There are many places online where you can find cheap Windows 10 key offers from people selling product licenses for way less than their suggested retail price. It may seem like good bargaining, but to most people, it will first of all seem suspicious. So, how does it all work?
Are cheap Windows 10 keys even legal?
The simplest but also not the most exhaustive answer would be – it depends. It all comes down to where those keys came from, what was their purpose when they were first sold or given away by Microsoft and to whom.
And first of all this is the only legal way for the Windows 10 keys to be on the market anyway, coming from the software’s producer. If that’s not the original source, there’s no way that any resellers later could be offering those keys for purchase in any legal way as they didn’t obtain them legally.
The same thing goes for keys that were stolen, bought by using stolen money or credit cards, or sold out of bulks of Windows 10 keys that were meant to go to some kind of an educational institution, a company etc., as that is breaking Microsoft’s License Agreement. So, the keys can be absolutely original, but stolen, or obtained legally, but their reselling can be against Microsoft’s policy.
Even if you are not fully aware of the origination of the key you want to buy, and no one would probably call you a thief, but just the fact, that you know of those options and you still decide to purchase a Windows 10 key from some unchecked source online means, that you know what the situation and therefor consequences could be.
And those include things like your key not working at all, stopping to work soon after installation, Microsoft sending you a message, notifying you, that you bought the key from an illegal source, the license being disabled, or even legal actions being taken against you.
So be careful and don’t let anyone scam you and drag into a shady situation, cause even if your intentions are purely to buy the key cheaper and not steal it, it can still bring you trouble and also supporting criminals isn’t the best idea.
How to know that the Windows 10 key you bought is the real deal?
Like we already mentioned, if the price is way too low, it probably is some sort of a scam. It’s different to buy a cheap Windows 10 key because it’s second hand, or from an online retailer who has prices a bit lower than someone else, because of purchasing the keys from Microsoft in bulk, and different to buy the key for just 5 dollars from some random guy online. So the price is definitely a good indicator, and remember, that if you’re too big of a cheapskate, chances are you’ll end up paying more than you normally would anyway, as you’ll most probably be scammed.
When it comes to websites that sell those keys or give sellers space to do business, unfortunately the quality of them and their legitness can differ.
You would sometimes think that a certain website is a reputable one, but as you go into the offers that are being published there, it might turn out, some shady things are going on there too.
So just think for yourself and question everyone and everything, don’t let only the appearance of legitness fool you. Nowadays you can’t even really trust certificates of authenticity, as they are also being falsified by clever tricksters looking for easy money. Google things up, ask people around, check the reviews and ratings.
What are safer options of getting a Windows 10 key cheaper or for free?
Of course, not everyone can afford buying an operating system just like that, and those things definitely aren’t cheap. However, there are other easy ways of getting the key in a completely legal way, without having to worry about whether it’ll work or not, or infect your PC with some virus. First of all, discounts.
For schools, students, businesses. If you fall into any of those groups, it may turn out you can get the software pretty cheap from Microsoft themselves, without risking being scammed. So cheap Windows 10 key, or at least a bit cheaper, can easily come from the developer. Also, you can also look for an authorized reseller, who will also often have some form of discount available for you.
There is also a free Windows 10 version, which differs from the paid one only by not giving you an option of personalizing the appearance of the system. Other than that, it has all the standard Windows functions, it can be updated, and you can get Microsoft’s support whenever you need it. If you already own an original Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, you don’t even need the Windows 10 key. It’s enough if you just update your system to the newest version.
And if you not buying Windows 10 is only a matter of simply not being able to afford it right now, but also saving up for it, you can also try the Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation, which will give you access to Windows 10 license and a fully working system for 90 days, and after that time your PC will start shutting down automatically every hour.
However inconvenient and annoying that may be, those 3 months may be exactly the time you need to be able to purchase a fully functioning version of Windows 10.
