What are Windows editions?
Microsoft builds each Windows release, such as Windows 11, from one code base and sells it as several editions with different feature sets. The edition decides whether a PC can join a domain, use BitLocker, accept Remote Desktop connections or run the Group Policy Editor. A technician who misreads the edition will promise features the PC does not have. Check it with winver, in Settings > System > About, or on the OS Name line of systeminfo.
The main Windows 11 editions
- Home: the consumer edition. Workgroup only, no BitLocker management (many devices instead get the simpler device encryption), no Group Policy Editor, no Local Users and Groups console, and it can be a Remote Desktop client but not a host.
- Pro: adds domain join and Microsoft Entra join, BitLocker and BitLocker To Go,
gpedit.msc, Remote Desktop host, Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox. This is the usual small-business edition. - Pro for Workstations: Pro features plus support for high-end hardware, such as more processors and memory, and creating ReFS volumes.
- Enterprise: sold through volume licensing or subscription to larger organizations. It adds advanced security and management features and has a Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) version for fixed-purpose devices.
- Education: based on Enterprise and licensed to schools. A Pro Education version also exists.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Home | Pro | Enterprise and Education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Join an Active Directory domain | No | Yes | Yes |
| BitLocker drive encryption | No (device encryption on supported hardware) | Yes | Yes |
| Local Group Policy Editor | No | Yes | Yes |
| Remote Desktop host | No (client only) | Yes | Yes |
| Hyper-V | No | Yes | Yes |
Memory limits differ too: 64-bit Windows 11 Home supports up to 128 GB of RAM and Pro up to 2 TB, and Pro for Workstations supports more than Pro.
Other edition details
- N editions: sold mainly in Europe without Windows Media Player and related media technologies. The free Media Feature Pack adds them back. If media playback fails in apps that work on other PCs, check whether the PC runs an N edition.
- 64-bit only: Windows 11 has no 32-bit version, so it cannot run on 32-bit processors and cannot run 16-bit applications.
- Upgrading an edition: Home can be upgraded to Pro in place, keeping apps and files, by entering a Pro product key or buying the upgrade in Settings > System > Activation. Going from Pro back to Home requires a clean install.
- Licensing: retail licenses can be moved to another PC, OEM licenses stay with the device they shipped on, and Enterprise uses volume or subscription activation.
Windows 11 hardware requirements
Windows 11 needs a supported 64-bit processor (1 GHz or faster with two or more cores), 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, UEFI firmware that is Secure Boot capable, TPM version 2.0, and a DirectX 12-compatible graphics adapter with a WDDM 2.0 driver. The PC Health Check app shows which requirement a PC fails. Missing TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot is often just a firmware setting (Intel PTT or AMD fTPM, and UEFI mode instead of legacy or CSM boot), although a system disk using MBR must first be converted to GPT, for example with mbr2gpt. Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025; after that date, security updates for it continue only through the Extended Security Updates program.
Windows editions on the CompTIA A+ exam
Editions map to Core 2 (220-1202) objective 1.3, which covers what separates the Windows editions. Expect scenarios where a feature is missing: a Home PC that cannot join the domain, has no BitLocker option, cannot be reached by Remote Desktop or has no gpedit.msc needs an upgrade to Pro. Know the Home and Pro RAM limits (128 GB and 2 TB on 64-bit Windows 11), what an N edition is, and the TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirements for Windows 11.