsoft Store's usual retail price of $139. That's far from $12, but licensed stores that sell real and legitimate licenses often discount Microsoft prices, so you can find some legitimate savings if you look around.

Even better, if you have an old Windows 7 or Windows 8 key, you can still install Windows 10 using that old key. Microsoft will provide your PC with a free "digital license" of Windows 10. Microsoft is working its way around the corner and continues to offer a free upgrade to Windows 10 using this method.

Assuming you already have a Windows 10 license, the Windows 10 Settings app can now help you transfer it between different PCs. So, if you are switching to a new PC, you may be able to take your existing license with you.

You may also qualify for a program that helps you get a key at a cheaper rate. For example, students may be eligible to get cheaper (or free) Windows 10 product keys through their universities.

 

What about OEM copies of Windows?

 

When you purchase Windows keys, you will see both "Full Edition" or "Retail" licenses and "System Builder" or "OEM" licenses. Many legitimate keys sold in online stores like Amazon are "OEM" or "System Builder" keys that lock themselves to a single computer. Retail or "full version" licenses are usually a little more expensive.

Unfortunately, it appears that Microsoft's Arcand license terms prevent people from using OEM licenses on their computers. OEM licenses are only meant to be used if you are going to sell the computer, not use it yourself. However, Microsoft has changed its licensing back and forth over the years, and its messaging has been very muddled.

Many casual geeks who build their own computers keep buying copies of their own Windows, and we don't blame them. Microsoft has never tried to stop it, even though the OEM licensing agreement technically prohibits it. In fact, Microsoft continues to sell OEM licenses to people who build their own computers through stores like Amazon without much warning about licensing issues.