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Windows 10 edition upgrade

  • Article

Applies to

  • Windows 10

With Windows 10, you can quickly upgrade from one edition of Windows 10 to another, provided the upgrade path is supported. For information on what edition of Windows 10 is right for you, see Compare Windows 10 Editions. For a comprehensive list of all possible upgrade paths to Windows 10, see Windows 10 upgrade paths. Downgrading the edition of Windows is discussed in the License expiration section on this page.

The following table shows the methods and paths available to change the edition of Windows 10 that is running on your computer.

Note

The reboot requirement for upgrading from Pro to Enterprise was removed in version 1607.

Tip

Although it isn't displayed yet in the table, edition upgrade is also possible using edition upgrade policy in Microsoft Configuration Manager.

not supported. (X) = not supported
supported, reboot required. (green checkmark) = supported, reboot required
supported, no reboot. (blue checkmark) = supported, no reboot required

Edition upgrade Using mobile device management (MDM) Using a provisioning package Using a command-line tool Using Microsoft Store for Business or PC Entering a product key manually Purchasing a license from the Microsoft Store
Home > Pro not supported. not supported not supported not supported supported, reboot required supported, reboot required
Home > Pro for Workstations not supported. not supported not supported not supported supported, reboot required supported, reboot required
Home > Pro Education supported, reboot required. supported, reboot required supported, reboot required not supported supported, reboot required not supported
Home > Education supported, reboot required. supported, reboot required supported, reboot required not supported supported, reboot required not supported
Pro > Pro for Workstations supported, no reboot. supported, no reboot supported, no reboot supported, no reboot
(Microsoft Store for Business)		 supported, no reboot supported, no reboot
Pro > Pro Education supported, no reboot. supported, no reboot supported, no reboot supported, no reboot
(Microsoft Store for Business)		 supported, no reboot not supported
Pro > Education supported, reboot required. supported, reboot required supported, reboot required supported, reboot required
(Microsoft Store for Business)		 supported, reboot required not supported
Pro > Enterprise supported, no reboot. supported, no reboot supported, no reboot supported, no reboot
(1703 - PC)
(1709 - Microsoft Store for Business)		 supported, no reboot not supported
Pro for Workstations > Pro Education supported, no reboot. supported, no reboot supported, no reboot supported, no reboot
(Microsoft Store for Business)		 supported, no reboot not supported
Pro for Workstations > Education supported, reboot required. supported, reboot required supported, reboot required supported, reboot required
(Microsoft Store for Business)		 supported, reboot required not supported
Pro for Workstations > Enterprise supported, no reboot. supported, no reboot supported, no reboot supported, no reboot
(1703 - PC)
(1709 - Microsoft Store for Business)		 supported, no reboot not supported
Pro Education > Education supported, reboot required. supported, reboot required supported, reboot required supported, reboot required
(Microsoft Store for Business)		 supported, reboot required not supported
Enterprise > Education supported, reboot required. supported, reboot required supported, reboot required supported, reboot required
(Microsoft Store for Business)		 supported, reboot required not supported

Note

  • For information about upgrade paths in Windows 10 in S mode (for Pro or Education), check out Windows 10 Pro/Enterprise in S mode
  • Each desktop edition in the table also has an N and KN SKU. These editions have had media-related functionality removed. Devices with N or KN SKUs installed can be upgraded to corresponding N or KN SKUs using the same methods.

Upgrade using mobile device management (MDM)

  • To upgrade desktop editions of Windows 10 using MDM, you'll need to enter the product key for the upgraded edition in the UpgradeEditionWithProductKey policy setting of the WindowsLicensing CSP. For more info, see WindowsLicensing CSP.

Upgrade using a provisioning package

Use Windows Configuration Designer to create a provisioning package to upgrade a desktop edition. To get started, install Windows Configuration Designer from the Microsoft Store.

  • To create a provisioning package for upgrading desktop editions of Windows 10, go to Runtime settings > EditionUpgrade > UpgradeEditionWithProductKey in the Available customizations panel in Windows ICD and enter the product key for the upgraded edition.

For more info about Windows Configuration Designer, see these articles:

Upgrade using a command-line tool

You can run the changepk.exe command-line tool to upgrade devices to a supported edition of Windows 10:

changepk.exe /ProductKey <enter your new product key here>

You can also upgrade using slmgr.vbs and a KMS client setup key. For example, the following command will upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise.

Cscript.exe c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43

Upgrade by manually entering a product key

If you're upgrading only a few devices, you may want to enter a product key for the upgraded edition manually.

To manually enter a product key

  1. From either the Start menu or the Start screen, type 'Activation' and select on the Activation shortcut.

  2. Select Change product key.

  3. Enter your product key.

  4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Upgrade by purchasing a license from the Microsoft Store

If you don't have a product key, you can upgrade your edition of Windows 10 through the Microsoft Store.

To upgrade through the Microsoft Store

  1. From either the Start menu or the Start screen, type 'Activation' and select on the Activation shortcut.

  2. Select Go to Store.

  3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

    Note

    If you are a Windows 10 Home N or Windows 10 Home KN user and have trouble finding your applicable upgrade in the Microsoft Store, click here.

License expiration

Volume license customers whose license has expired will need to change the edition of Windows 10 to an edition with an active license. Switching to a downgraded edition of Windows 10 is possible using the same methods that were used to perform an edition upgrade. If the downgrade path is supported, then your apps and settings can be migrated from the current edition. If a path isn't supported, then a clean install is required.

Downgrading from any edition of Windows 10 to Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 by entering a different product key isn't supported. You also can't downgrade from a later version to an earlier version of the same edition (Ex: Windows 10 Pro 1709 to 1703) unless the rollback process is used. This article doesn't discuss version downgrades.

Note

If you are using Windows 10 Enterprise Subscription Activation and a license expires, devices will automatically revert to the original edition when the grace period expires.

Scenario example

Downgrading from Enterprise

  • Original edition: Professional OEM
  • Upgrade edition: Enterprise
  • Valid downgrade paths: Pro, Pro for Workstations, Pro Education, Education

You can move directly from Enterprise to any valid destination edition. In this example, downgrading to Pro for Workstations, Pro Education, or Education requires an additional activation key to supersede the firmware-embedded Pro key. In all cases, you must comply with Microsoft License Terms. If you're a volume license customer, refer to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Reference Guide.

Supported Windows 10 downgrade paths

✔ = Supported downgrade path

S = Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade

[blank] = Not supported or not a downgrade

Destination Edition: (Starting)

Supported downgrade path. (green checkmark) = Supported downgrade path
Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade. (blue checkmark) = Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade
not supported. (X) = not supported or not a downgrade

Edition Home Pro Pro for Workstations Pro Education Education Enterprise LTSC Enterprise
Home Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade. not supported. not supported. not supported. not supported. not supported. not supported.
Pro not supported. Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade. not supported. not supported. not supported. not supported. not supported.
Pro for Workstations not supported. not supported. Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade. not supported. not supported. not supported. not supported.
Pro Education not supported. not supported. not supported. Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade. not supported. not supported. not supported.
Education not supported. Supported downgrade path. Supported downgrade path. Supported downgrade path. Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade. not supported. Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade.
Enterprise LTSC not supported. not supported. not supported. not supported. not supported. Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade. not supported.
Enterprise not supported. Supported downgrade path. Supported downgrade path. Supported downgrade path. Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade. not supported. Supported; Not considered a downgrade or an upgrade.

Windows N/KN: Windows "N" and "KN" SKUs follow the same rules shown above.

Some slightly more complex scenarios aren't represented by the table above. For example, you can perform an upgrade from Pro to Pro for Workstation on a computer with an embedded Pro key using a Pro for Workstation license key, and then later downgrade this computer back to Pro with the firmware-embedded key. The downgrade is allowed but only because the pre-installed OS is Pro.

Windows 10 upgrade paths
Windows 10 volume license media
Windows 10 Subscription Activation