There are several editions of Windows 10. The two most common ones are Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro. The vast majority of the current laptop models are powered by Windows 10 Home since it costs cheaper than Windows 10 Pro. At a glance, hardly any difference between Windows 10 Home and Pro, but they are — the differences — actually exist.
One of the Windows 10 Pro features that are not available on Windows 10 Home is BitLocker, which can be used to encrypt files and folders. Windows 10 Pro also comes with support for Azure Active Directory, allowing employees to use a single login across Windows 10, Office 365 and other Microsoft services. You can visit this page to see all of the differences between Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro.
Unless you are a developer who needs a specific feature on Windows 10 Pro, the features available on Windows 10 Home are basically already more than enough. But if you want to upgrade your Windows 10 Home to Pro, here is how.
How to upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro
First off, make sure to check the Windows 10 edition currently active on your computer. You can read this post to do so.
There are two ways to upgrade your Windows 10 Home to Pro: using a digital license and using a product key.
Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro using a digital key
Open the Windows Settings window by clicking the gear icon on the start menu.
On the Windows Settings window, click Update & Security and select the Activation option on the left panel.
If you have a digital license for Windows 10 Pro, and Windows 10 Home is currently activated on your computer, you will see one of two following messages when you select Go to Microsoft Store:
- If you see Install, select the button to install Windows 10 Pro.
- If you see Buy, you may need to purchase a Windows 10 Pro license. Or, try to sign in to Microsoft Store with the Microsoft account that was used to purchase the Pro license. Then, follow the instructions to install Windows 10.
Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro using a product key
A Windows 10 product key is a 25-character code that you can use to activate your Windows 10. You will have a Windows 10 Pro product key if you buy one from the Microsoft Store. To use it to upgrade your Windows 10 Home, open the Windows Settings window by clicking the gear icon on the start menu.
Once the Windows Settings window opens, click Update & Security and select the Activation option on the left panel.
Click Change product key.
A pop-up will appear, asking you to enter your product key. Enter your Windows 10 Pro product key and click the Next button.
You might need to restart your computer to apply the new change. Once done, don’t forget to check the Windows 10 edition currently active on your computer.