Microsoft offers Windows 10 in two versions: Home and Professional. It's easy to understand on a conceptual level what this means. Pro is for people to use at work, and Home is for personal machines. But what's the real difference?
Let's take a look at Windows 10 Home vs. Windows 10 Pro. Knowing your needs for an operating system helps in your decision between Windows 10 Home versus Windows 10 Pro. If you're a home user, Windows 10 Home will take care of your computing needs.
If you need complex features, such as a network domain or the ability to manage group policies on several computers such as a small office , Windows 10 Pro has these advanced features to make management easy and centralized. If your networking needs are less complicated or you have a single computer, Windows 10 Home should be sufficient for an operating system.
If you're on a budget, the lower price should help. The bottom line is Windows 10 Pro offers more than its Windows Home counterpart, which is why it's more expensive. There's nothing Windows 10 Home can do that Pro can't.
These operating systems are largely the same. The difference is based on whether the license you activate is for Home or Pro.
You may have done this before, either when installing Windows, or setting up a new PC for the first time. During the setup, you reach a point in the process where you enter a character Product ID license key. Based on that key, Windows makes a set of features available in the OS. The features average users need are present in Home. Pro offers more features, but this refers to the built-in functions of Windows, and many of these functions are tools used only by system administrators.
The question is, what are these additional features in the Pro version, and do you need these features? In addition to the user account management features, Windows 10 Pro includes Bitlocker, a Microsoft encryption utility. It can secure either the disk with the OS for example, the C: drive or removable media like thumb drives. While there are other disk encryption tools available, Bitlocker integrates with your company's infrastructure, meaning your admin can secure your machine without you having to worry about it.
Windows Fundamentals includes some features that have been present in Windows for some time, going back to when it was originally separated into Pro and Home versions. The below examples of these have been bumped up to become Pro version upgrades or features that Home users can't use until they upgrade to Pro. Some Windows 10 Pro advantages won't be as important to the personal computing enthusiast. Nonetheless, it's worth knowing some of the business-focused functions you'd pay for if you upgraded to Pro:.
You'll need to choose between Home and Pro when you buy a computer, or when you buy a copy of Windows in a store or online. Take a moment to give it some thought before you make your purchase, for two reasons:.
If you buy Windows 10 Pro, but later realize you only need Windows 10 Home, buy a license for Home and activate it on the machine with Pro. This will leave you with an unused Pro license. If you plan to use the machine for business purposes at some point, or if you're not concerned about cost, go with Windows 10 Pro.
However, if you don't believe you need the enterprise features of Pro, your best bet is to get Windows 10 Home. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.
Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. WIP helps to protect against potential data leakage without otherwise interfering with the employee experience. WIP also helps to protect enterprise apps and data against accidental data leaks on enterprise-owned devices and personal devices that employees bring to work, without requiring changes to your environment or other apps.
Windows Defender Antivirus uses the power of the cloud, wide optics, machine learning and behaviour analysis to protect your devices from emerging, sophisticated threats. Windows 10 comes with automatic updates enabled, which means you get all the latest features at no extra cost. Take notes, navigate, draw, doodle, edit and create. Improve what you do with a digital pen. Get faster browsing 7 8 and better battery life 8 9 across your devices with Microsoft Edge, the browser built for Windows All you have to do is ask Cortana.
Extend battery life by limiting background activity and push notifications. Free up time and your hands by talking to your computer.
Get information and reminders or listen to music and manage your emails and calendar. Built-in security, productivity and management features save you time, money and hassle. Windows 10 mobile device management MDM provides an alternative to traditional PC management processes: you can transition to cloud based management at your own pace. Manage PCs, user accounts and groups, and get easy access to files and printers when you pair Windows 10 Pro with Windows Server.
Your one place to find, manage and distribute apps to Windows 10 devices in volume. With Assigned Access, Windows 10 Pro devices run different applications depending on the user and keep individual identities separate and secured. With Dynamic Provisioning you can take a new PC out of the box, turn it on, and transform it into a productive organisation device, with minimal time and effort.
Windows Update for Business can help businesses reduce management costs, provide control over update deployments, enable more efficient delivery of updates, and provide access to the latest innovations from Microsoft.
Configure a device in kiosk mode in a very simple way. You can do this locally on the device or remotely using Mobile Device Management. The shared log-on works on PCs, tablets and phones with minimal IT involvement. Edit photos and spice up presentations. Windows 10 has the apps you need to get in touch with your creative side. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more—get everything you need to create and present your ideas with an Microsoft subscription.
Scribble down a headline, draw a chart, add bullet points—design an entire presentation with a digital pen. And on new Windows 10 touchscreen computers, you can zoom, scroll and sign documents with the touch of a finger. The new Photos app makes it fun and easy to enhance your digital memories. Use Sticky Notes and type, ink or add a picture to save ideas, thoughts, lists, appointments and more—so you don't miss a thing!
Windows 10 has apps and features to help you have fun and get more done with less hassle. Scroll through time to find documents and websites. Log into your Windows devices three times faster by using your face or fingerprint.
Windows 10 features are best experienced on a modern PC. Find out if your current PC is ready for Windows 10 by answering just a few questions. Review this doc for more details on Device Encryption. Active Directory makes management easier but is not required.
Pen accessory may be sold separately. Chrome 69 and Firefox Go here for more details on this performance claim. Go here for more details on this battery life claim. Users will receive an app from Microsoft which they must download to their Android phone and follow the set-up prompts, including being signed into same Microsoft Account across mobile apps and Windows 10 PC.
Users will receive an app from Microsoft which they must download to their iPhone and follow the set-up prompts.
Functionality and apps may vary by market and device. To see up to 30 days of activities, users must choose this option in settings. Available in selected markets. Functionality may vary by device. Requires specialised hardware, including fingerprint reader, illuminated IR sensor or other biometric sensors and capable devices.
