How to determine version of Windows 10

Windows 10 is the last version of the operating system as we know it. This is because the company has shifted toward delivering Windows as a Service (WaaS), meaning that there won’t be any more major releases every three years. Moving forward, new features and changes will roll out as soon as they are ready.

The new model of building Windows also moves away from versioning as we used to see in the past (for example, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, etc.), and it makes it a little more difficult to track the version you use on your device.

For example, Microsoft released Windows 10 back in July 2015. During that November, the operating system received its first major upgrade that many users considered version “10.1,” or even “Windows 11” in some cases, as the upgrade brought new features, changes, and improvements. However, after several major updates since the original release, the operating system still carries the “Windows 10” name. Since there aren’t significant visual changes, it’s hard to determine if you are, in fact, running the latest version, leaving you with the same question every time: “what version of windows 10 do I have?”.

In this guide, you will learn several ways to check the Windows 10 version on your computer.

• Check Windows 10 version using Settings
• Check Windows 10 version using System Information
• Check Windows 10 version using Command Prompt
• Check Windows 10 version using About Windows

Check Windows 10 version using Settings

To check the version of Windows 10 with the Settings app, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Click on About.

4. Under the “Windows specifications” section, determine the version of Windows 10.

   

Alongside the ability to determine the version of Windows 10, you’ll also be able to see additional information, such as the edition (Pro, Home, Enterprise, Education, etc.), the day when the version was installed, and the build number.

Check Windows 10 version using System Information

To check your current version of Windows 10 with System Information, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for System information and click the top result to open the app.

3. Select the “System Summary” on the left pane, and the information will be listed under the Version field. 

   

The version number available with System Information only reveals the build number. If you want to know the actual version number of Windows 10, you will need to decode the information:

• Version 21H2, May 2021 Update (Build number 19043).
• Version 20H2, October 2020 Update (Build number 19042).
• Version 2004, May 2020 Update (Build number 19041).
• Version 1909, November 2019 (Build number 18363).
• Version 1903, May 2019 Update (Build number 18362).
• Version 1809, October 2018 Update (Build number 17763).
• Version 1803, April 2018 Update (Build number 17134).
• Version 1709, Fall Creators Update (Build number 16299).
• Version 1703, Creators Update (Build number 15063).
• Version 1607, Anniversary Update (Build number 14393).
• Version 1511, November Update (Build number 10586).
• Version 1507, Initial Release (Build number 10240).

Check Windows 10 version using Command Prompt

To determine your version of Windows 10 with Command Prompt, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt and click the top result to open the console.

3. Type the following command to view the full version of Windows 10 and press Enter:

   ver

4. Type the following command to view the name and version of Windows 10 and press Enter:

   systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"

5. Type the following command to get the version of Windows 10 and press Enter:

   wmic os get version

   

6. The above command will query the name and version of your operating system.

Once you complete the steps, you need to use the build number to determine the actual version of Windows 10:

• Version 21H2, May 2021 Update (Build number 19043).
• Version 20H2, October 2020 Update (Build number 19042).
• Version 2004, May 2020 Update (Build number 19041).
• Version 1909, November 2019 (Build number 18363).
• Version 1903, May 2019 Update (Build number 18362).
• Version 1809, October 2018 Update (Build number 17763).
• Version 1803, April 2018 Update (Build number 17134).
• Version 1709, Fall Creators Update (Build number 16299).
• Version 1703, Creators Update (Build number 15063).
• Version 1607, Anniversary Update (Build number 14393).
• Version 1511, November Update (Build number 10586).
• Version 1507, Initial Release (Build number 10240).

Check Windows 10 version using About Windows

To check the version of Windows 10 on your computer, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for winver and press Enter.

3. See the version number of Windows 10.

   

After you complete the steps, you’ll know the version of Windows 10 currently installed on your computer.

Update April 9, 2021: This guide was originally published in 2015, and it’s been updated in April 2021.