Windows 11: the differences between the Home and Pro versions

Compared to Windows 10, not much has changed in Windows 11 in terms of the different versions, especially the Home and Pro versions. This also means that if your machine was previously running Windows 10 Home, you can get Windows 11 Home for free. The same applies to upgrading from Windows 10 Pro.

By the way, the free update still works for Windows 7 and 8: both as an update of a working computer, and as a fresh installation with keys from previous versions.

But what does the Home version lack compared to Windows 11 Pro? These are the encryption of the entire data carrier (Bitlocker), the EFS (Encrypting File System) data encryption, the group policy editor and the “Local users and groups” option in IT management. The same applies to extended remote access (remote desktop), single-app kiosk mode, Hyper-V display technology, and some other business and security features. But don’t worry: Windows 11 is not insecure at all!

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The differences between Windows 10 and 11 for private use are small, and some restrictions can also be removed with tools or tricks.

In practice, home users are likely to miss encrypting data and media the most. However, you can use this feature with the free tool

Veracrypt
refurb After all, Microsoft requires home users to have an online account. In practice, however, this can be easily circumvented by typing any password in the corresponding setup step in the Microsoft account windows field. Confirm the following error message “Unfortunately, a problem has occurred” by clicking “Next”, whereupon Home Edition can also be configured with a local user account.

Tip: You can read more about the differences between Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro in this article:

Windows 10 Pro vs. Home: 6 good reasons to change