When we buy a new computer, it usually comes with an OEM license that gives us the right to use Windows 10. However, depending on the type of computer we buy, we can find that this license is activated to be used with the Home edition or with the Pro edition. As has been the case since the Windows XP era, the Home version is more limited and designed for home use, while the more expensive Pro has advanced functions and features that allow us to take more advantage of our OS.
There are users who simply settle for using the edition of the operating system that came with the equipment, others who use it, but are looking for alternatives to the functions not available in the Home edition, and others who want to get the most out of the PC and opt for upgrade to the most comprehensive edition. However, is it really worth the change?
Differences between Home and Pro edition
Gone is the era when Windows 10, with its “Starter” edition, was virtually impossible to use. The differences between Windows 10 Home and Pro are actually quite small, as we can see in this table.
| Windows 10 | home | Pro | Enterprise | Education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of license | OEM Retail |
OEM Retail Volume |
Volume | Volume |
| Edition N? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum RAM | 128 GB in 64 bits | 2 TB 64-bit | 2 TB 64-bit | 2 TB 64-bit |
| Telemetry | Basic | Basic | Safe | Safe |
| Cortana | Yes | Yes | Yes, except LTSB | Yes |
| Hardware encryption | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Edge | Yes | Yes | Yes, except LTSB | Yes |
| Multiple languages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual desks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Hello | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Spotlight | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Remote Desktop | Customer only | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Remote apps | Customer only | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Subsystem for Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hyper-V | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BitLocker | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deferred updates | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Possibility of joining a domain | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Business data protection | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Update for Business | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AppLocker | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Credential guard | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Windows to Go | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| LTSB Edition | No | No | Yes | No |
| Possibility to upgrade to Pro | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Ability to upgrade to Enterprise | No | Yes | No | No |
| Ability to upgrade to Education | Yes | No | No | No |
Broadly speaking, what Microsoft intends with these versions is to limit the use of features for business and professional use to users who are only going to use this operating system at home. For example, we will not be able to install more than 128 GB of RAM in the computer (we will not get there). Nor will we have Hyper-V (which we can replace with VirtualBox) or the Remote Desktop server (only the client, that is, we can only connect to other PCs, but not allow them to connect to ours). And neither will we have Bitlocker , nor will we be able to configure our PC as a member of a group or through local group policies.
For the rest, both systems are the same, they are compatible with the same programs and the same tools and we can do the same with both.
Price of changing Windows edition
If our PC already came with Windows 10 Pro, then we do not have to pay anything, since all functions will be enabled by default. But if we buy a Home license, and we need to use the Pro functions, Microsoft allows us to go from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro easily, yes, at a price.
From the Settings menu, in the Activation section, we can change the Windows license key. If we enter a new Windows 10 Pro key, our system will automatically update to that version, and we will not have to format or lose our data. After a reboot, all the features of this edition will be available.
The original license for Windows 10 Pro has a price of 250 euros, very high. But Microsoft allows us to upgrade a license from Home to Pro for 99 euros, so if our OEM key is legal, we can save on the edition update.
Is it worth going from Windows 10 Pro to Home?
If our PC already came with Windows 10 Pro, there is absolutely no reason to “downgrade” to the Home edition. We will not have more performance, nor will we have more or fewer problems. Both editions are identical in every way, and neither is going to work better than the other.
If our PC came with Windows 10 Pro, we can use this edition perfectly, since the only thing that will happen is that we will have functions (such as Hyper-V, or Bitlocker) that, since we do not need them, we will not use them.