Windows 11 Editions Explained: Home vs Pro, Education, Enterprise, S Mode

Windows 11 comes in two editions that matter to most people: Home, which covers everyday use, and Pro, which adds BitLocker management, Group Policy, Remote Desktop hosting, Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox and joining a work domain. Education and Enterprise come only through schools and businesses, Pro for Workstations is for high-end hardware, and S mode is a locked-down mode of Home or Pro, not a separate edition. To check yours, open Settings > System > About and read the Edition line. If you have Home and need Pro, upgrade from Settings > System > Activation for $99.99 without reinstalling. Windows 10 uses the same edition names, but it reached end of support in October 2025.

Ethan bought a new laptop for his freelance design work and nearly paid an extra $100 at the checkout for Windows 11 Pro "because Pro sounds safer". He called Jake from the store. Jake asked three questions: did Ethan need to log in to his laptop remotely, join a company network, or run virtual machines? No to all three. "Then Home is fine," Jake said. "It encrypts your drive, it has Defender and Windows Hello, and if you ever need Pro, you can upgrade in five minutes from Settings." Ethan kept the $100 for a better mouse. This page is the conversation Jake had with him, laid out for every edition and every question.

Prices on this page are the Microsoft Store's U.S. prices for new licenses; laptops come with an edition already paid for, and the price is part of what you pay for the PC.

Every Windows 11 edition at a glance

On top of these, Home, Pro and Education can run in S mode, and Europe gets N versions without built-in media apps. Neither is a separate product with its own features; they are variations of the editions above, covered in their own sections below.

For a person buying a PC in a store or online, the real choice is only ever between Home and Pro. Everything else arrives through a school, an employer or a specialist device maker, already decided.

How long each edition gets updates

Each yearly Windows 11 version is supported for a set period, and the period depends on the edition. Home and Pro versions get 24 months of updates; Enterprise and Education versions get 36 months. That is why businesses can stay on one version longer, while home PCs move to the newest version every year or two. Windows Update installs the new version automatically on Home and Pro as the old one nears its end, so most home users never need to think about it.

Security updates arrive monthly for every supported edition, on the same Patch Tuesday. The edition only changes how long a given version keeps receiving them.

Windows 11 Home: what you get

Home is the full Windows 11 experience, not a cut-down trial. It runs every app and game that Pro runs, gets the same feature updates on the same day, and has the same security foundations. Here is what Home includes that people often assume needs Pro:

• Device encryption, which encrypts the drive on most modern laptops automatically when you sign in with a Microsoft account. Our guide to device encryption on Home versus BitLocker explains the difference.
• Microsoft Defender Antivirus, the firewall, SmartScreen and Smart App Control.
• Windows Hello face and fingerprint sign-in, and passkeys.
• Microsoft Family Safety for children's accounts.
• Find my device and remote lock through your Microsoft account.
• Gaming features such as DirectX 12 Ultimate, Auto HDR, DirectStorage and the Xbox app.
• Remote Desktop client, so you can connect to other PCs, just not be connected to.
• Windows Subsystem for Linux and the Windows Subsystem features developers use daily.

Home has two practical limits worth knowing. Setup requires a Microsoft account and an internet connection on most new PCs, and updates are managed by you rather than by policy: you can pause them for up to five weeks, but not set rules. For a personal laptop, neither is a problem.

Home also supports up to 128 GB of RAM and one processor socket, which is far beyond any consumer laptop or gaming desktop sold today. If you are not building a workstation, the hardware limits never come into play.

Pro features you can get on Home another way

• Virtual machines: free tools such as VirtualBox or VMware Workstation run on Home in place of Hyper-V.
• Remote access: Quick Assist, built into Windows, or third-party remote tools let you reach a Home PC.
• Encryption: device encryption covers the system drive on supported hardware; for USB drives, encrypted archives or third-party tools stand in for BitLocker To Go.
• Update control: pausing for up to five weeks and setting active hours handle most needs.
• Restrictions: standard accounts and Family Safety replace many Group Policy uses at home.

These are not identical to the Pro features, and Hyper-V in particular matters for some developer tools, but they cover what most home users reach for when they wonder whether they need Pro.

Windows 11 Pro: what it adds

Pro contains everything in Home plus a set of tools mainly aimed at businesses and people who manage their own PCs closely:

• BitLocker Drive Encryption with full controls, including encrypting external drives with BitLocker To Go and choosing how recovery keys are stored.
• Remote Desktop host, so you can sign in to this PC from another device. Our page on Remote Desktop and the Pro-only rule covers why Home PCs cannot accept connections.
• Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) for detailed settings and restrictions.
• Hyper-V, Microsoft's built-in virtual machine platform.
• Windows Sandbox, a disposable desktop for testing unknown programs.
• Domain join and Microsoft Entra ID join, for company networks and cloud management.
• Microsoft Intune and mobile device management support.
• Windows Update for Business policies to delay and schedule updates.
• Assigned access (kiosk mode) for single-app devices.
• Up to 2 TB of RAM and two processor sockets.

If none of those words describe something you need, Pro adds nothing you will notice. If even one of them is essential, such as Remote Desktop for working from home on an office PC, Pro is worth every cent.

Pro is also the edition most businesses standardize on, because it can be managed centrally and stepped up to Enterprise through a subscription without reinstalling.

Pro in a small business

For a small office, Pro is the sensible baseline for three practical reasons. First, every PC can be encrypted with BitLocker and its recovery keys stored centrally, so a stolen laptop does not become a data breach. Second, PCs can be joined to Microsoft Entra ID and managed with Intune, so settings, apps and updates are applied once instead of desk by desk. Third, Windows Update for Business lets you delay feature updates until you have checked that your business software works with them.

A one-person business working from a single laptop rarely needs any of that, which is why Ethan stayed on Home. Once a second or third employee joins, the case for Pro grows quickly.

Home vs Pro: feature comparison

Performance is identical. Pro is not faster for games or apps, does not come with less bloat, and does not get updates sooner. The differences are entirely in management, encryption controls and the business features listed.

Do you need Pro? A quick decision guide

1. Do you need to connect to this PC from elsewhere with Remote Desktop? If yes, get Pro. Third-party remote tools also work on Home, so this is only decisive if you specifically need Microsoft's Remote Desktop.
2. Will an employer or school manage this PC? If it must join a domain or Entra ID, get Pro, or let the organization supply the license.
3. Do you run virtual machines? Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox need Pro, though free tools such as VirtualBox run on Home.
4. Do you need to encrypt USB drives or control recovery keys? BitLocker To Go and full BitLocker controls need Pro.
5. Do you manage several PCs with consistent rules? Group Policy and Windows Update for Business make Pro the sensible base.
6. None of the above? Choose Home and keep the difference.

If you are unsure, start with Home. Upgrading later costs the same as buying Pro now minus the price you have already paid, takes minutes, and keeps all your files and apps, while going from Pro back to Home requires a reinstall.

A useful test: list the three things you most want the PC to do. If none of them appears in the Pro feature list, Home is the right choice, and the money is better spent on an SSD upgrade, extra memory or a longer warranty, which you will notice every day.

Pro for Workstations

Pro for Workstations is Pro tuned for machines with server-class hardware, such as Intel Xeon or AMD Threadripper Pro processors with very large amounts of memory. It supports up to four processor sockets and up to 6 TB of RAM, adds the ReFS file system for data resilience, SMB Direct for very fast network file transfers on supported network cards, and support for persistent memory. It also offers the Ultimate Performance power plan by default.

Workstation PCs from Dell, HP, Lenovo and others ship with it when the hardware calls for it. On an ordinary laptop or gaming desktop, none of its extras help, so there is no reason to buy it.

Copilot+ PCs and AI features by edition

Copilot+ PCs, with a neural processor capable of at least 40 trillion operations per second, unlock features such as Recall, Click to Do, live captions translation and improved Windows Studio Effects. These features depend on the hardware, not the edition: a Copilot+ laptop running Home gets them just as one running Pro does. Organizations running Enterprise or Pro under management can turn some of them off through policy, which is another area where managed editions give IT more control, not more features.

If you are choosing between two laptops, the processor matters far more for AI features than whether the sticker says Home or Pro.

Editions on Arm PCs

Laptops with Snapdragon and other Arm processors run the same Windows 11 Home and Pro editions as Intel and AMD PCs, with the same features and prices. Most everyday apps run natively or through Windows' built-in emulation. The edition question is the same on Arm: Home unless you need one of Pro's specific features, keeping in mind that some virtual machine and developer tools have their own Arm limits regardless of edition.

Upgrading an Arm laptop from Home to Pro works exactly as on any other PC, from Settings > System > Activation, with the same $99.99 price.

Education and Pro Education

Schools get two editions. Pro Education is Pro with education-friendly defaults, such as fewer consumer suggestions and settings suited to classroom management. Education matches Enterprise in features, adding advanced security and management for school IT departments. Both are licensed through academic programs, not sold in stores.

Students sometimes receive Education through their school for personal laptops. It is a full, legitimate edition, but the license depends on the school's agreement; when you leave, check the school's terms, because some licenses end with your enrollment. A student who later wants a personal license can buy Home or Pro and reinstall.

Enterprise, E3 and E5

Enterprise is for organizations with central IT. It is not sold as a standalone retail product; businesses license it per user or per device through volume licensing or as part of Microsoft 365 E3 and E5. A PC with a Pro license steps up to Enterprise automatically when a user with an Enterprise subscription signs in with their work account, with no reinstall.

Enterprise adds advanced security features such as Credential Guard enabled by default on supported hardware, centrally managed App Control for Business, and, with E5, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. It also includes Windows Autopatch for automated update management and the right to use the Long-Term Servicing Channel. For a home user these are irrelevant; for a company of fifty or more, they are often the reason to pay.

Small businesses sometimes ask whether they should buy Enterprise for better security. For most small offices, Pro with Microsoft Defender, BitLocker and a cloud management tool gives most of the practical protection, and Enterprise becomes worth considering only when there is a dedicated IT team to use its extra controls.

LTSC and IoT Enterprise: Windows that stays still

The Long-Term Servicing Channel editions get security updates for years without new features. Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 is supported until October 2029, and Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024, sold through device makers, until October 2034. They leave out the Microsoft Store, most built-in consumer apps and feature changes, which is exactly what a hospital scanner, factory controller or ATM needs: the same Windows, patched, for the life of the machine.

Tech enthusiasts sometimes seek LTSC for a lean home PC. It is not licensed for general use, it misses new features and some apps expect the Store, and getting it legitimately requires volume licensing. Home or Pro with unwanted apps removed is the practical route for a quiet personal PC.

S mode explained

S mode is a setting that restricts Windows to apps from the Microsoft Store and keeps Microsoft Edge as the default browser. It runs on Home, Pro and Education, and many inexpensive laptops ship with it switched on. Its benefits are real: no desktop installers, so far less malware, and a PC that behaves the same on day five hundred as on day one. Its limit is equally real: if an app you need is not in the Store, you cannot run it.

Switching out is free. Open Settings > System > Activation, find Switch out of S mode, and follow the link to the Microsoft Store page, then select Get. It takes under a minute and does not affect files or apps. The catch: it is one-way. You cannot switch back into S mode without a reinstall from the PC maker's recovery image. If the person using the PC only browses, emails and uses Office, leave S mode on.

Windows 11 Home in S mode switches to plain Home, and Pro in S mode to plain Pro, so switching out does not change which features you have, only where apps can come from.

Schools often use S mode on student laptops for the same reason families do: a predictable PC that cannot gather unwanted software over a school year.

Windows 11 SE: the end of the school edition

Windows 11 SE was a cloud-first edition for low-cost school laptops, launched in 2021 to compete with Chromebooks. It ran only IT-approved apps and was managed by schools through Intune for Education. Version 24H2 was its final feature update, and support ends on October 13, 2026. After that, SE devices keep working but receive no security fixes.

Schools should move SE laptops to Windows 11 Education or Pro Education where the hardware supports it, or replace them. If you bought a used laptop with SE on it, plan to install a supported edition; using an unpatched operating system online is not safe.

Parents who received an SE laptop from a school program should ask the school what happens after October 2026; many programs are swapping devices or reinstalling a supported edition for free.

N editions and Media Feature Pack

In the European Economic Area, Microsoft sells N versions, such as Windows 11 Home N and Pro N, following a 2004 competition ruling. They are identical except that Windows Media Player and related media technologies are left out. Some apps and websites that rely on those components, such as certain video editors or web conferencing tools, may not work properly until you install the free Media Feature Pack from Settings > System > Optional features > View features.

Unless you have a specific reason, choose the regular edition. A historical KN version for South Korea existed for similar reasons and is no longer offered separately.

How to check which edition you have

1. Open Settings with Windows + I.
2. Go to System > About.
3. Under Windows specifications, read Edition, for example Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro.
4. Note the Version line too, such as 25H2, which tells you which feature update you have.

Other quick ways: press Windows + R, type winver and press Enter for a small window showing the edition and version; or run systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" in Command Prompt. Our guide to finding your Windows version and build covers more methods.

One trap for script users: some PowerShell commands and registry values still report Windows 10 on Windows 11 PCs, because Microsoft kept the old product name in the registry for compatibility. Use (Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).Caption in PowerShell, which reports the correct name, or trust Settings.

Check that your edition is activated

Knowing the edition is half the story; it also needs to be activated. Open Settings > System > Activation and look at Activation state. "Active" with "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account" is the best result. "Not active" with an error code means something went wrong, often a hardware change or a key for a different edition. A "Not active" PC still works, but shows a watermark, limits personalization and keeps reminding you to activate.

If your edition line says Pro but activation shows a Home key, the edition was switched without a valid Pro license, usually with the generic key described below. Buying the Pro upgrade from the same page fixes it.

Upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro

1. Back up important files; the upgrade keeps them, but backups are a good habit before any change.
2. Open Settings > System > Activation.
3. Expand Upgrade your edition of Windows.
4. To buy, select Open Store next to Upgrade in the Microsoft app and buy the Pro upgrade for $99.99.
5. If you already have a Pro product key, select Change next to Change product key and enter it.
6. Let Windows apply the upgrade; it restarts once or twice and keeps your files, apps and settings.
7. Check Settings > System > About to confirm the edition now reads Windows 11 Pro.

The upgrade becomes a digital license tied to your PC's hardware. Linking it to your Microsoft account makes reactivation easier after a hardware change; our guide to linking your Windows license to a Microsoft account shows how.

If you see an activation error after entering a key, our list of activation error codes and fixes explains each code. The most common cause is a key for a different edition or a key already used on another PC.

Retail, OEM and volume licenses

The edition is one part of a Windows license; the license type is another. OEM licenses come with a new PC and are tied to that PC for life. Retail licenses, bought from Microsoft or a store, can be moved to a new PC when you retire the old one. Volume licenses belong to organizations and are activated through their systems. A digital license from upgrading Home to Pro inside Windows is tied to the PC's hardware, much like OEM.

This matters when you build or replace a PC. A retail Pro license can follow you; the Pro that came with a laptop cannot. Before buying a new license for a self-built PC, check whether your old license was retail, because you may already own what you need.

Moving your edition to a new PC or after a repair

After a motherboard replacement, Windows may report it is not activated. Sign in with the Microsoft account linked to the license, open Settings > System > Activation, select Troubleshoot, and choose I changed hardware on this device recently. Pick your PC from the list to reactivate. This works best when the license was linked to your account before the change, so link it now if you have not.

For a retail license on a brand-new PC, install Windows, then enter the retail key under Change product key. Deactivate or wipe the old PC first; a retail license is valid on one PC at a time.

What happens to your edition when you reset

Resetting Windows from Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC keeps your edition. A Pro PC comes back as Pro, activated with the same digital license, whether you choose to keep your files or remove everything. The same is true of a clean install from Microsoft's installation media, as long as you choose the same edition; activation happens automatically once the PC is online.

The exception is a PC that came with S mode: a reset from the PC maker's recovery image may bring S mode back, while a reset from within Windows keeps whatever mode you were in. If your laptop suddenly shows S mode again after a factory restore, switch out of it again the same way.

Buying a used or refurbished PC: edition checks

1. Open Settings > System > About and note the edition and version.
2. Open Settings > System > Activation and confirm it says Active.
3. Check it is not Windows 11 SE, which loses support on October 13, 2026.
4. Check whether it is in S mode, and decide if that suits you.
5. If it shows Enterprise or Education, ask where the license came from; those are tied to an organization and may stop working.
6. Reset the PC yourself before using it, so you start from a clean install of the edition it is licensed for.

Reputable refurbishers install Home or Pro with a proper license. A used laptop showing Enterprise from a company that no longer exists is a warning sign, not a bonus.

Also ask the seller for the original box or invoice if the PC came with a retail license, because that proof helps if activation ever needs support from Microsoft.

The generic Pro key and cheap keys

Microsoft publishes generic installation keys that switch a PC to a given edition without activating it. The generic key for Pro, VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T, is often used by technicians to move a PC from Home to Pro before entering a real key, or by people whose PC already has a Pro digital license from earlier. Without a valid license, the PC shows as not activated, with a watermark and limited personalization.

Websites selling Pro keys for a few dollars usually sell volume or OEM keys that were never meant for resale. Some work for months and then stop, some are blocked immediately, and buying them supports a gray market. The $99.99 upgrade from Microsoft, or a key from a reputable retailer, is the safe route; anything at a tenth of the price deserves suspicion.

Product keys printed on stickers stopped appearing on PCs years ago. Modern PCs store their key in the firmware, and Windows reads it automatically during installation, which is why reinstalling the same edition usually activates without any key at all.

Going from Pro to Home

There is no direct downgrade. If you have Pro and want Home, for example after receiving a work laptop as a personal machine, you need a Home license and a clean install. Download Windows installation media, install Windows, and enter or activate a Home license. A Home key cannot activate Pro, and Pro cannot become Home by changing the key.

Most people with Pro have no reason to switch. Pro does everything Home does, and the extra features stay out of the way unless used.

If you do reinstall, back up first, then choose the Home edition when the installer offers a choice, or let it detect the Home key stored in your PC's firmware on laptops that originally shipped with Home.

Editions vs versions vs builds

Three words cause most confusion. The edition is the product tier: Home, Pro and so on. The version is the yearly feature update, such as 24H2 or 25H2, named for the half-year it was released. The build is the precise number, such as 26100 or 26200, which changes with monthly updates after a period.

All editions of the same version share the same build. A Home PC and a Pro PC on 25H2 get the same features and security fixes on the same Patch Tuesday; only edition-specific features differ. When support pages say a fix needs a certain version, check the version line, not the edition.

Microsoft names each version by the year and half: 24H2 arrived in the second half of 2024, and 25H2 in the second half of 2025. Some versions ship only on new hardware, such as releases built for new Arm processors, and existing PCs simply skip them. Whatever the version, your edition stays the same through every update; Windows Update never turns Home into Pro or the reverse.

Windows 10 editions and end of support

Windows 10 used the same family of names: Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations, Education, Pro Education, Enterprise and Enterprise LTSC, with S mode and N versions too. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and version 22H2 was its final release. Home and Pro PCs can still get security updates through the consumer Extended Security Updates program, which Microsoft extended to October 12, 2027; our page on the Windows 10 ESU extension covers enrollment. Businesses buy ESU separately for up to three years.

Your Windows 10 edition carries over when you upgrade: Windows 10 Home becomes Windows 11 Home and Windows 10 Pro becomes Windows 11 Pro, free, if the PC meets the requirements. If it does not, our guide to the Windows 11 requirement checks explains each one.

Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 has its own longer support, into 2027, and IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 into 2032, because those editions were designed for special-purpose devices.

Windows 10 Home to Windows 11 Pro

If you are moving from Windows 10 Home and want Pro at the same time, do it in two steps. Upgrade to Windows 11 Home first, which is free on supported hardware, then buy the Pro upgrade from Settings > System > Activation. Doing it in that order means your free Windows 11 license is in place before you pay for anything, and each step can be checked before the next. A Windows 10 Pro key also activates Windows 11 Pro, because the two share licensing.

Check the Windows 11 Home result in Settings > System > About before buying, so you know the free step worked.

The 2015 lineup this page first described

When this page was first written in 2015, Windows 10 launched with seven editions: Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education for PCs, Windows 10 Mobile and Mobile Enterprise for phones and small tablets, and IoT Core for small devices. Microsoft's plan was one Windows across every screen.

The phone editions did not last. Windows 10 Mobile lost support at the end of 2019, and Microsoft left the phone market. IoT Core faded in favor of IoT Enterprise. Windows 10 S arrived in 2017 as a separate edition and was turned into S mode a year later. Pro for Workstations was added in 2017. What remains is simpler than in 2015: for most people, Home or Pro, and everything else is chosen for them by an organization.

Reading the original 2015 version of this page today is a reminder of how quickly plans change: half the editions it described no longer exist, while the two most people chose then, Home and Pro, are still the two most people choose now.

Buying a PC: which edition to look for

• Home users, students and gamers: Home. Spend the difference on more storage or memory.
• Freelancers: Home unless you need Remote Desktop host, BitLocker To Go or Hyper-V.
• Small business PCs: Pro, so they can be managed together and encrypted with policies.
• Employees getting a company PC: whatever IT supplies, usually Pro stepping up to Enterprise.
• Developers: Pro if you use Hyper-V, Sandbox or Docker with Hyper-V; Home works for WSL-based setups.
• A relative who only browses: Home, possibly in S mode.

Business laptop lines often include Pro, while consumer lines usually include Home. Compare the full price: a laptop with Pro preinstalled may cost less than the same laptop with Home plus the $99.99 upgrade.

Gaming laptops and handheld gaming PCs almost always ship with Home, and that is the right choice for them; nothing in Pro improves gaming. Workstation-class desktops for video, 3D or engineering work are the main consumer-adjacent machines where Pro or Pro for Workstations is the norm.

Common myths about Windows editions

• "Pro is faster." It is not; performance is the same.
• "Home is not secure." Home has Defender, device encryption, Smart App Control and Windows Hello.
• "Pro has no ads or suggestions." Both show similar suggestions; Pro can turn more off with policies.
• "Pro gets updates first." Both get the same updates; Pro can delay them with policies.
• "You need Pro for gaming." Home has every gaming feature.
• "Upgrading to Pro means reinstalling." It does not; files and apps stay.

Most of these myths come from older versions of Windows, when editions differed more, or from forum advice repeated long after it stopped being true. Judge editions by the feature list, not the name.

Edition choice in one minute

• Personal laptop or desktop: Home.
• Need to reach this PC with Remote Desktop: Pro.
• Company or school will manage it: Pro, or what they supply.
• Virtual machines with Hyper-V or Sandbox: Pro.
• Encrypted USB drives with BitLocker To Go: Pro.
• Server-class workstation: Pro for Workstations.
• Kiosk, medical or factory device: LTSC or IoT Enterprise, through the device maker.
• Relative who only browses and emails: Home in S mode.

If your situation is not on this list, it almost certainly falls under the first line. When in doubt, start with Home and upgrade later; the upgrade is quick, keeps everything, and costs no more than buying Pro up front would have.

Windows editions: frequently asked questions

Ethan's laptop has been running Windows 11 Home for months now. His drive is encrypted, his files sync to OneDrive, and the only time Pro came up again was when a client asked him to connect to their office network. Jake's answer was the same as at the store: if that becomes a regular need, it is a five-minute upgrade. Choosing a Windows edition is not about getting the "best" one. It is about matching the edition to the few features that actually change how you use your PC.

Revision note. Written October 2, 2026, rewriting our 2015 Windows 10 editions overview into a complete guide to every Windows 11 and 10 edition. May you pay only for the features you use.