Pocket-lint is supported by its readers. When you buy through links on our site, we windows 10 home vs windows 10 pro price free download earn an affiliate commission. Learn more. Pocket-lint - If you're upgrading the operating system on your computer or buying a brand new one, you'll be met with a decision: Windows 10 or Windows 10 Pro? As the name suggests, the Pro version is the more advanced of the pair, but what are the exact differences?
And are they worth the extra price? We'll explain everything for you here. The standard version of Windows 10 is actually Windows 10 Home, and it's aimed at home users. If you're running a business, you're perhaps more likely to be interested in Windows 10 Pro. A lot of features are shared between these two OSes, all the basics that you're probably familiar with from previous versions of Windows.
Both can work across desktops, laptops, and tablets, and both come with features like Cortana and Microsoft's new browser, Microsoft Edge. The smart login tech known as Windows Hello is included in both Home and Pro editions, as is the Xbox app for streaming games from your Xbox One. You don't miss out on gaming features like DirectX 12 if you go for the Pro version of Windows In fact, if you booted up Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro side by side, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference unless you really dig into the features.
For the most part, both OSes work in exactly the same way. Upgrading from the Home version of Windows 10 to Windows 10 Pro is a fairly straightforward process — Microsoft has details here — windows 10 home vs windows 10 pro price free download to go back the other way you need to do a full reinstall.
With all those similarities between the two versions of the OS, what exactly are the differences? The extras you get with Windows 10 Pro are all aimed at advanced users, and may not mean much to the average home user. You get a tool called Bitlocker, for example, which lets you encrypt the data on your drives making it harder for others to access.
You also get Group Policy, which can set different rules and privileges for different Windows users on a network very handy if you're running an office.
There's also Assigned Access controlling app accessDynamic Provisioning managing storage between usersand Domain Join for logging into a large network like a school or office remotely. Plus, Windows 10 Pro includes a built-in Remote Desktop tool for logging into a computer from somewhere else on the web, and Client Hyper-V, a program that lets you run virtual computers on top of Windows. As you can see, while these features can be very useful if you're in charge of Windows installations across a whole organisation, you're not really going to miss them if you're just a normal Windows user at home.
That should give you some idea of the differences between the Home edition of Windows 10 and Windows 10 Pro. You get all the familiar Windows goodies in both versions, but the Pro upgrade adds features useful for businesses and other organisations: device encryption, user management, integrated remote desktop access, and so on. For most users the extra cash for Pro isn't going to be worth it. For those who do have to manage an office network, on the other hand, it absolutely is worth the upgrade.
Adding a slight complication to the mix is Windows 10 Sa cut-down, lightweight windows 10 home vs windows 10 pro price free download of the operating system that only runs apps from the Windows Store. You won't have to worry about Windows 10 S for much longer though, as it's rolling into the main version of Windows during Learn more Home Laptops Windows 10 home vs windows 10 pro price free download news Microsoft laptop news.
Why you can trust Pocket-lint. Writing by David Nield. Originally published on 22 May Recommended for you.
