Did you skip Windows 8? Interested in upgrading your PC from Windows 7 to Windows 10, but not planning on installing Windows 8 in between? You’re in luck. The next version of Windows, Windows 10, aka Windows codename “Threshold” will let you upgrade from Windows 7 just fine.
Windows 10 will automatically offer to upgrade from Windows 7.
After setup begins, it’ll automatically go through the process of checking your PC for compatibility, then offer to upgrade your PC from Windows 7 to Windows 10. In the past, Windows Setup has done that before, but the “upgrade” option is actually a tricky “keep personal files but not apps” in reality – clicking “Help me decide” will reveal the truth:
You can choose what to keep and what not to.
In this case, Windows 10 setup is actually offering to upgrade your Windows 7 PC and keep your applications/software/documents intact.
Note that you won’t be able to upgrade from 32-bit (x86) Windows 7 to 64-bit (x64) Windows 10. It’s unclear as of right now whether or not Microsoft will be releasing a 32-bit version of Windows 10 at all come RTM. In the past, there were rumors that Windows 8 would be 64-bit only, but that proved to be a moot concern and 32-bit versions of Windows 8 (as ill-advised as they may be) have been chugging along just fine. Windows 10 Technical Preview is available for download in both 32-bit and 64-bit ISO for now.