[Tip] How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade on Windows

Many times Windows users are advised to perform an in-place upgrade of Windows operating system installed in their computer system to repair corrupted files or fix various issues and problems faced by the user without deleting any file or app. If you don’t know how to perform an in-place upgrade of Windows and you are looking for a guide containing step-by-step instructions, you have come to the right place.

In this article, we’ll discuss what is in-place upgrade of Windows, its benefits and how to perform it.

Let’s start the tutorial!

What is In-Place Upgrade of Windows?

In-place upgrade is used to reinstall the same version or upgrade to a new version of any software program without removing the existing version first. In-place upgrade of Windows means installing the same or a new Windows version without formatting the device. In other words, when you do an in-place upgrade, all your personal files, documents, settings, 3rd party software programs remain intact. In-place upgrade reinstalls the same Windows version or upgrades to a new Windows version without deleting user’s customized settings, data and apps.

Usually when we want to upgrade to a new Windows version (for example, from Windows Vista to Windows 7 or from Windows 10 to Windows 11), we create a bootable USB drive, restart our computer using it and then format the C: drive to perform a clean or fresh installation of the new Windows version to enjoy the best experience.

But many times, we don’t want to boot using USB drive and don’t want to format the C: drive. An in-place upgrade allows you to run Windows setup right from your Desktop while keeping your settings, documents and programs intact.

In-place upgrade might become very useful if you are facing several problems in your computer system and you are required to reset or clean install Windows. In such situation, you can perform in-place upgrade which will work similar to reset or clean installation and will repair your computer system.

Types of In-Place Upgrade of Windows

There are 2 types of in-place upgrade of Windows operating system: repair in-place upgrade and normal in-place upgrade. Repair in-place upgrade means reinstalling the same Windows version in the device to repair and fix problems. Normal in-place upgrade is used when we want to upgrade to a new Windows version from an old Windows version.

Let’s understand with an example! Imagine if you are using Windows 10 in your device and you are facing many problems such as unable to install new updates, random error messages and crash issues and you don’t want to upgrade to Windows 11 but want to repair existing Windows 10 in your computer system. In such situation repair in-place upgrade will help you. It’ll reinstall same Windows 10 operating system in your device without formatting and will repair all issues.

On the other hand, if you want to move to a new Windows version such as Windows 11 on your Windows 10 device but want to keep the data and apps intact, you can perform normal in-place upgrade which will install Windows 11 in your device and will keep all your documents, files, settings and software programs intact.

Benefits of In-Place Upgrade of Windows Operating System

Following are a few worth to mention advantages of doing an in-place upgrade of Windows operating system:

• Reinstalls existing Windows version without formatting.
• Upgrades to new Windows version without formatting.
• Fixes all kind of problems and issues caused by corrupted or missing system files or registry keys.
• Takes very less time compared to a normal upgrade while keeping the data and apps intact.
• Provides an experience similar to clean or fresh Windows installation without formatting the drive.
• Restores all default system files and registry keys which were corrupted or missing in user’s device.
• Prevents from resetting or clean installing Windows and fixes all PC problems encountered by the user.

PS: When a user is facing problems in downloading and installing Windows updates and getting random error codes, an in-place upgrade is the best solution to fix the issue.

How to Do an In-Place Upgrade of Windows Operating System?

If you want to perform an in-place upgrade on your Windows device to reinstall the same Windows version or upgrade to a new Windows version, following step-by-step instructions will help you:

STEP 1: Download Offline ISO File of Windows Version to Install

First of all you’ll need the offline ISO file or setup of the Windows version which you want to install or upgrade in your computer system.

Don’t worry! Microsoft provides genuine Windows 10 and Windows 11 offline ISO files officially for download to public. You can grab the offline ISO files using following articles:

[Tip] How to Download Windows 11 Offline ISO Files

[Tip] Direct Download Links of Windows 10 Offline ISO Files

If you want to install or upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 version, you can download the offline ISO files using following articles:

Download Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 Offline ISO Files

Download Windows 7 Offline ISO Files for Clean Install or Upgrade

Download Windows 8.1 Offline ISO Files for Clean Install or Upgrade

STEP 2: Extract or Mount the Offline ISO File of Windows

Now we’ll need to either mount or extract the downloaded ISO file in our system. You can right-click on the downloaded ISO file and select “Mount” option from the context menu. It’ll mount the ISO file as a new hard disk drive in File Explorer (also known as This PC, My Computer).

If you don’t want to mount the ISO file, you can extract its content using a file archive software such as 7-Zip. Right-click on the ISO file and select “Extract” option. It’ll extract all the files and folders of the ISO file.

STEP 3: Run Setup.exe File to Start the In-Place Upgrade of Windows

This is the final step to perform in-place upgrade of Windows. Open the mounted ISO drive in File Explorer or go to the extracted ISO folder and you’ll see setup.exe file as shown in following screenshot:

Double-click on setup.exe file to launch the Windows installation process. Windows will launch the setup wizard to install the downloaded Windows version in your device.

Follow the instructions given in the wizard. If the setup wizard asks to select from install or upgrade options, select the upgrade option. You’ll be asked to download updates, accept license agreement, etc. Most of the times, you’ll need to click on the “Next” button until you get the page “Ready to Install” to select what to keep during Windows setup.

Click on “Change what to keep” or similar option and make sure to select “Keep personal files and apps” option.

NOTE: Make sure to find and select the option to keep personal files and apps during setup. If you don’t select this option, Windows will be installed without keeping your personal files and apps.

Now you are good to go. In-place upgrade will take approx. 20-30 minutes in finishing the installation process and your device may restart multiple times during the process.

After the in-place upgrade ends, you’ll get the welcome or lock/login screen to sign into your user account. All your files, custom settings, installed 3rd party software programs and apps will remain intact.

Now you can start using Windows again in your device without any issue or problem.

Also Check:

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