Buying Windows keys directly from Microsoft is expensive, but more importantly, it's not an option for older operating systems such as Windows 8.1 or Windows 7. This is where platforms like G2A and Kinguin, which allow you to purchase legitimate, working keys for a fraction of the original price.
If G2A and Kinguin are mainly aimed at players wishing to legally acquire a game without paying the full price of Steam, these platforms fortunately have nothing against other software products, such as Microsoft's Windows operating systems. Windows 8.1 Home is available for ~$19 on Kinguin, while for Windows 7 Home Premium a price of only $11 is specified. This may sound too good to be true, but it actually makes perfect sense, given that Windows 7 hasn't received an update since 2020 (unless you're a business that pays hundreds of dollars to Microsoft for extended support) and that Windows 8.1 has few fans.
Many of these keys likely come from old PCs that are too noisy and too slow for most people to use in late 2024 and early 2025. These PCs are being purchased in bulk – most likely from large organizations – for extract the keys and possibly recover certain components.
Although both websites also sell Windows 10 and Windows 11 keys, including keys for Windows 10 updates after 2025, it's much more difficult to determine where they come from. For all we know, they may have been purchased directly from Microsoft at full price using stolen credit card data.
Unlike many websites, Kinguin doesn't require you to create an account, which is a good thing. Simply enter your email address to checkout.
It is at this moment that the customer, all smiles, has a little surprise. On the payment page it says ~90 lei ($19) instead of 52 lei ($11). Apparently, Kinguin's service fee is not included in the price initially displayed on the product page.
Oooooops.
Once the customer pays, they receive an email with a link. By clicking on the link, a page opens with a key. Just click on “Claim”.
Windows 7 activation servers no longer seem to work as before. This means that by typing the 25 digits we received from Kinguin and pressing Activate, an error message appears on the screen.
It's time to pick up your phone and call Microsoft at one of the numbers listed on the screen. (Calling the number +442031474930 UK worked like a charm. Expect to spend at least 5 minutes patiently reading 72 digits out loud to the Microsoft robot, one by one. You will then get a text containing 48 digits. Type them into the corresponding form on the screen, and you will finally have an activated Windows 7.
Translator: Ninh Ngoc Duy – Editorial Assistant – 471132 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2008
