Click the Install Windows 8.1 button and run the downloaded tool. Next, visit the Upgrade Windows with only a product key page. After the download begins, close the setup tool. Run the downloaded tool and enter your product key. Click the install Windows 8 button to begin downloading Windows 8 installation media.

Luckily, there’s yet another confusing trick we can use to get around Microsoft’s limitations.įirst, visit the Upgrade Windows with only a product key page. You can’t normally download it with a Windows 8 product key. The second problem is that Microsoft only allows you to download Windows 8.1 installation media with a Windows 8.1 product key. RELATED: Where to Download Windows 10, 8.1, and 7 ISOs Legally You should then be able to change your key to your original Windows 8 key from the desktop later.ĭownload Windows 8.1 With a Windows 8 Product Key Update: We’ve been informed that simply entering one of the KMS Client Setup Keys from Microsoft’s website during the Windows 8.1 installation process should let you install Windows 8.1 normally. We’ll just need to modify the Windows 8.1 installation media a bit.

If we had a way of skipping the product key prompt during the installation process and entering the key later, we could install Windows 8.1 fresh - luckily, we do have a way of doing that. However, Windows 8.1 will accept the Windows 8 product key if you enter it on the desktop after installing Windows 8.1 - no, we don’t know why it works this way. The Windows 8.1 installer refuses to accept the Windows 8 product key and won’t allow us to install Windows 8.1 with it. In reality, there’s a way we can get around this limitation. Only people who purchase Windows 8.1 can install it fresh, not people who origianlly purchased Windows 8. Microsoft wants you to install Windows 8 normally and use the Windows 8.1 upgrade offer in the Windows Store to get Windows 8.1. RELATED: What You Need to Know About Windows 8.1 It’s a free upgrade to every single Windows 8 user, so there’s absolutely no reason to introduce a new product key system.

This normally makes sense, but Windows 8.1 isn’t really a different version of Windows. You also can’t install the original version of Windows 8 with a Windows 8.1 product key. You can’t enter a Windows 8 product key into the Windows 8.1 installer, just as you can’t enter a Windows 7 product key into the Windows 8 installer. The problem is that Windows 8.1 product keys are different from Windows 8 product keys. The Problem, and How We’ll Fix It (Old Version) You can choose to put the boot media directly on a USB drive, or you can create an ISO for later use or to burn to a disc later.

Activate windows 8.1 without key