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How To Get Windows 11 Pro For Only $10 With This Limited-Time Deal

GameSpot readers who are building a new gaming PC should check out this Windows 11 Pro deal.

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If you need Windows 11, it's hard to beat the current deal over at StackSocial. For a limited time, you can get a Windows 11 Pro license for only $10. Make sure to use GameSpot's exclusive promo code WINDOWS at checkout to get the full discount, otherwise you'll pay $15 for the license key. This Windows 11 Pro deal was available to GameSpot readers in early March, but if you missed out then, you have another chance to snag it.

Licenses for Windows 11 Pro and Home purchased directly from Microsoft cost $200 or $139, respectively. If your computer is running Windows 10 already, you can upgrade to Windows 11 Home for free, but this deal is awesome for anyone who is currently in the process of building a PC.

Before upgrading to Windows 11, make sure your computer has enough storage space for the install. Microsoft's minimum requirement is 64GB, though the actual install size is closer to 30GB. Existing Windows 10 users can upgrade to Windows 11 for free, but if you want the Pro version on your old computer, it's worth noting that you need to be on Windows 10 to install the new OS. In addition to the storage requirement, Windows 11 requires a 1GHz or faster CPU and 4GB RAM. If you need help verifying your computer's eligibility for Windows 11, check out Microsoft's support page for instructions.

More Microsoft License Key Deals

StackSocial also has deals on several other Microsoft license keys. Visio Professional 2021, Microsoft's diagramming and flowchart app, is available for only $15. Visio is included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions, so if you have an active subscription, you already have access to it. Microsoft's project management application, simply called Project, isn't included in Office 365. You can get Project Professional 2021 for $15, too.

If you need Microsoft Office and don't want to be tied to the 365 subscription program, Microsoft Office 2019 is $30 on PC or $40 on Mac. The newer, though still outdated, Microsoft Office 2021 is available for $50 on its own or $55 in a bundle with Windows 11 Pro. Programmers can purchase a lifetime license to Visual Studio Professional 2022 for only $28.

Note: Some of the Microsoft license-key deals have seven-day activation windows, including Visio Professional 2021 and Microsoft Office. Meanwhile, Visual Studio Professional 2022 and Project Professional 2021 have 30-day activation windows. We've included the redemption windows for each app next to the price.

Microsoft Visio Professional 2021 and Project Professional 2021
Microsoft Visio Professional 2021 and Project Professional 2021

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Avatar image for MonkeyKing1969
MonkeyKing1969

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Nobody, should be paying for Windows when it puts of ADVERTSING for Microsoft products/services and as it 'collects data to sell' B2B about it's users - It should be free. Maybe, when the USA get a REAL government again, the SEC/FCC/FTC should investigate Microsoft with an eye towards how data it is selling is generated.

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Avatar image for deactivated-680a5fa8cce7a
deactivated-680a5fa8cce7a

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Finally Microsoft will stop with forced update BS on Windows 10 when we Google "how to save a granma from choking while she trying to eat KFC". So many granmas died because of this forced update BS. :DDD

On the other hand Windows 11 is one of the worst Windows version I have ever seen, as I can safely say it's even worse than the bloody Vista, and I was there since using computers by typing to some black screen just to open some folders as black screen and white text was the only visual we could see in the realm of computer age. Bloody Windows 11 can even crash due to DirectX 12 error just because you using Microsoft Calculator, imagine how it can ruin your Nvidia 6099 XYZ RTX FTL Super Mega after you paid $9999 just to see micro-sweats on video game characters. :DDDDDD. Seriously though one of my old friend using Windows 11 and in every update somethings get broken so he asks me what to do so I'm considering ending this friendship after decades so Microsoft owns me sanity and friendship. :DDDD

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PrinceMagnus0

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Why the hell should I pay 10 dollars for a busted ransomware privacy-hijacking operating system when I switched to Linux for free?

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Bakula

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The billion dollar company that can’t even admit (and reimplement) that they removed File Explorer search history. Pathetic fucks

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deactivated-67f1e74537035

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oh come on man.. no one buys windows

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GIO-007-XBL

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You can get it cheaper through Ebay, Groupon, and Cd Keys sites. The license keys work. I paid $11.90 for my upgrade. All upgrades go through the Windows Store, so you know that you're getting a genuine upgrade. Anyhow, $30 is still a great price but there are cheaper options out there if you take the 10-15 minutes to research it. I think for most people looking for an even cheaper price is to buy the upgrade through Groupon.

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pillarrocks

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@gio-007-xbl:

I did it through Groupon but didn't work. Found another site that had it for $12. Worked great as I never used a Pro version of Windows before.

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jsprunk

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Edited By jsprunk

I just wish isometric and first-person game controls didn't suck so bad on consoles or I'd never own a PC again.

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silv3rst0rm

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I've been seeing this promo since like forever...

Talk about a "Limited" time offer!

xD

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abovan

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So, an important note to make on this listing is that this for Windows 11 PRO. Now, if all you ever, ever plan on doing on your computer is gaming, then Home is likely fine. But there are a few tangible benefits for using Pro over Home.

Bitlocker - drive encryption. Very low impact and if you worry about someone stealing your drives, this can provide a layer of protection so bad guys will not be able to steal your data. Good for laptops and people living with untrustworthy roommates.

Hyper-V - Run computers in your computer. I use it for my Linux boxes, where I do most of my non-gaming stuff. This way I don't have to worry about dual-booting, but your personal preference may vary. There are unsupported ways on getting Hyper-V on your PC with Home, but those hack jobs might be patched out at any moment.

Super-duper computer support. Home taps out at 128GB, Pro will let you have 2TB of memory. CPU Cores are limited to 64 core on Home, 128 on Pro. Pro also supports dual CPUs, but unless you are running some Xeon or Epyc chips, I wouldn't worry about this point. If you are running those, get back to work and remember to close out your tickets when you complete them. Both 64 cores and 128GB of ram is well above what you will need for any games for the foreseeable future.

Remote desktop in and Active Directory support. There's other ways to remote into your PC, but running the service to log into your PC over Remote Desktop is a Pro feature. AD stuff is usually a business to manage PCs across their enterprise. But if you have a homelab and you want to learn how a super popular directory and PC management system works, it may be worth it to have.

tl;dr: This is the 11 PRO Windows license, not home. While 90% of the users here are interested in mostly games, there's a few reasons to go Pro.

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deactivated-6726561e44eff

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Been using Linux Mint since version 17.3. NEVER going back to Windows!!

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YukoAsho

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@jecht187: I've been a dual-booter for a while now (with Windows really being only a games console while I do my everyday computing on Linux). While I'm more into rolling releases (currently using openSuse Tumbleweed), Mint is a pretty damn solid offering.

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lonewolf1044

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Edited By lonewolf1044

@jecht187: I remember back in the day having so many versions of Linux and being there was no standard I never installed them. But now I have 5 systems and maybe I can use Linux on one of my systems and seeing you use Mint is that good as I remember Red Hat. OSes do not excite me like Win95 first came out and pet peeve I have with Windows is I still can't find all the tools that used to be in the same place up until Windows 8 and it can be a drag and IMHO Windows makes one lazy unlike it was with (this is old but I enjoyed it) Windows 3.11 where I had fun tweaking it.

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Avatar image for deactivated-6726561e44eff
deactivated-6726561e44eff

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@lonewolf1044: Red Hat at the time i used it was more command line than GUI. Mint is much more intuitive and it has a software center with over 95000+ free apps and add-ons. Give it a try, you never know, it might surprise you :-)

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Avatar image for Destructionzz
Destructionzz

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@jecht187: I'm looking at buying a new setup in the near future and I was actually thinking "what if I went Linux this time". That leads me to the question, would it be difficult for a newbie to go Linux after like, 25 years as a Windows user? Depending on the answer which kind of Linux would be best for a newcomer.

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Avatar image for deactivated-6726561e44eff
deactivated-6726561e44eff

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@Destructionzz:

It can be a little difficult, but also easy depending on your troubleshooting skills.
I suggest Linux Mint as it is built from Ubuntu as it is a very popular linux distro, but Mint feels and looks more like Windows 7.
The packages are "*.deb", as Windows is "*.exe".

Please see below the steps:

1. follow the easy steps on the Linux Mint website:
https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

2. After you successfully install, read and follow the instruction in the welcome screen and updated Linux mint

3. Follow the steps below to install Wine (will need to copy/paste commands in your terminal (Linux version of DOS)):https://wiki.winehq.org/Ubuntu

4. After Wine has been installed, Install Steam from your "Software manager" in Linux Mint.

5. After Steam has been installed, go to settings -> Steamplay, place check in bot boxes and choose "Proton" or "Proton Experimental"

Extra: For Epic and GOG, you can install "Heroic games launcher" also from your "Software Manager" in Linux Mint

Gaming on a Linux computer can be a little challenging as you can see above, but the payout is great!!! no need to buy any OS, apps, no driver needed for controllers like the PS4, PS5, Switch, and more

Happy gaming!

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sippio

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Edited By sippio

I'm still missing the full control i had w/ XP.

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lonewolf1044

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Edited By lonewolf1044

@sippio: I liked XP and 7 but I hated Windows 8(which to me had e scratching my head at why did they screw this up) 8.1 was a little better and Win 10 was okay and then Windows 11 I was a little pissed off at the two requirements that costed me losing three systems in 2025 but luckily I have four other systems that could the upgrade and so far I have no problems with it. I believe the move was designed to help out the computer makers in some aspects force people to upgrade some just did upgrade but still could not upgrade to Win 11. Sorry to be long with my post :).

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Ives74

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Let microsoft farm all your data for the low price of $40. If you do this get a debloater. "thisiswin11" is a free one. Search that and you'll get pointed in the right direction. Also look into how to get into the os without needing a microsoft account. I can't say for sure if it gets around all their telemtry bs but at least it's something.

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YukoAsho

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@ives74: Thisiswin11 seems to be discontinued, with the author recommending people use BloatyNosy instead.

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S9Fx55Fe77LAM

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Edited By S9Fx55Fe77LAM

When I did my last computer build about six months ago. I purchased Windows 11 Pro from Amazon for a hefty price. The kit including a thumb drive was directly from Microsoft. I have received Windows upgrades and/or Windows installs in spite of changing out a lot of parts. I have a Windows 10 Pro that I will want to rebuild at some point which according to MS is not automatically upgradeable to Win 11 now. Regarding Windows 11 Pro, I don't understand some of the negative comments here about the OS. I have had NO issues since I started Windows 11 Pro, and while there is a difference in appearance. I've found it as easy to use as past Windows versions. I've had more problems with Windows "upgrades" on Windows 10, changing things around and/or creating problems with various settings.

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illegal_peanut

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I'll get windows 11 when it stops sucking.

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bcmatt

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Is there a way to tell if this is legitimate and verified/legal Windows licenses?

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jenovaschilld

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@bcmatt: Hmm... well if you goto settings, update security, activation. You should then see your edition/activation saying windows is activated, etc along with your product key. For all rights and purposes - it is a legit and active product. Legal.

There is no way to tell what your buying until you get it and activate it, and hopefully have a way to get a refund. Most of these secondary sellers are legit, and offer a good product. Some are indeed scams, I personally have not seen one yet, but have heard some stuff on reddit.

The only difference in these products is region locking. One sold here or there, and another sold elsewhere, like Germany, etc. It would have to take some kind of massive corporate law change to suddenly ban these legit windows keys, and most would be notified in advanced.

It would have to be upto you whether you decide to or not to. But for just a gaming pc, it's cost will not be that important. After all most gaming pcs are very expensive toys, that are for entertainment, not a necessity or shared with a work computer. fyi I paid like $24 for my windows 10/11 pro key.

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