How to Upgrade Windows Phone to Windows 10 Mobile

Microsoft rolled out Windows 10 Mobile earlier today and Windows Phone users are finally able to install the new operating system on their devices, but before anything, they need to follow a few steps in order to get the upgrade.



Basically, it all comes down to the UpgradeAdvisor app that’s supposed to help you determine whether a specific Windows Phone device is ready for Windows 10 Mobile or not. This app is very similar to “Get Windows 10” on PC and has the sole purpose of checking for eligibility status and enabling the upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile.


Step 1: Download the UpgradeAdvisor app
The first step is obviously to download the UpgradeAdvisor app from the store on your Windows Phone device. Install and launch the app, let it scan your device and check for available updates. As the store description clearly states, this app can only be downloaded from the store on Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile.

Microsoft says that a Wi-Fi connection is absolutely needed, otherwise you’ll have to wait a lot, pretty much because Windows 10 Mobile is a large file. Once it completes the scan and determines that Windows 10 Mobile is available (if it’s not, then there’s no other option than to wait until it’s released for your device too - here you can see all supported Windows Phone models at this point), tap the option that says enable Windows 10 upgrade, click next, and when you see the “Ready to upgrade” message you’re all set.


Step 2: Download and install Windows 10 Mobile
Once you’re done with step 1, the only thing you have to do next is to start the download and install of Windows 10 Mobile. Go over to the phone update section in Windows Phone and initiate the process.

Keep in mind that it takes a while because Windows 10 Mobile has nearly 1.5 GB in size and that’s why a Wi-Fi connection is absolutely needed.
“To install the upgrade on a supported device, make sure you are running the Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1 QFE8 or later. Windows 10 is a large file - about 1.4 GB (in some instances, download size may be larger). A Wi-Fi internet connection is required to download and install the upgrade; Internet access fees may apply. In most cases, the upgrade will use some device storage space; you may need to remove unneeded files from your device to complete the upgrade,” Microsoft explains.
Once the process comes to an end, it’ll ask for you to reboot the phone. Simply click the “restart” button and let it do your magic. It’ll take somewhere around 40 minutes to complete, but then you’ll be running Windows 10 Mobile.