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List of Windows 10 editions From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Windows 10 has several editions, all with varying feature sets, use cases, or intended devices. Certain editions are distributed only on devices directly from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), while editions such as Enterprise and Education are only available through volume licensing channels. Microsoft also makes editions of Windows 10 available to device manufacturers for use on specific classes of devices, including IoT devices, and previously marketed Windows 10 Mobile for smartphones.
Baseline editions are the only editions available as standalone purchases in retail outlets. PCs often come pre-installed with one of these editions.
These editions add features to facilitate centralized control of many installations of the OS within an organization. The main avenue of acquiring them is a volume licensing contract with Microsoft.
Since 2018, OEMs can ship Windows 10 Home and Pro in a feature-limited variation named S mode which evolved from the discontinued Windows 10 S. Organizations employing Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 10 Education can make use of S mode too.[16] S mode is a feature-limited edition of Windows 10 designed primarily for low-end devices in the education market. It has a faster initial setup and login process, and allows devices to be provisioned using a USB drive with the "Set Up School PCs" app.
With the exception of the Microsoft Teams desktop client which was made available for S mode in April 2019,[citation needed] the installation of software (both Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and Windows API apps) is only possible through the Microsoft Store, and built-in and Microsoft Store-obtained command line programs or shells cannot be run in this mode.[17][18][19][20] System settings are locked to allow only Microsoft Edge as the default web browser with Bing as its search engine.[21] The operating system may be switched out of S mode using the Microsoft Store for free. However, once S Mode is turned off, it cannot be re-enabled.[22][23] All Windows 10 devices in S mode include a free one-year subscription to Minecraft: Education Edition.[citation needed] Critics have compared the edition to Windows RT, and have considered it to be an alternative to ChromeOS.[22][24][25][26][27]
These editions are licensed to OEMs only, and are primarily obtained via the purchase of hardware that includes it:
Rebranded from Microsoft's earlier operating system editions in the Windows Embedded family. Binary identical to their non-IoT counterparts with version 1809 and older,[31] while newer versions add support for smaller storage devices.[32][33] Available via OEMs and volume licensing for specific versions.[34]
The following editions of Windows 10 were discontinued (as of Windows 10 version 21H2). For both Mobile and Mobile Enterprise, Microsoft confirmed it was exiting the consumer mobile devices market, so no successor product is available.[40]
Item | Meaning |
---|---|
Yes | Feature is present in the given edition |
Yes, since [update] | Feature is present in the given edition after installing a certain update |
No | Feature is absent from the given edition |
No, since [update] | Feature is absent from the given edition after installing a certain update (It might have been fully or partly present prior to that update) |
[Explanation] | Feature is partly present in the given edition |
[Explanation], since [update] | Feature is partly present in the given edition, after installing a certain update (It might have been fully present prior to that update, or not present at all) |
Features | Home Single Language | Home | Pro | Pro (Education) | Education | Pro for Workstations | Enterprise | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Architecture | IA-32, x86-64, ARM64 (since v1709) | |||||||
Availability | OEM licensing | OEM, Retail |
OEM, Retail, Volume licensing |
Academic Volume Licensing |
Volume licensing | OEM, Retail, Volume licensing |
Volume licensing | |
Has N or KN variants? | No | Yes | ||||||
Maximum physical memory (RAM) | 128 GB[lower-alpha 1] | 2 TB (2048 GB)[lower-alpha 1] | 6 TB (6144 GB)[lower-alpha 1] | |||||
Maximum CPU sockets[68][69] | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||||
Maximum CPU cores[lower-alpha 2] | 32 logical cores on IA-32 1280 logical cores (20 groups of 64 logical processors) on x86-64 | |||||||
Minimum telemetry level[lower-alpha 3][73] | Required | Diagnostic data off | Required | Diagnostic data off | ||||
Continuum [74] | Yes | |||||||
Family Safety and Parental Controls | Yes[75] | |||||||
Cortana[lower-alpha 4] | Yes | Yes, disabled by default | Yes, since v1703 | Yes | ||||
Device encryption[65] | Requires TPM[lower-alpha 5] | Yes[lower-alpha 6] | ||||||
Microsoft Edge | Yes | |||||||
Multiple language pack support | No | Depends on OEM, region, and carrier[lower-alpha 7] | Yes | Depends on OEM, region, and carrier[lower-alpha 7] | Yes | |||
Mobile device management | Yes | |||||||
Side-loading of line of business apps | Yes | |||||||
Virtual desktops | Yes | |||||||
Windows Hello[lower-alpha 8] | Yes | |||||||
Can pause updates? | Yes, since v1903 | Yes | ||||||
Windows Spotlight | Yes | |||||||
Microsoft Store suggestions[8][9] | Yes | Yes, disabled by default | Yes | |||||
Remote Desktop | Client only | Client and host | ||||||
Remote App | Client only | Client and host | Client only | Client and host | ||||
ReFS support[76][77] | Non-creatable, since v1709[78] | Yes | ||||||
Windows Subsystem for Linux | 64-bit SKUs only | 64-bit SKUs only since v1607 | ||||||
Windows Sandbox | No | 64-bit only | ||||||
Hyper-V | No | 64-bit SKUs only | ||||||
Assigned Access 8.1 | No | Yes | ||||||
BitLocker[64] | No | Yes | ||||||
Business Store | No | Yes | ||||||
Conditional Access | No | Yes | ||||||
Device Guard | No | Yes | ||||||
Encrypting File System | No | Yes | ||||||
Enterprise data protection | No | Yes | ||||||
Enterprise Mode Internet Explorer (EMIE) | No | Yes | ||||||
Joining a domain and Group Policy management | No | Yes | ||||||
Joining a Microsoft Azure Active Directory | No | Yes | ||||||
Private catalog | No | Yes | ||||||
Windows Analytics | No | Yes | ||||||
Windows Information Protection | No | Yes | ||||||
Windows Update for Business | No | Yes | ||||||
NVDIMM support | No[79] | Yes | ||||||
SMB Direct (SMB over Remote Direct Memory Access [RDMA]) | No[80] | Client only, since v22H2[lower-alpha 9][81][82] | Client only[81][82] | |||||
AppLocker | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
BranchCache | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
Credential Guard (Pass the hash mitigations) | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
Microsoft App-V | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
Microsoft UE-V | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
Start screen control with Group Policy | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
User experience control and lockdown | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
Unified Write Filter (UWF) | No | Yes | No | Yes | ||||
DirectAccess[83] | No | Yes[84] | No | Yes | ||||
Long-term servicing option available (LTSC) | No | Yes | ||||||
Windows To Go[lower-alpha 10] | No | No, since v2004 | ||||||
Features | Home Single Language | Home | Pro | Pro (Education) | Education | Pro for Workstations | Enterprise |
Microsoft OEM licensing formula takes display size, RAM capacity and storage capacity into account. In mid-2015, devices with 4 GB RAM were expected to be $20 more expensive than devices with 2 GB RAM.[87]
At the time of launch, Microsoft deemed Windows 7 (with Service Pack 1) and Windows 8.1 users eligible to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge, so long as the upgrade took place within one year of Windows 10's initial release date. Windows RT and the respective Enterprise editions of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 were excluded from this offer.[88]
Windows version and edition | Windows 10 edition |
---|---|
Windows 7 Starter SP1 | Home |
Windows 7 Home Basic SP1 | |
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 | |
Windows 8.1 with Bing | |
Windows 8.1 | |
Windows 7 Professional SP1 | Pro |
Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 | |
Windows 8.1 Pro | |
Windows Phone 8.1 | Mobile |
The following table summarizes possible transition paths (upgrade, downgrade, or migration) that can be taken, provided that proper licenses are purchased.
Windows RT does not appear in this table because it cannot be upgraded to Windows 10.
On September 28, 2023, Microsoft disabled the free upgrade path to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8.x, although upgrades from Windows 10 to 11 are still supported.[89][90]
Transition path | Meaning |
---|---|
Upgrade | Constitutes replacing the OS while preserving apps, their settings, and user data |
Repair | Constitutes fixing a damaged OS by "upgrading" from one edition to the same |
Downgrade | Similar to upgrade, but deliberately removes some features |
Migration | Constitutes replacing the operating system, reinstalling the apps, restoring their settings via backup, and safeguarding user data against accidental deletion. |
None | It is impossible to replace the OS with the intended target because of platform incompatibility |
Windows version |
Windows edition |
Transition target | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Windows 10 Home |
Windows 10 Pro |
Windows 10 Pro for Workstations |
Windows 10 Pro (Education) |
Windows 10 Education |
Windows 10 Enterprise |
Windows 10 Mobile | ||
Windows 7 | Starter | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Migration | None |
Home Basic | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Migration | None | |
Home Premium | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Migration | None | |
Professional | Downgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | None | |
Ultimate | Downgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | None | |
Enterprise | Migration | Migration | Upgrade | Migration | Upgrade | Upgrade | None | |
Windows 8.1 | (Core) | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Migration | None |
with Bing | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Migration | None | |
Pro | Downgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | None | |
Pro for Students | Downgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | None | |
Pro with Media Center | Downgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | None | |
Enterprise | Migration | Migration | Migration | Migration | Upgrade | Upgrade | None | |
Embedded Industry | Migration | Migration | Migration | Migration | Migration | Upgrade | None | |
Phone 8.1 | None | None | None | None | None | None | Upgrade | |
Windows 10 | Home | Repair | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | None |
Pro | Downgrade | Repair | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | None | |
Pro for Workstations | Downgrade | Downgrade | Repair | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | None | |
Pro Education | Downgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Repair | Migration | Migration | None | |
Education | Migration | Migration | Migration | Migration | Repair | Upgrade | None | |
Enterprise | Migration | Migration | Migration | Migration | Downgrade | Repair | None | |
Mobile | None | None | None | None | None | None | None |
Microsoft releases minor versions of Windows 10 through the free feature updates.[12] Originally, Microsoft released feature updates semiannually. They contained new features as well as changes.[92] With the release of Windows 11, however, Microsoft has changed the release schedule to annual. These feature updates do not contain any noticeable changes.
The pace at which a system receives feature updates depends on the "release channel" (originally, "release branch") from which the system downloads its updates.[12]
Windows Insider is a beta testing program that allows access to pre-release builds of Windows 10, enabling power users, developers, and vendors to test and provide feedback on future feature updates to Windows 10 as they are developed. Before the release of Windows 11, Windows Insider itself consisted of four "rings":
After the release of Windows 11, only the "Release Preview" and "Beta" rings remains active.
Since 2022, the General Availability Channel (GAC) distributes feature updates annually. To receive these updates, users must either request them manually or wait for their version of Windows 10 to go out of support.
Originally, however, Microsoft distributed feature updates through two distinct channels:[93]
Since version 1903, Microsoft dismantled the two-channel scheme in favor of a unified "Semi-Annual Channel" (SAC). Microsoft supports each SAC version of Windows for 30 months. Windows no longer installs new feature updates automatically before the expiry of the 30-months support period. With the release of Windows 11, Microsoft changed the release schedule to annual, and change the channel's name to "General Availability Channel" (GAC).
LTSC exclusively distributes the "Enterprise LTSC", "IoT Core", and "IoT Enterprise LTSC" editions of Windows 10. Microsoft releases a new minor version of these editions every 2–3 years. LTSC builds adhere to Microsoft's traditional support policy which was in effect before Windows 10, including:
Microsoft discourages the use of LTSC editions outside of "special-purpose devices" that perform a fixed function and thus do not require new user experience features. As a result, these editions do not come with Microsoft Store, most Cortana features, and most bundled apps.[12][1][3] LTSC was originally called the "Long-Term Servicing Branch" (LTSB) until 2016.[13]
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