Can I upgrade my windows 8.1 to windows 10 for free?

Check hardware compatibility
Your HP Pavilion with an AMD A6-1450 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD meets the requirements for Windows 10. It should run fine, though performance may be moderate.

Back up your data
Before upgrading, make sure to back up important files. You can use an external hard drive, a USB flash drive, or a cloud service like OneDrive or Google Drive.

Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool
Go to the official Microsoft website and search for “Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.” Download the tool from Microsoft’s site by selecting “Download tool now.”

Run the Media Creation Tool

Open the downloaded file (MediaCreationToolxxxx.exe).

Accept the license terms.

Choose “Upgrade this PC now” and click Next.

The tool will download Windows 10 and start the upgrade process.

When asked, choose “Keep personal files and apps” if you want to retain your files and programs.

Activation
If your Windows 8.1 installation is genuine and activated, Windows 10 should automatically activate after the upgrade. You normally won’t need a new product key.

After installation
Once Windows 10 is installed:

Open Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update and install all available updates.

Update your device drivers using HP Support Assistant or from HP’s official support page.

Check your software and reinstall or update anything that doesn’t work properly.

Optional: Clean installation
If you prefer a completely fresh setup, use the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB drive, then boot your laptop from it and choose “Custom installation.” This will erase all files on your drive, so make sure everything important is backed up first.