Migration from Windows Family to Windows Pro for a small Business

Hello Smail

To migrate multiple Windows devices from Windows 10 Home (Family edition) to Windows 10 Pro (Business edition) using an MDM (Mobile Device Management) solution, you can leverage Windows Autopilot along with a compatible MDM platform like Microsoft Intune. However, as you mentioned that the devices are currently using Windows 10 Home edition, there are some considerations and steps involved in this migration process. Here's a suggested method:

Pre-requisites:

1. Windows 10 Pro Licenses: Ensure that you have valid Windows 10 Pro licenses for each device you want to upgrade.
2. MDM Subscription: Subscribe to Microsoft Intune or another compatible MDM solution that supports Windows Autopilot and device provisioning.

Steps to Migrate to Windows 10 Pro using Autopilot and Intune:

1. Prepare Windows Autopilot Profile:

• Log in to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center (https://endpoint.microsoft.com) using your administrator account.
• Navigate to "Devices" > "Windows" > "Windows enrollment" > "Windows Autopilot deployment profiles."
• Create a new Autopilot deployment profile for Self-Deploying mode. This profile will be used to automatically provision devices with Windows 10 Pro.

2. Import Devices to Autopilot:

• Obtain the hardware IDs (typically using the Windows Autopilot deployment service) for each Windows 10 Home device you want to migrate.
• Upload the hardware IDs to the Autopilot service in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center. This associates the devices with your Autopilot deployment profile.

3. Create and Assign Intune Configuration Profile:

• In the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center, navigate to "Devices" > "Configuration profiles" > "+ Create profile."
• Choose "Windows 10 and later" as the platform and "Edition Upgrade" as the profile type.
• Configure the profile settings to specify the target edition (Windows 10 Pro) and license key.
• Assign the configuration profile to the devices targeted for migration.

4. Perform Device Enrollment:

• On each Windows 10 Home device: a. Reset the device to factory settings (if necessary). b. Connect the device to the internet. c. Follow the out-of-box experience (OOBE) prompts until you reach the screen that asks for credentials. d. Sign in with the credentials of a user assigned to the Autopilot deployment profile. e. The device will automatically enroll in Intune and apply the assigned configuration profile to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.

Additional Considerations:

• Ensure that the devices meet the hardware requirements for Windows 10 Pro.
• Back up important data on the devices before initiating the migration process.
• Test the migration process on a pilot group of devices before scaling up to all devices.
• Communicate the migration plan and any impacts to users in advance. To migrate multiple Windows devices from Windows 10 Home (Family edition) to Windows 10 Pro (Business edition) using an MDM (Mobile Device Management) solution, you can leverage Windows Autopilot along with a compatible MDM platform like Microsoft Intune. However, as you mentioned that the devices are currently using Windows 10 Home edition, there are some considerations and steps involved in this migration process. Here's a suggested method: Pre-requisites:
  1. Windows 10 Pro Licenses: Ensure that you have valid Windows 10 Pro licenses for each device you want to upgrade.
     1. MDM Subscription: Subscribe to Microsoft Intune or another compatible MDM solution that supports Windows Autopilot and device provisioning.
  Steps to Migrate to Windows 10 Pro using Autopilot and Intune:
  1. Prepare Windows Autopilot Profile: Log in to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center (https://endpoint.microsoft.com) using your administrator account.

     Navigate to "Devices" > "Windows" > "Windows enrollment" > "Windows Autopilot deployment profiles."
     
        Create a new Autopilot deployment profile for Self-Deploying mode. This profile will be used to automatically provision devices with Windows 10 Pro.
     

  2. Import Devices to Autopilot: Obtain the hardware IDs (typically using the Windows Autopilot deployment service) for each Windows 10 Home device you want to migrate.

     Upload the hardware IDs to the Autopilot service in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center. This associates the devices with your Autopilot deployment profile.
     

  3. Create and Assign Intune Configuration Profile: In the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center, navigate to "Devices" > "Configuration profiles" > "+ Create profile."

     Choose "Windows 10 and later" as the platform and "Edition Upgrade" as the profile type.
     
        Configure the profile settings to specify the target edition (Windows 10 Pro) and license key.
     
           Assign the configuration profile to the devices targeted for migration.
     

  4. Perform Device Enrollment: On each Windows 10 Home device: a. Reset the device to factory settings (if necessary). b. Connect the device to the internet. c. Follow the out-of-box experience (OOBE) prompts until you reach the screen that asks for credentials. d. Sign in with the credentials of a user assigned to the Autopilot deployment profile. e. The device will automatically enroll in Intune and apply the assigned configuration profile to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
  Additional Considerations: Ensure that the devices meet the hardware requirements for Windows 10 Pro. Back up important data on the devices before initiating the migration process. Test the migration process on a pilot group of devices before scaling up to all devices. Communicate the migration plan and any impacts to users in advance.