- To upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Pro, open Settings > System > Activation, click on “Upgrade your edition of Windows,” click on “Change,” and confirm the upgrade product key to begin the process.
- Alternatively, you can open Settings > System > Activation, click on “Upgrade your edition of Windows,” click on “Open Store,” and click the “Get for $99” button to complete the purchase and proceed with the upgrade.
- Windows 11 Home to Pro upgrade costs $99, or $205 for the Workstations variant.
- You can use a Windows 10 Pro product key to upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro.
Windows 11 offers the Home and Pro editions for consumers. The “Home” edition is the most common of the two, and it includes all the features suited for home, office, and gaming users. On the other hand, the “Pro” edition includes all the features available in the Home edition, plus other more advanced business features, such as Remote Desktop, Group Policy, BitLocker, Active Directory support, Windows Sandbox, Hyper-V, and many other features.
Also, the biggest difference between the Home and Pro editions is their hardware support. While the Home edition supports up to 128GB of memory and one processor with up to 64 cores, the Pro edition supports up to 2TB of RAM and up to 128 cores with up to two processors.
Typically, the Home edition is enough for anyone using a computer at home for web browsing, working with applications, and gaming. However, if you must have the advanced features, it’s possible to upgrade from Home to Pro without performing a clean installation by changing the product key in the Settings app or through the Microsoft Store.
In this guide, I will explain the two quick ways to upgrade a device from Windows 11 Home to Pro.
Upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro from Settings
If you have an existing product key, you can easily apply it through the “Activation” settings page to upgrade the system. Also, since Windows 11 and Windows 10 share the same technologies, you can use a Windows 11 Pro or Windows 10 Pro product key to upgrade a device running a Home edition of Windows. You can even upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 11 Pro with either product key.
To upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro with an existing product key, use these steps:
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Open Settings on Windows 11.
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Click on System.
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Click the Activation page.
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Click the “Upgrade your edition of Windows” setting.
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Click the Change button in the “Change product key” setting.
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Confirm the Windows 11 Pro product key to upgrade to the Home edition. Quick note: You can also upgrade editions with a Windows 10 Pro product key.
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Click the Next button.
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Click the Start button.
Once you complete the steps, the computer will upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Windows 11 Pro.
Upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro from Microsoft Store
In the case that you have to purchase an upgrade license, the cost to upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Pro is $99, and to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro for Workstations is $205.
To purchase a Windows 11 Pro product key and upgrade to the Home edition, use these steps:
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Open Settings.
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Click the Activation page.
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Click the “Upgrade your edition of Windows” setting.
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Click the Open Store button from the “Upgrade in this Microsoft app” setting.
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Click the Buy button.
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Continue with the on-screen direction to complete the purchase and upgrade process.
After you complete the steps, the product key will be installed on the computer, and the upgrade process will start.
I have tried the upgrade process, and it usually takes less than 30 minutes (or less) when you use the change product key or the Microsoft Store option. Actually, the process is similar to applying a monthly update.
If you’re having issues with the upgrade process or have had the same setup for a long time, you can upgrade editions through a clean installation of Windows 11, and the system will activate automatically after the installation.
Microsoft technically also offers another edition known as “Windows 11 Pro for Workstation,” but this is the most expensive edition that includes everything available with the Pro edition, plus some extra server-grade features like SMB Direct and Resilient File System (ReFS). In addition, this edition supports up to 6TB of RAM and up to four processors. However, it’s not recommended that most users upgrade unless they work with server hardware and software.
It’s important to note that the company also provides many other variants of the operating system, such as the “Enterprise” and “Education” editions, but these and others are usually not available for consumers but only for organizations.
Update August 1, 2024: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].