Do you want to upgrade from Windows 10 Home edition to Windows 10 Pro edition? Want to buy the Pro license and upgrade to the same from Windows 10 Home edition? Would you like to upgrade from Windows 10 Home edition to Pro without the product key? In this article, we will see how to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro with ease.
Difference between Windows 10 Home and Pro
The Home edition of Windows 10 is designed for home users, and it is perfect for most users who do not need the advanced security and business features available in the Pro edition. The Pro edition offers advanced features like BitLocker, Group Policy, Domain Join, Remote Desktop, Hyper-V, and Azure Active Directory. Go through our difference between Windows 10 Home and Pro editions for detailed information.
Can I upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro for free?
While you can upgrade a non-activated Windows 10 Home edition install to the Pro edition, you need to activate the install to keep on using the Windows 10 Pro after the initial 30-day trial period.
Upgrade from Windows 10 Home edition to Pro edition is not free. In other words, even if you have an activated copy of the Windows 10 Home edition, you need to purchase the upgrade license and activate the install before or after upgrading to the Pro edition.
Upgrading Windows 10 Home to Pro edition
Here is how to upgrade from Windows 10 Home edition to Pro edition with a few mouse clicks.
Step 1: Open the Settings app by either clicking the Settings icon on the left side of the Start menu or using the Windows logo + I hotkey.
Step 2: Once the Settings app is launched, go to Update & security > Activation page to see the current activation status of your Windows 10 Home edition installation.
Step 3: As you can see in the picture below, we’re upgrading from a non-activated install of Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro edition without entering a product key. So you don’t need to have an activated install of Windows 10 Home to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro edition.
Step 4: Click the button labeled Go to Store to open the Store app.
Step 5: Clicking the Go to Store button will open the following page of the Store app. To upgrade from Home edition to Pro edition, click Upgrade to Pro button.
If you want to buy the Pro edition license right away, click the $99.99 or $119.99 button right before the Upgrade to Pro button. The $99.99 button appears when you are trying the upgrade to Pro edition on an activated install of Windows 10 Home edition. The $119.99 button will be shown when you are upgrading a non-activated Windows 10 Home edition to the Professional edition (here you will be purchasing the Pro edition, not just the upgrade license).
Note that you can upgrade to the Pro edition without a key or license. If you like the Pro edition after trying out the features it offers, you can purchase the key later by performing the instructions mentioned above again.
While purchasing the Professional edition from the Store, you will need to provide your Microsoft account details.
Step 6: Finally, you will see the following page with information about features that you will get by upgrading to the Pro edition.
As said before, the setup will not remove your files and programs while upgrading from Windows 10 Home Edition to Pro edition. That said, it’s a good idea to backup important files before making any significant changes to your operating system.
Step 7: Click the Start upgrade button and then click the Yes, let’s go button when you see the confirmation dialog with the “Have you saved all your files?” message to begin upgrading your Windows 10 Home edition to Pro edition.
Your PC might be restarted during the upgrade process, but the upgrade is done on most PCs without a restart.
Depending on your PC’s configuration, the upgrade process might take from a few minutes to hours. On most PCs, the upgrade process should be done in less than 30 minutes.
Once Windows 10 Home Pro edition upgrade is done, you will see Edition upgrade completed notification. That’s all! You may now start exploring new features of the Windows 10 Pro edition.
If you have upgraded a non-activated Windows 10 Home edition to Windows 10 Pro edition, you may now activate your Windows 10 install. If you want to know the activation status, please refer to our check if your Windows 10 install is activated article.
