What To Do If You Don’t See The Upgrade To Windows 10 App

If you’re anxiously waiting for Windows 10 (release date set for July 29, 2015) then it’s likely you try to keep up with the latest news about the new OS. Today, the internet is buzzing with news of a new app called Upgrade to Windows 10 that has ‘magically’ appeared to help them reserve a copy of the new OS when it becomes available. That said, some of you might not be seeing this new app. If that’s the case, here are a few things you can try.

This post has been updated with a new solution from Microsoft should the three listed, fail to work.

Basic Checklist

You must be running a genuine copy of Windows (7 or 8.1)

Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise, or Windows RT/RT 8.1 users will not be given the chance to reserve a copy of Windows 10

You must have, at the least Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 installed

Check For Updates

If you’ve set Windows to not check for updates, even important ones, it may be one of the reasons you aren’t seeing the Upgrade to Windows 10  app. It appeared on users’ systems as part of an update, update KB3035583. If you’ve turned updates off or prevented Windows from automatically installing them, the app will fail to appear. Go to Control Panel>System and security>Windows Update and check to see if updates are enabled or not. If already enabled, click ‘View Update History’ and see if KB3035583 is listed or not. If not, force Windows to check for updates again and allow it install any new ones that are available.

Pending System Restart

If the update is duly listed like in the screenshot above, but you still cannot see the app icon in the system tray, try restarting your system. Some updates require a system restart and if you’ve put it off too long, it may be why the app isn’t showing up.

Check If GWX.Exe Is Running

Open Task Manager and in the Processes tab, look for a process called GWX.exe which should be running. If it isn’t, go to C:\Windows\System32\GWX and run the GWX.exe file.

What Microsoft Suggests

If all else fails try this, open Notepad and paste the following;

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Appraiser" /v UtcOnetimeSend /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

schtasks /run /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\MicrosoftCompatibility Appraiser"

:CompatCheckRunning

schtasks /query /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser" | findstr Ready >nul

if NOT "%errorlevel%" == "0" ping localhost >nul &goto :CompatCheckRunning

schtasks /run /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Setup\gwx\refreshgwxconfig"

Save this file with the name Windows10Upgrade.cmd. You can name the  file anything but the extension should be CMD. Next, run this file as an administrator. It may take some time, up to ten minutes before you see the app

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