how to free Upgrade Windows 8.1 To Windows 8

In a blog post on the official Windows blog, Microsoft today confirmed that Windows 8.1 will be the final name of codenamed Windows Blue update. The blog post also confirmed that Windows 8.1 will be available as a free update to existing Windows 8 and Windows RT users.

According to the official blog, Windows 8.1 public preview will be officially released on June 26th, the first day of Microsoft’s BUILD developer conference in San Francisco.

The blog also notes that the update will be available through Windows 8 Store, which means that you need to have installed Windows 8 or Windows RT to install the preview build. That is, if you have plans to test drive the Windows 8.1 public preview on your PC, you will need to install Windows 8 first and then use the Store to update your Windows 8 installation to Windows 8.1.

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The final build of Windows 8.1 is expected by the end of this year. 

Even though Microsoft has yet to officially announce the features and improvements in Windows 8.1, the pre-release builds that leaked onto the web over the last couple of weeks indicate that Windows 8.1 won’t be just an update to improve performance and fix issues.

The update will include numerous new features and performance improvements and also a bunch of new apps. Microsoft is expected to bring back the Start button in the final release of Windows 8.1 update, as Microsoft has previously said that this update will be largely based on user feedback.

If you can’t wait for the public preview build of Windows 8.1 to know what’s new in Windows 8.1, let us tell you this update will add loads of customization options (for Start screen and lock screen), an easy way to shutdown your PC, better way to manage your SkyDrive account, more options in PC settings (Modern Control Panel), a modern file manager to browse your files and folders without having to open the legacy File Explorer (Windows Explorer), new apps such as Alarm Clock, Sound Recorder, & Calculator, and also Internet Explorer 11 browser.

We suggest you avoid installing leaked Windows 8.1 builds and wait for the official preview build instead. Go through our new features in Windows 8.1 article to know what’s new in leaked Windows 8.1 builds.

Microsoft: Windows Blue Coming in 2013 With Small-Screen Support

Windows Blue is real, and it's coming before the end of the year. Windows marketing chief Tami Reller confirmed to Mashable that the next major update to Windows 8 is codenamed "Blue" and that it would ship by the 2013 holiday season.

"Blue" is actually an internal Microsoft codename for the update, and the final product will have a different name, although Reller didn't say what it would be. With Blue, Reller said, Microsoft has three main pillars:

• Evolving Windows 8 for touch
• Addressing customer feedback
• Supporting new form factors, specifically 7- and 8-inch screen sizes

That last point is probably the most significant, since up till now manufacturers faced big technical hurdles in creating small-screen Windows 8 devices. It also means Windows tablets — such as the rumored Acer Iconia W3 — will soon be able compete directly with products such as the Kindle Fire HD and iPad mini.

SEE ALSO: The Problem With Windows 8

"What we did in Windows 8 was really to lay the foundation for taking advantage of mobile computing broadly, whether it was tablets or increasingly mobile PCs," Reller told Mashable in an interview at Microsoft's New York offices. "All of Blue is about continuing that vision."

Besides smaller screen sizes, Windows Blue will support Intel's upcoming Core (Haswell) and Atom (Bay Trail) processors as well as new ARM-based chips from Qualcomm (Snapdragon 800) and Nvidia (Tegra 4).Reller didn't elaborate on which specific features of Blue were in response to customer feedback, including the reported "boot to desktop" mode and possible return of the start button, but she did say Microsoft would be offering details in the coming weeks before the company's BUILD developer conference.

Windows Blue would be an update, not an upgrade, Reller said, although she didn't confirm if that meant it would be free for existing Windows 8 users.

What do you want to see in the final build of Windows Blue? Share your thoughts in the comments.