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Windows 10 has eight editions (excluding the four "N" editions), with varying feature sets and intended hardware.[1][2]
Contents
Editions
All mentioned editions have the ability to use language packs, enabling multiple user interface languages. This functionality was previously only available in Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise.[3][4] Single-language versions are also available.[5]
- Home
- Windows 10 Home is designed for use in PCs, tablets and 2-in-1 PCs. It includes all consumer-directed features and is the equivalent to basic Windows 8, 8.1, Windows 7 Home Basic, and Home Premium.[1][6][7]
- Pro
- Windows 10 Pro is comparable with Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Windows 8/8.1 Pro. It builds on the Home edition and adds features essential for businesses, and functionally equivalent to Windows 8.1 Pro.[1][6][7]
- Enterprise
- Windows 10 Enterprise provides all the features of Windows 10 Pro, with additional features to assist with IT-based organizations, and is functionally equivalent to Windows 8.1 Enterprise.[1][6][7]
- Enterprise LTSB
- Windows 10 Enterprise Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) is similar to Windows 10 Enterprise but will not receive any feature updates, gives companies more control over the update process and is the most stripped down edition of Windows 10 available.[1][7]
- Education
- Windows 10 Education provides all Windows 10 Enterprise features, designed for use in schools, colleges, and universities. It will be available with Microsoft's Academic Volume Licensing, in a manner similar to Windows 8.1 Enterprise.[1][6][7]
- Mobile
- Windows 10 Mobile is designed for smartphones and small tablets. It includes all basic consumer features, including Continuum capability. It is the de facto successor of Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows RT.[1][6]
- Mobile Enterprise
- Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise provides all the features in Windows 10 Mobile, with additional features to assist with IT-based organizations, in a manner similar to Windows 8.1 Enterprise, but optimized for mobile devices.[1][6]
IoT editions
Designed specifically for use in small footprint, low-cost devices and IoT scenarios. It is a rebranded version of Microsoft's earlier embedded operating systems, Windows Embedded. Three editions are already announced: IoT Core, IoT Enterprise, and IoT Mobile Enterprise.[8][9][10]
N and KN Editions
Additional Windows 10 editions specially destined for the EU, Switzerland, and South Korea (though South Korean editions have "KN") have the letter "N" (for Not with Media Player) suffixed to their names (e.g., Windows 10 Enterprise N) and do not have media-related technologies like Windows Media Player or Camera. There are N editions for all Windows 10 versions except Mobile, Mobile Enterprise, and IoT Core. Microsoft was required to create the "N" editions of Windows after the European Commission ruled in 2004 that it needed to provide a copy of Windows without Windows Media Player tied in. The costs of the N Editions are the same as the full versions, as the Media Feature Pack can be downloaded without charge from Microsoft.[11]
Free upgrade
At the time of launch, Microsoft deemed Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users eligible to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge, so long as the upgrade takes place within one year of Windows 10's initial release date. Windows RT and the respective Enterprise editions of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 were excluded from this offer.[12]
Windows version and edition | Windows 10 edition |
---|---|
7 Starter | Home |
7 Home Basic | |
7 Home Premium | |
8 (Core)[13] | |
8.1 (Core) | |
8.1 (Core) with Bing | |
7 Professional | Pro |
7 Ultimate | |
8 Pro[13] | |
8.1 Pro | |
Phone 8.1 | Mobile |
7 Enterprise | None |
8 Enterprise | |
8.1 Enterprise | |
RT | |
RT 8.1 |
Comparison chart
Features | Desktop | Mobile | IoT | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Home | Pro | Enterprise | Education | Mobile | Mobile Enterprise | IoT Core | |
Architecture | IA-32 x86-64 |
IA-32 ARMv7 ARM |
|||||
Availability | OEM, Retail |
OEM, Retail, Volume licensing |
Volume licensing, OEM | Volume licensing | OEM | Volume licensing | OEM |
N Edition Available | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Maximum physical memory (RAM) | 4 GB on 32-bit 128 GB on 64-bit |
4 GB on 32-bit 2048 GB on 64-bit |
? | ? | ? | ||
Continuum | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Cortana[a] | Yes | Yes | Yes, except LTSB | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Hardware device encryption | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Microsoft Edge[16] | Yes | Yes | Yes, except LTSB | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Microsoft account | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Mobile device management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Side-loading of line of business apps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Virtual desktops | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Task View only | Task View only | ? |
Windows Hello[b] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Windows Spotlight | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? |
Assigned Access 8.1 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A |
BitLocker and EFS[citation needed] | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? |
Business Store | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Current Branch for Business (CBB) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ? |
Joining a domain and Group Policy management | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Enterprise data protection[c] | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Enterprise Mode Internet Explorer (EMIE) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Hyper-V[citation needed] | No | 64-bit SKUs only | 64-bit SKUs only | 64-bit SKUs only | No | No | No |
Joining a Microsoft Azure Active Directory | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
Private catalog | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? |
Windows Update for Business | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ? |
Remote Desktop | Client only | Client and host | Client and host | Client and host | Client only | Client only | Client only |
Remote App | Client only | Client only | Client and host | Client and host | Client only | Client only | Client only |
AppLocker | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
BranchCache | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Credential Guard[c] (Pass the hash mitigations) | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Device Guard[c] | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
DirectAccess | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Start screen control with Group Policy | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
User experience control and lockdown | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Windows To Go | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB)[d] | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
In-place upgrade to Enterprise edition | No | Yes | N/A | No | N/A | N/A | N/A |
In-place upgrade to Education edition | Yes | Yes | No | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Update to newer builds | Yes | Yes | Yes[e] | Yes[e] | Yes | ? | ? |
Features | Home | Pro | Enterprise | Education | Mobile | Mobile Enterprise | IoT Core |
Desktop | Mobile | IoT |
See also
- Windows Holographic, another variant of Windows 10 designed to run on augmented reality devices
- Xbox OS, an operating system based on the Windows 10 core, designed to run on consoles
Notes
- ^ Cortana is available only in certain markets. Experience may vary by region and device. Requires Microsoft Account to use.
- ^ Windows Hello requires specialized hardware, such as a fingerprint reader, illuminated IR sensor or other biometric sensor.
- ^ a b c Coming After Launch, Subject to Change
- ^ Certain features may not be available for customers who choose to take advantage of the Long term Servicing Branch option.
- ^ a b Version upgrade is not available(from 8.1 to 10)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Prophet, Tony (13 May 2015). "Introducing Windows 10 Editions". Windows Experience Blog. Microsoft.
- ^ "Appendix A: KMS Client Setup Keys". Microsoft Technet. Microsoft. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ^ "Compare Windows 10 Editions". Windows for Business. Microsoft. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
- ^ Thurrott, Paul. "Windows 7 Product Editions: A Comparison". SuperSite for Windows. Penton. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
- ^ "Microsoft Windows 10 TH2 U1 Download (Build 10586.104)". Windowsiso.net. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Bott, Ed (14 May 2015). "Windows 10 editions: Everything you need to know". ZDNet. CBS Interactive.
- ^ a b c d e Foley, Mary Jo (2 July 2015). "Which Windows 10 editions get which features?". ZDNet. CBS Interactive.
- ^ "Windows 10 IoT for your business". Windows for Business. Microsoft. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ "Windows 10 IoT Enterprise". MS Embedded. Silica. August 14, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- ^ Foley, Mary Jo (December 3, 2015). "Microsoft updates Windows 10 IoT, adds new Core Pro version". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- ^ Ron (August 2, 2015). "Grab the Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N and Windows 10 KN editions.". WinBeta. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
- ^ a b "Upgrade to Windows 10: FAQ". Windows Help. Microsoft. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
Some editions are excluded from the free upgrade offer, including: Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Enterprise, Windows RT, and Windows RT 8.1. Active Software Assurance customers in volume licensing have the benefit to upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise outside of this offer. For more info about upgrade qualifications, see the Windows 10 specifications page.
- ^ a b "Installing Windows 10 Using the Media Creation Tool". Microsoft. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- ^ Dudau, Vlad (10 June 2015). "Microsoft shows OEMs how to market Windows 10; talks features and SKUs". Neowin. Neowin LLC. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ "Find out which Windows is right for you". Microsoft. Microsoft Inc. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ Foley, Mary Jo (9 June 2015). "Some Windows 10 Enterprise users won't get Microsoft's Edge browser". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
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