Explore supported upgrade paths

3 minutes

Performing an in-place upgrade can save time and enable you to keep user and computer settings from a previous Windows version. However, the Windows version you're upgrading will dictate the options available for the upgrade process.

In-place upgrade paths for Windows

You can switch to a different edition when using the in-place upgrade method. This switch requires the appropriate license or product key before starting the upgrade process. The following table lists upgrade possibilities based on Windows editions.

Previous Windows edition

Windows 10/11 Home

Windows 10/11 Pro or Pro Education

Windows 10/11 Enterprise

Windows 10/11 Education

Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 Pro / Pro Student

Windows 8.1 Enterprise

Windows 10 Home

Windows 10 Pro

Windows 10 Enterprise or Education

Edition Upgrade paths for Windows 10 and later

For Windows 10 or 11, changing editions is more accessible. Unlike previous versions of Windows, the in-place upgrade process isn't required. Switching to different editions doesn't require the OS to be replaced. Instead, the license used for the device determines the edition. The OS features reflect the new license if the license changes to another edition.

This process is beneficial for new PC deployments. A new device might come with a specific edition of Windows, but the organization uses a different edition. The most common scenario is that your device purchase includes Pro, but the organization uses Enterprise or Education edition. Instead of a lengthy wipe and reload, a simple change to the licenses will change the edition. Most times, a reboot is unnecessary.

There are several methods available for performing an edition upgrade. The current edition on the device and the target edition determine which method to use. The following table shows the supported upgrade paths for editions:

Edition upgrade

Using mobile device management (MDM)

Using a provisioning package

Using a command-line tool (changepk.exe)

Using Microsoft Store for Business or PC

Entering a product key manually

Purchasing a license from the Microsoft Store

Home > Pro

Home > Pro for Workstations

Home > Pro Education

Home > Education

Pro > Pro for Workstations

Pro > Pro for Workstations, Enterprise, Pro Education, Education

Pro for Workstations > Enterprise, Pro Education, Education

Pro Education > Education

Enterprise > Education

The Edition Upgrade policy in Configuration Manager can also be used to upgrade Pro to Enterprise, and Home to Education.

S Mode

S mode is a version of Windows 10 and 11 that's streamlined for security and performance while providing a familiar Windows experience. To increase security, it allows only apps from Microsoft Store and requires Microsoft Edge for safe browsing.

S Mode is available in Home, Pro, and Enterprise Windows 10. You can switch out of S Mode to Home, Pro, or Enterprise Edition, but once completed, you cannot switch back without reloading the OS. You start this switch using the Microsoft Store or Microsoft Intune. Windows 11 in S mode is only available in the Windows 11 Home edition. If you have the Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions of Windows 10 in S mode, you'll need to permanently switch out of S mode to upgrade to Windows 11.

Downgrade Paths

Users upgrade Windows Pro to Enterprise to enjoy more features and better services for advanced tasks. It's possible to downgrade from either the Enterprise or Education edition. You can downgrade to any of the three Pro or Education editions. Windows requires another key if the target downgrade edition is any supported edition other than the firmware embedded key. Volume license customers whose license has expired must downgrade to an edition with an active license. If the downgrade path isn't supported, a clean install is required.

Deprecated features

When you upgrade to Windows 10 or 11, some features in your old operating system may no longer be available. The following list details the deprecated features that aren't a part of Windows 10 and 11:

Windows 10

Media Center from previous versions of Windows will no longer be available.
Windows 10 Home edition will have updates from Windows Update automatically available.
Internet Explorer. Microsoft Edge Chromium is the default browser. IE Mode in Microsoft Edge is available for supporting legacy web applications.
Microsoft Edge. The legacy version of Microsoft Edge (non-Chromium) is no longer being developed.
Roaming of Personalization settings (including wallpaper, slideshow, accent colors, and lock screen images) is no longer being developed.
Timeline won't display new activity after July 2021.

Windows 11

Cortana is no longer pinned to the task bar or part of the boot experience.
Desktop wallpaper doesn't roam.
Start Menu
- Named groups and folders of apps are no longer supported and the layout isn't currently resizable.
- Live tiles are no longer available. Dynamic content has been replaced with the Widgets feature.
- Pinned apps and sites won't migrate from Windows 10.
- Customizations are still supported, but users can't be locked from making layout changes.
Multi-app Kiosk Mode isn't available, only single app Kiosk Mode is supported.
Snip and Sketch have been merged with the Snipping Tool.
S Mode is only available on Home edition.
Tablet mode is removed. The experience is more dynamic based on the configuration of the device.
Timeline feature is removed.
Task bar
- Some icons may no longer appear in the System Tray.
- The taskbar can only be aligned to the bottom of the screen.
- Apps can no longer customize areas of the Taskbar.
Boot.wim using Windows Deployment Services. PXE-boot from a WDS server that uses boot.wim is no longer supported starting with Windows 11 images. WDS PXE boot is still supported and organizations can still use custom images. Customers should use Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager or Microsoft Deployment Toolkit for image deployment.