Windows 10 home does not upgrade to pro. How to change Windows edition without reinstalling Windows

03.07.2019 Interesting

You have a new (or old, but recently updated) PC withWindows 10 Home... Do you want to go toWindows 10 Pro... Here's how to deal with it quickly. You can evenperform this upgrade at no additional cost if you have an unused product keyProorUltimatefrom older versionWindows.

Microsoft's new activation rules for Windows 10 should be a little bit familiar. The biggest change in the way product keys are used is a technique called Digital Entitlement. If you took advantage of Microsoft's offer to upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 for free, you don't need a Windows 10 product key at all. Instead, it uses your hardware digital tag stored on Microsoft's activation servers to allow you to reinstall a new version of Windows. without entering a product key.

Additionally, starting with Windows 10 Update 1511 released in November 2015, you can use Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 keys to activate your Windows 10 installation.

And for added complexity, Microsoft supplies standard Windows 10 keys that you can use to unlock the Pro version without the activation procedure. I have already come across a note from one source, known for sensationalism and inaccuracy in the presentation of information, which claims that this allows you to "upgrade for free" to Windows 10 Pro.

In fact, this is not the case.

However, the new rules do allow for a number of interesting scenarios, especially when upgrading versions, such as moving from Windows 10 Home to Pro.

For example, if you may have had old product keys lying around, now they suddenly become valuable. So, at one time Microsoft for several months sold an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro with large discounts. It is possible that you also have keys to licenses that are no longer used for the boxed versions of Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate.

You can use these keys again to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro, thus saving $ 100.

To test how it all works, I recently tested upgrade and activation scripts on a variety of hardware. I share my experience.

Scenario 1: clean reinstall

I recently upgraded the SSD on an HP Specter x360 laptop originally sold with Windows 8.1 Home, which was then upgraded to Windows 10 Pro. After replacing the drive, I used a USB flash drive to re-install a clean copy of Windows 10 Pro.

During the installation process, I was prompted twice for a product key. Both times I selected the option to skip key entry (Fig. 1)

After the installation finished, I logged in and checked the activation status (Settings, Update & Security, Activation). The system was properly activated because Microsoft servers recognized my hardware and was using digital resolution.

Scenario 2: Clean Upgraded Reinstall

In my tests, I also used a Surface 3 tablet that originally shipped with Windows 8.1 Home and was upgraded to Windows 10 via Digital Entitlement. It was further upgraded from Home to Pro once again using the Windows 10 product key from MSDN. Hence, in fact, this device was registered with Microsoft's digital entitlement activation servers for two versions of Windows 10 (Home and Pro).

After that, I downloaded the Microsoft OS recovery image for Surface 3, copied it to a USB flash drive, and restored the original Windows 8.1 Home OS.

Then I used Windows Update to upgrade this system to Windows 10. It worked fine, but with one problem. The new OS was Windows 10 in the Home version. But I have a digital resolution for Windows 10 Pro. How to force such an upgrade?

This is where the standard product key comes in handy. I clicked Change Product Key from the System Control Panel (there is a similar button in Settings on the Activation page). This will open a dialog box (Fig. 2).

I entered the standard Windows 10 Pro key into it:

VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

This signaled Windows that I want to upgrade from Home to Pro (Figure 3).

I clicked Start Upgrade and after a few minutes the system rebooted. Since I was connected to the Internet, the Windows activation process checked my hardware data against Microsoft servers. Since it was already registered with digital entitlement on Windows 10 Pro, the system immediately activated without entering a product key.

Scenario 3: upgrading a new PC from version Home on P ro

Let's say you bought a new PC with an OEM installation of Windows 10 Home. Then you open the Activation page in Settings (Figure 4), and if you have a Windows 10 Pro product key, you can click the Change Product Key button and enter it - it's simple.

If you don't have a Pro product key and want to buy one, you can click Go To Store and purchase the $ 100 upgrade. It's easy too.

But what if you have a Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate key, or a Windows 8 / 8.1 Pro key? In this case, you need to update in two steps.

First of all, make sure that you are using OS version 1511 and you have installed its November update.

Perhaps you hoped that the standard key would magically give you a $ 100 upgrade? Alas, this is not the case, even if you read about it somewhere.

Instead, click the Change Product Key button and enter your Windows 7 Pro / Ultimate or Windows 8 / 8.1 Pro key. In case this key is real and you are running Windows 10 version 1511 or later, your activation should complete successfully.

All this, I agree, looks a little cumbersome, but it won't take much time.

Windows 10 Pro is the extended version of the operating system itself, which must be downloaded and installed. If you already have a dozen, for example Home, then go through the upgrade procedure to the Professional version. It's free and available to absolutely all users.

Microsoft offered its fans a free upgrade to Windows 10 until almost the summer of 2016. But not everyone had time to update their systems, especially to the Pro version. If you also want to update to the latest version of this popular OS, then our portal will be able to offer you all the necessary steps.

Upgrading to Windows 10 Pro - 2 Ways

So, what our resource can offer:

Download for free and install an update to Windows 10 Pro from a flash drive. In this case, you will receive a completely legal key that will help the system to activate immediately after connecting to the Internet.
If you have already managed to try the top ten without paying a penny for it, then your computer will probably already have a digital license. Therefore, you can install it at any time.

Some users today buy ready-made computers or laptops, which already have the tenth version of the OS from Microsoft. It is found in both the Home and Pro versions. At the same time, after using the home version for some time, you may feel that you lack its capabilities.

For obvious reasons, since Home does not have the same Group Policy Editor, has a slightly stripped down group access, etc. In this regard, getting a free upgrade to Windows 10 pro is completely normal. Our resource can help you with this, on the pages of which there are all the necessary materials and programs. And if you have not yet decided whether you need this, then we recommend our article - after reading it, we are sure you will definitely want to upgrade to a professional build, and do it as quickly as possible.

You may encounter unpleasant features of this edition. This is a stripped-down version that lacks many of the really demanded features: access to the remote desktop server, BitLocker drive encryption, support for group policies, control over the installation of updates, etc.

Sure, you can pay around $ 100 to upgrade to Pro, but you can get by with a more economical option.

Have you lost your old key from Windows 7 Pro, Windows 7 Ultimate or Windows 8 / 8.1 Pro somewhere? These keys can be reused to activate the upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro at no additional cost. In fact, you can use a product key from any of these Windows versions to perform a clean install or upgrade to Pro.

Thus, it makes sense to rummage through your email archives or hidden corners of your hard drive to find one of your old keys. You may even have a Windows 8 Pro key left at a very affordable price when Microsoft introduced big discounts due to a product launch failure in 2012.

Do you still have a boxed version of Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate that you no longer use?

It is important to clarify that the old product key will only need to be applied once. After upgrading from Windows 10 Home to Pro, the digital license will be tied to specific hardware on your computer. Digitally snapping allows you to reinstall Windows 10 Pro on your computer any number of times without having to enter your product key.

The new feature first appeared in Windows 10 version 1511. Since then, the binding process has been greatly simplified.

Upgrading from Windows 10 Home to Pro

Let's say you purchased a new PC with Windows 10 OEM preinstalled. Some vendors offer an upgrade option as part of your purchase, but many PCs are sold through the Home pre-loaded retail channel.

If you have an older device running Windows 7 or Windows 8.x, you should initially take advantage of the free upgrade to Windows 10 offer.

Otherwise, the upgrade process to Pro takes a few minutes. Go to the menu Settings> Update & Security> Activation and you will see the following screen:

If you do not have a Pro product key, you can purchase one yourself by selecting the “Go to Store” option in the section. The update will cost 6929 rubles (or about $ 100).

However, if you still have a key for Windows 10 Pro, Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate or Windows 8 / 8.1 Pro, then you need to select the "Change product key" option.

When using a key from an older version, upgrading to Pro previously only required two steps. However, in the latest feature updates, this process has been greatly simplified.

After entering your product key, accept the offer to start the update procedure. The operation progress page will appear on the screen and the system will be rebooted. After the update is complete, you will see a notification that the operation was completed successfully. Please go to the Activate page again to make sure that you are using an activated version of Windows 10 Pro.

Clean reinstall

After you successfully upgrade from Home to Pro edition, you can safely throw away or remove the product key from your old Windows. You won't need it anymore. Your license is digitally tied to specific equipment. If you reinstall Windows, Microsoft's activation servers recognize the hardware and activate Windows 10 automatically.

This upgrade scenario was tested on an HP Specter x360 test laptop that originally shipped with Windows 8.1 Home. The device was successfully upgraded to Windows 10 Pro and then a clean install of Windows 10 Pro was launched using a bootable USB media.

Twice during installation, the program asked for a product key. Option was selected both times. You need to make sure that you are installing exactly the edition of Windows 10 Pro.

After completing the installation and logging into your account, on the page Settings> Update & Security> Activation it was reported that the activation of the system was successful - the Microsoft servers recognized the hardware and used a digital license.

Clean reinstall with version update

One of the incorrect scenarios occurs when your system has digital licenses for both Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro. In this case, you can unintentionally restore your Windows 10 Home version.

This scenario just happened during testing using a system recovery image for a computer that originally came with Windows 8.1 Home. We used a Windows 10 recovery disc to recover, and after completing the recovery process, Windows 10 Home was installed on the computer.

If you encounter a similar problem, then you do not need to search for the original product key. Instead, use a Microsoft product key to force the update.

Go to the menu Settings> Update & Security> Activation, select the “Change Product Key” option and enter your Windows 10 Pro public key:

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Follow the instructions to upgrade from Home to Pro edition. Since your device is already digitally linked, the system will be activated automatically.

This public product key doesn’t work wonders. If your device does not have a digital link for Pro, then you will encounter an activation error and will be forced to provide the correct product key or pay to upgrade.

Found a typo? Press Ctrl + Enter

The promotion to upgrade Windows 7, and 8.1 to Windows 10 for all users ended at the end of summer 2016. Despite the fact that the term of the free transition promotion has expired a long time ago, many other methods have worked for a long time - from changing the time in the system to activating Windows 10 with existing keys of previous versions of the seventh or eighth generations.

But due to the fact that in January 2018, Microsoft representatives announced the official closure of any update options, it seems that it is no longer possible to get a free licensed Windows 10. But as practice shows, many options from those that worked earlier are still active. Let's take a look at the most convenient and effective ones.

At the moment, there are three free upgrade methods working: using the Windows Upgrade Assistant utility, activating the system with a key from previous versions, and a clean installation of Windows 10 (relevant for users who have already made the transition, but for some reason returned to the previous version).

Possible upgrade options:

Before considering the current update options, you need to consider the following points:

The Windows 10 migration process cannot be completed from Windows Vista or XP.
The system from which the transition is made must have the latest updates installed.
The current system must be activated or an official key purchased.
The hardware of the computer must be supported by Windows 10.

Upgrade via Upgrade Assistant

Long after the free upgrade for all users ended, Microsoft provided a free upgrade to the new version of Windows 10 for people with disabilities. At first, the period of this promotion was extended until December 31, 2017, but after the expiration of this period, the opportunity to update was active until January 18, 2018.

The company even created a separate one in order to make the upgrade as comfortable as possible. One of the features of this promotion was that the user, in order to confirm his incapacity, did not need to undergo any special checks or confirmations. Anyone who went to the site and downloaded the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant utility could upgrade.

At this time, the end of the promotion is announced on the home page of the Microsoft Disabled Upgrade Site. The company points out that now the only option is to purchase the original version already preinstalled on the new device, or to buy a separate full version of the software. No download links for this utility are provided.

BUT the file with the bootloader (Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant) is still available on the Microsoft website, download while there is access.
If the file disappears from the downloads, write in the comments, we will try to put it simply on the site (if at that time, in general, this update option will still work).

During the first installation, the program will check the current version of the update assistant.

After that, you will need to read and agree to the terms of the license agreement.

The Setup Assistant will check if your computer can upgrade to Windows 10.

And, if all items have passed a positive check, after pressing the OK button, the update process to Windows 10 will start. After the update is completed, the key of the previous version is picked up, and at the exit the user can use the activated system.

If the utility gives an error at the first start, this may be due to what was said earlier - Microsoft has officially closed the possibility of this update. But to get around this limitation, it is enough to change the system time to any one that will be earlier than 12/31/2017.

To do this, click on the clock on the taskbar and go to change the date and time settings.

Then you need to go to the section to change the date and time.

And then choose any date that will be earlier than the agreed date of 12/31/2017.

After this procedure, you can try to run the update assistant program again, it should start smoothly and update the system.

Updating using a key from previous versions

This method is the simplest and fastest. To get started, you already need to be the owner of a 7th or 8th generation Windows key. To upgrade to Windows 10 you need:

The system must accept the key from the previous version and activate it.

Clean install of Windows 10.

It is necessary to make a reservation once again that this method is suitable for users who have already upgraded to Windows 10 before. It consists in simply performing a clean installation of Windows 10, and the activation key should be automatically picked up by the system.

The activation key should be accepted automatically due to the fact that the user became the holder of a digital license during the first upgrade to Windows 10. This means that the activation key is tied to the hash of the equipment that is installed on the user's system. Then, after logging into a Microsoft account, the activation data is saved on the company's servers, and the digital license is automatically assigned to both the user account and the system equipment.

Here it is necessary to take into account the fact that if for some reason the configuration of the computer was previously changed, then it will be problematic to restore the license and only through technical support from Microsoft.

***
This article discusses the most current free ways to upgrade to Windows 10 from previous versions. If you know about other effective methods, be sure to share them in the comments.

How to upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro

If you are an advanced computer user, Microsoft's "basic" operating system may not be enough. In this case, you can upgrade to the professional version of Windows 10. To do this, there are two options for the transition.

The professional version of the Windows 10 operating system is suitable for advanced users

Updating Windows 10 with a product key

To make the transition to the professional version, you need to make sure that the current version of the operating system is installed on the device. If so, you can proceed to the next step. It requires a product key or digital license.

When switching from the home version of the system to the professional version, all files on the computer remain intact.

The easiest way to upgrade is to use a product key. You can purchase it from the Windows Store. To do this, you need to go through the chain: "Start"> "Settings"> "Update and Security"> "Activation"> "Go to the Store".

Go to Store to buy Windows 10 Pro

After purchasing the key, you need to perform simple steps that will not take you much time.

Upgrade with a digital license

The presence of a digital license in one of the cases assumes that the Pro version is already installed and the key is not required. Go to Start, then Settings> Updates & Security> Activation.

A digital license represents rights that are not tied to a computer (as it was before), but to a Microsoft account.

Therefore, if the professional version was activated on the device with the help of an account, then in the future it will not be difficult to switch to it. With the home version installed, it is enough to go to the "Store", where a free update will be offered. Even if the "basic" edition is not activated, you will be prompted to "Troubleshoot".

How to upgrade for free

At the moment, a Windows 10 Pro license costs just over 15 thousand rubles. If you don’t want to spend money, but there are not enough opportunities for home editing, then there is a way out. Old activation keys for Windows 8 Pro, Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate operating systems will come to the rescue.

The update is conditionally free, because it is assumed that you have already purchased keys for earlier versions.

To use this method, enter the standard key for Windows 10 during the update. But do not forget to change the universal key to the license key of an older version of the system after activation.

Video: updating Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro and activating it

How to upgrade Windows 10 Pro to Enterprise

The Enterprise version is even more advanced. It is widely used in large companies, as it has a number of useful functions:

Direct Access - the ability to remotely access without using a VPN;
Windows To Go Creator is a fully managed corporate Windows 10 workspace located on a specially configured bootable USB drive.
AppLocker is a set of policies that allow you to configure user access to various applications;
BranchCache - an option that makes the update and download process much easier and faster;
Controlling the Start Screen with Group Policy.

Windows 10 Enterprise finds widespread use in large companies

You will also need a product activation key to install Windows 10 Enerprise. Entering the key is performed in the same way as upgrading to the professional version. The entire installation will take less than 30 minutes.

Be sure to check for the latest up-to-date version of Windows 10 Pro.

The creators of Windows 10 made the transition between editions as convenient and fast as possible. Basically, it doesn't take even half an hour. Feel free to take advantage of new features if possible. Moreover, Windows provides the ability to return to a previous version.