How to Upgrade From Windows 10 Home to Pro

If you need more power, here's how to upgrade

by
Aaron Peters
Aaron Peters
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Aaron Peters is a writer with Lifewire who has 20+ years experience in technology. His work appears in Linux Journal, MakeUseOf, and others.
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Aaron Peters
Updated on December 11, 2020
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Ryan Perian
Lifewire Tech Review Board Member
Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions.
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Article reviewed on Feb 16, 2020
Ryan Perian

What to Know

  • Go to Start Menu > Settings > Update & Security > Activation > Go to the Store to purchase a Windows 10 Pro upgrade.
  • If you have a Windows 10 Pro product key, go to Start Menu > Settings > Updates and Security > Activation > Change product key.
  • If you want to install it on another computer, re-enter your Windows 10 Home product key to downgrade and unregister your Pro product key.

This article explains how to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro. You can find out which version of Windows you have by checking your system settings.

How to Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro via the Windows Store

If you haven't paid anything for the upgrade yet, and no one has handed you a copy of Pro, the most straightforward way to upgrade is using the Windows Store. In order to upgrade, take the following steps:

  1. First, make sure your PC doesn't have any pending updates.

    Screenshot of Updates Available in Windows 10

  2. Next, select the Start Menu, then select Settings.

    Windows 10 Start > Settings

  3. Select Update & Security.

    Windows 10 Update & Security

  4. Select Activation on the left-hand menu.

    Windows 10 Activation

  5. Select Go to the Store.

    Activation > Go to the Store

  6. This will lead you to the Windows Store. To purchase the upgrade, you can select Buy.

    Buy Windows 10 Pro button

  7. Log in with your Microsoft account, then enter your payment method. Windows will upgrade in no time flat.

Person browsing the Microsoft Store for WIndows 10 Pro Upgrade
Maddy Price / Lifewire

Upgrade From Windows 10 Home to Pro via a License Key/Digital License

If you do have a copy of Windows 10 Pro, or maybe you found a retail copy of the upgrade for less than Microsoft charges, you'll have a product key (alternately called a license key) that enables Windows 10 Pro. You'll need it to replace your current license key. To do so:

  1. Make sure you're up to date on any Windows Updates.

  2. Navigate again to Start Menu > Settings > Updates and Security > Activation.

    Windows 10 Activation

  3. Under Activation, select Change product key. The Product Key window will open.

  4. Enter the 25-digit Windows Pro Product Key.

    Enter a product key

  5. Select Next. If your key is correct, the upgrade will start, and you'll soon get a message that Windows has been upgraded.

If you installed Windows 10 Home manually, you have the option to move the Home license elsewhere and install the Pro version in its place. Our FAQ on product keys will tell you everything you need to know about moving Windows licenses between machines.

How to Transfer Your Windows 10 Pro Upgrade

Since you had a full operating system before this upgrade, you can remove it from its current machine and use it on another. You're effectively reinstalling your original license, which will make the upgrade available again. If you need to do this:

Do this while you're online so that Microsoft can register that you removed the Pro upgrade.

  1. Look at the bottom of your Windows laptop, or on the top/side of a desktop tower. There might be a sticker there showing your original Windows product key; alternatively, it might be in the manuals and other material that came in your PC's box.

  2. Enter the key in the Change product key dialog as noted above, and you'll effectively "downgrade" to your old Home license.

    Screenshot of Product Key window

  3. Your upgrade license should now be freed up to be installed on another machine.

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