Windows 10 offers no upgrade path for Windows XP users

Posted on December 29, 2014 - 13:27 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck

While I didn't expect Microsoft would go out of its way to create an update path from Windows XP to Windows 10, it's now official that a clean install will be the only option for those still using Windows XP.

The news was made public on Twitter by Gabriel Aul from the Windows 10 team as he received questions from followers about possible Windows XP upgrade paths:

@enoslayd No, you'll need to use the ISO to upgrade from XP.
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) December 24, 2014

@jftimm_ @enoslayd Only clean installs are supported from XP at this point. You'd need to backup your data first and reinstall any apps.
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) December 28, 2014

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Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.

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Comments (1)

FXi2 January 3, 2015 at 21:53

The public was heavily warned for over a year about XP end of life. No upgrade path is hardly a shock. Most folks are going with 64 bit installs these days and that requires a reinstall anyway. Bite the bullet and backup files and then install a fresh copy of Win 10. It's not like an "upgrade path" would be much different from that formula.
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Windows 10 offers no upgrade path for Windows XP users

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