Upgrade windows 10 edition. How to change Windows edition while keeping settings and installed programs

Windows 10 has multiple editions. The Home version contains everything you need to use it at home. But if there is a need to use the group policy management function, enable restricted access mode, or use Hyper-V features, then Windows home will not be enough. Windows Pro was created for these purposes.

How to upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro

If you are an advanced computer user, the "basic" version of the operating system from Microsoft may not be enough. In this case, there is an option to upgrade to the professional version of Windows 10. There are two transition options for this.

The professional version of the Windows 10 operating system is suitable for advanced users

Upgrade Windows 10 with a product key

To upgrade to the professional version, you need to make sure that the device has the latest version of the operating system installed. If so, then you can move on to the next step. It will require a product key or digital license.

When switching from a home version of the system to a professional one, all files on the computer remain untouched.

The easiest way to upgrade is to use a product key. You can buy it from the Windows Store. To do this, go through the chain: "Start" > "Settings" > "Update and Security" > "Activation" > "Go to the Store".

After purchasing the key, you need to perform simple steps that will not take you much time.

Upgrade with a digital license

The presence of a digital license in one of the cases assumes that the Pro version is already installed and no key is required. Go to Start, then Settings > Updates & Security > Activation.

A digital license is a right that is not tied to a computer (as it used to be), but to a Microsoft account.

Therefore, if the professional version on the device was activated using the account, then in the future it will not be difficult to switch to it. With the home version installed, just go to the "Store", where a free update will be offered. Even if the "basic" edition is not activated, it will be prompted to "Troubleshoot".

How to upgrade for free

At the moment, a Windows 10 Pro license costs a little over 15 thousand rubles. If you don’t want to spend money, but there are not enough opportunities for home edition, then there is a way out. Old activation keys for Windows 8 Pro, Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate operating systems will come to the rescue.

The update is conditionally free, because it is assumed that you have already purchased keys for earlier versions.

To use this method, enter the standard key for Windows 10 when updating. But do not forget to change the universal key to the license key of an older version of the system after activation.

Video: Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro and activate it

How to upgrade Windows 10 Pro to Enterprise

The Enterprise version is even more advanced. It is widely used in large companies, as it has a number of useful features:

• Direct Access - the possibility of remote access without using a VPN;
• Windows To Go Creator is a fully managed Windows 10 enterprise workspace hosted on a specially configured bootable USB drive;
• AppLocker - a set of policies that allow you to configure user access to various applications;
• BranchCache - an option that makes the process of updating and downloading much easier and faster;
• Controlling the Start Screen with Group Policy.

You will also need a product activation key to install Windows 10 Enerprise. Entering the key is performed in the same way as upgrading to the professional version. The entire installation will take no more than 30 minutes.

Be sure to check for the latest up-to-date version of Windows 10 Pro.

The creators of Windows 10 have made the transition between editions as convenient and fast as possible. It usually doesn't even take half an hour. Don't be afraid to take advantage of new features if possible. Moreover, Windows provides the ability to return to a previous version.

Hi friends. How to downgrade Windows from Professional or Enterprise to Home without reinstalling the system? So that our programs, their settings, system settings, our profile and files on drive C remain safe and sound. The official procedure for upgrading to another edition of Windows 8.1 and 10 is provided only if it is upgraded. But downgrading is not possible. But it is impossible only officially. If you really need it, you can do something with the registry and upgrade the system to a lowered edition. How this is done in Windows 8.1 and 10 will be discussed below.

So, friends, for some reason (and this is usually the transition to the legal use of the system with the purchase of the key of the budget edition itself), you need to downgrade Windows 8.1 or 10 to Home, but the clean installation process does not suit you. In this case, the operating system can be updated while maintaining the user profile, installed programs, and system settings made, similar to how it is done when upgrading to a new version or to an assembly with a new cumulative update in the case of Windows 10. Only before updating, you need to deceive the system and do so that she "thinks" that she is already the target lowered edition:

Home in the case of Windows 10 and

Core (similar to Home) in the case of Windows 8.1.

To do this, go to the registry editor - press Win + R and enter:

In the registry editor we pass the path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion

In the CurrentVersion folder, look for the EditionID parameter, open it. And its current value Professional or Enterprise (depending on the current edition of Windows) is changed to Core. After that, we immediately start the update process. How it all looks in practice, we will consider separately for different versions of the system.

• Note: Friends, regardless of the presence of additional manipulations such as editing the Windows edition in the registry, the process of updating it is always a potential risk. Before using the instructions below, be sure to create a , or better, not at all.

How to Downgrade Windows 10 to Home

We have a well-established Windows 10 Professional.

Open the registry editor, go through the above path. The value of the EditionID parameter displays the current edition of Windows 10.

Now we open the installation media with "Ten" in Explorer or connect the ISO image with the installation process to display it. Run setup.exe.

We accept the terms of the license.

In the window of preparation for the update, we see that it was possible to deceive the system, and it “thinks” that it is Windows 10 Home (Home). Now all that's left is to update. Click "Install".

And we observe how the system is updated. On the HDD, it will be updated for a long time, offhand for an hour or so you will have to wait.

Upon completion of the update, we look at the version of Windows 10 - the system has successfully upgraded from the Professional edition to Home.

How to Downgrade Windows 8.1 to Core

Here we have Windows 8.1 Professional.

In the system registry editor, open the branch indicated at the beginning of the article. And we see that the EditionID parameter has the value Professional, i.e. the current edition is Professional.

Double-click to open the parameter and enter Core. We press "Ok".

We connect the ISO image with the Windows 8.1 installation process or open the installation media with it in Explorer. Run setup.exe.

Choose to download and install updates.

Unlike Windows 10, Windows 8.1 requires a product key during installation and upgrade. If the key from the Core edition has already been purchased, we enter it in the key request box. If there is no key yet, enter a temporary key to install Windows 8.1 Core.

Hello, can you tell me if it is possible to change the edition of Windows without reinstalling? For example, from the home version to p professional?

The answer is short - you can, but this is not a documented feature and not all functions may work, and it is also a violation of the license if you did not buy an upgraded edition.

By introducing various editions of the Windows operating system to the market, the manufacturer implies that the user will choose the edition that best suits his needs and financial capabilities. However, everything is different in life: ready-made PCs usually come with a pre-installed system of the simplest (and cheapest) edition, and unlicensed users, without much bother, install one of the older releases. All this often leads to the fact that the edition of Windows needs to be changed and preferably without reinstalling the system.

The main problem is that the user encounters the need to change the edition of Windows when the system is already "lived in": the necessary software and equipment are installed and configured, data is laid out in the usual way, etc., etc.

There are two revision scenarios. One of them can be conditionally called "official". Microsoft supports the transition from lower editions to older ones quite officially. It is enough to purchase a special key or box.

Worse, when the editorial needs to be downgraded. This usually happens when licensing pirated versions, when boxes or licenses of the required edition are purchased, which do not match what is actually on the computers. Microsoft does not officially support such changes and recommends installing the system from scratch, however, there is one undocumented possibility that we will consider.

Everyone knows that if you run the Windows installer in a booted OS, then one of the available options will be to update the system while maintaining all installed applications and settings.

However, such an update is possible only if the edition of the installed system matches the edition of the distribution kit, otherwise we will only be offered a new installation:

There are no official ways to get around this limitation, so it's time to turn to undocumented features. We find it difficult to imagine why Microsoft does not support an arbitrary change in the edition of Windows, by entering the appropriate key and / or updating with the distribution kit of the desired edition, especially since there are no technical obstacles here.

Empirically, it was found that the installer receives information about the system edition from the registry branch:

as a parameter value EditionID. To successfully upgrade with a change of edition, we need to change this parameter so that it matches the edition of the target distribution.

Some sources also recommend changing the setting ProductName, but this is completely redundant. After the change EditionID update immediately without rebooting the system. This method is suitable for all current Windows client systems and below we will consider compliance EditionID operating system editions.

Windows 7

This version of Windows has the largest official number of editions, but the naming system is simple and clear, which makes it easy to identify the right one. For Windows 7, the following values ​​are valid EditionID depending on edition:

• starter- The initial, most limited edition, distributed only in the OEM channel, most often with netbooks
• HomeBasic- Home Basic
• HomePremium- Home extended
• professional- Professional
• Ultimate- Maximum
• Enterprise- Corporate, distributed only under the volume licensing program

All editions except Starter and Enterprise were available both in retail and through OEM channels, differing in nothing other than the type of license, however, you will not be able to upgrade from the OEM distribution using the key from the boxed version and vice versa.

Windows 8.1

At first glance, there are fewer editions of Windows 8, just Basic, Professional, and Enterprise. But in fact, Microsoft managed to segment them in such a way that, in fact, Windows 8.1 editions and valid values EditionID turned out to be even more:

• Core- Basic
• CoreSingleLanguage- Basic for one language, OEM only
• ConnectedCore- Basic with Bing, free OEM version for large manufacturers
• CoreConnectedSingleLanguage- Basic with Bing for one language, manufacturers only
• professional- Professional
• ProfessionalWMC- Professional with Windows Media Center Pack
• Enterprise

As you can see, there are four Basic editions alone, although you can only purchase two of them at retail or as an OEM supply: Basic and Basic for one language. The Bing version is only available to manufacturers, and you can only get it with hardware. However, you may need to revert to this version if you uninstalled the pre-installed version and now want to return the license. In this case, you will need to find an installation distribution kit, which is quite difficult (they are not and never were in the public domain).

Windows 10

The situation with Windows 10 tends to completely repeat the history of Windows 8.1, and three editions are also officially announced: Home, Professional and Enterprise. In reality, there are more editions, Home for one language is already available and, perhaps, other options will appear.

At the moment, we can talk about four editions, but this list does not pretend to be complete and will be updated as information becomes available.

• Core- Home
• CoreSingleLanguage- Home for one language, OEM only
• professional- Professional
• Enterprise- Enterprise, only in Volume Licensing channel

In order to update the given data and update it in a timely manner, we ask our readers, especially those who purchased devices with Windows 10 pre-installed or upgraded Windows 8.1 pre-installed versions, to check the meaning of the keys EditionID and productname.

When purchasing a desktop computer or laptop, many users would prefer that Windows was already installed on it, and not just Home, but at least Professional. In fact, it usually turns out that they get just this lowest edition, however, with the possibility of updating, but for an additional fee. Those who prefer to install the system themselves choose the highest edition by activating it with KMS or in another pirated way.

Now imagine this situation: a user actively uses this system, installs programs, configures it, and so on and so forth, and suddenly at one fine moment decides to go astray and purchase a license. And to save some money, instead of the appropriate edition of the Enterprise license, he chooses the Professional, CoreSingleLanguage, or even Core license.

But then there is the question of activation. The fact is that you can activate the system only when switching to an older edition, but if you apply the Core key, say, to Professional or Enterprise, then nothing will come of it. Microsoft does not officially support such a downgrade, but instead recommends installing the system from scratch, which would mean the complete loss of all installed programs and settings. Luckily, there is one little-known, undocumented feature in Windows that we're going to look at today.

Since the installer obtains information about the system revision from the registry, by making appropriate changes to the registry, it is possible to make the installer "think" that it is dealing with the target system.

Use the regedit command to open the registry editor and expand the following branch:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion

Find the EditionID parameter in the right column and look at its value. In our example, this is Professional, corresponding to the system edition.

Let's try downgrading Windows to Home Edition. We replace the Professional value with Core, close the editor and, without rebooting the system, run the Windows distribution installation file (you can mount the ISO image or, after unpacking, run the setup.exe file).

After checking your computer, you will be prompted to keep or remove personal data and installed programs during the update. Of course, save everything and click the "Install" button. The process of installing (updating) the system will begin, after which your Windows will be downgraded to the selected edition.

This trick works on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10, but keep in mind that different versions of operating systems may have different editions. There are four editions available in Windows 10: Home (Core), Home Single Language and OEM Only (CoreSingleLanguage), Professional (Professional) and Corporate (Enterprise). There are even more editions in Windows 8.1, in particular, in addition to those in Windows 10, Windows 8.1 also has ConnectedCore, CoreConnectedSingleLanguage and ProfessionalWMC.

Have a great day!

You may encounter unpleasant features of this edition. This is a stripped-down version that lacks many really needed features: access to the remote desktop server, BitLocker drive encryption, support for group policies, control over the installation of updates, etc.

Of course, you can pay about $ 100 to upgrade to Pro, but you can get by with a more economical option.

Have you lost your old key for Windows 7 Pro, Windows 7 Ultimate or Windows 8/8.1 Pro somewhere? These keys can be reused to activate the upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro at no additional cost. In fact, you can use the product key for any of these versions of Windows to perform a clean install or upgrade to Pro.

Thus, it makes sense to rummage through your email archives or hidden corners of your hard drive to find one of the old keys. You may even have had a Windows 8 Pro key at a very affordable price when Microsoft introduced big discounts due to a failed product launch in 2012.

Do you still have a boxed version of Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate that you no longer license?

It's important to clarify that the old product key will only need to be applied once. After upgrading from Windows 10 Home to Pro, the digital license will be tied to certain computer hardware. With digital tethering, you can reinstall Windows 10 Pro on your PC any number of times without having to enter a product key.

The new feature first appeared in Windows 10 version 1511. Since then, the linking process has been greatly simplified.

Upgrading from Windows 10 Home to Pro

Let's say you bought a new PC with an OEM version of Windows 10 preinstalled. Some vendors offer an upgrade option as part of the purchase, but many PCs are sold in the retail channel with Home edition preloaded.

If you have an older device running Windows 7 or Windows 8.x, it's worth taking advantage of the Windows 10 free upgrade offer initially.

Otherwise, the upgrade process to Pro takes a matter of minutes. Go to menu Settings > Update & security > Activation and you will see the following screen:

If you don't have a Pro product key, you can purchase one for yourself by selecting the "Go to Store" option under . The upgrade will cost 6929 rubles (or about $100).

However, if you still have a key for Windows 10 Pro, Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate or Windows 8 / 8.1 Pro, then you need to select the “Change product key” option.

When using the key from the old version to upgrade to Pro, it used to take only two steps. However, in recent feature updates, this process has been greatly simplified.

After entering the product key, accept the prompt to start the upgrade procedure. The operation progress page will appear on the screen and the system will reboot. After the update procedure is completed, you will see a notification about the successful completion of the operation. Visit the Activation page again to make sure you are using an activated version of Windows 10 Pro.

Clean reinstall

After successfully upgrading from Home edition to Pro, you can safely throw away or delete your old Windows product key. You won't need it anymore. Your license is digitally linked to specific equipment. If you reinstall Windows, Microsoft activation servers will recognize the hardware and activate Windows 10 automatically.

This upgrade scenario was tested on an HP Specter x360 test laptop that originally shipped with Windows 8.1 Home. The device was successfully upgraded to Windows 10 Pro, and then a clean install of Windows 10 Pro was run using bootable USB media.

Twice during installation, the program asked me to enter the product key. Both times the option was selected. You need to make sure that you are installing the correct edition of Windows 10 Pro.

After the installation is complete and you are logged into your account, on the page Settings > Update & security > Activation it was reported that the system activation was successful - the Microsoft servers recognized the hardware and used the digital license.

Clean reinstall with version upgrade

One of the incorrect scenarios occurs when your system has digital licenses for both Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro. In this case, you may inadvertently restore Windows 10 Home.

This scenario happened during testing using a system recovery image for a computer that originally shipped with Windows 8.1 Home. I used a Windows 10 recovery disc for recovery, and after the recovery process was completed, the computer was installed with Windows 10 Home.

If you encounter a similar problem, then you do not need to look for the original product key. Instead, use a Microsoft product key to force the upgrade.

Go to menu Settings > Update & security > Activation, select the "Change product key" option and enter the Windows 10 Pro public key:

VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

Follow the steps to upgrade from Home to Pro edition. Since your device is already digitally linked, the system will be activated automatically.

This public product key can't work miracles. If your device does not have a Pro digital tether, you will encounter an activation error and be forced to provide the correct product key or pay for an upgrade.

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