How to Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro
Information
Upgrading your edition will add new features to Windows.
This tutorial will show you how to quickly upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro using the Store without losing anything.
You must be signed in as an administrator to upgrade your edition of Windows.
Note
To upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro, you'll need either a digital license or a valid product key:
- A digital license for Windows 10 Pro for the device you're upgrading. You'll have a digital license if Windows 10 Pro was already installed and activated on your device.
- A valid Windows 10 Pro product key.
- A valid Windows 8 Pro or Windows 8.1 Pro product key (including Windows 8 Pro Pack and Windows 8.1 Pro Pack product keys).
- A valid Windows 7 Ultimate or Windows 7 Professional product key.
Compare Features Between Windows 10 Editions
Here's How:
1. In your Windows 10 Home PC, open Settings, and click/tap on the Update & security icon.
2. Click/tap on Activation on the left side, and click/tap on Go to Store on the right side. (see screenshot below)
3. Do step 4 (purchase) or step 5 (enter key) below for how you would like to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
4. To Purchase Windows 10 Pro and Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro
A) Click/tap on the $99.99 (US) button. (see screenshot below)
B) Enter your password or PIN to confirm it's you. (see screenshot below)
C) Follow the rest of the onscreen instructions to buy Windows 10 Pro. (see screenshot below)
D) When finished purchasing Windows 10 Pro, go to step 6 below.
5. To Enter a Product Key and Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro
A) Click/tap on the I have a Windows 10 Pro product key link. (see screenshot below)
B) If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes.
C) Enter your product key, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)
Note
OEM product keys will not be accepted. It must be a retail key.
If you already installed and activated Windows 10 Pro on your device, you'll have a digital entitlement that allows you to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro without using a product key.
If you have a digital entitlement for Windows 10 Pro, and Windows 10 Home is currently activated on your device, you'll be prompted to start the upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for free.
If you have a digital entitlement for Windows 10 Pro, but Windows 10 Home isn't activated on your device, you can either choose to buy Windows 10 Home or upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for free.
To upgrade from Windows 10 Home if you have a Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8 Pro Pack, Windows 8.1 Pro, or Windows 8.1 Pro Pack product key, enter the generic key below. This key will upgrade your device to Windows 10 Pro, but will not activate it.
(Windows 10 Pro)
VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
OR
(Windows 10 Pro N)
2B87N-8KFHP-DKV6R-Y2C8J-PKCKT
After your device is upgraded to Windows 10 Pro, you'll need to activate Windows with your Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8 Pro Pack, Windows 8.1 Pro, or Windows 8.1 Pro Pack product key.
6. Click/tap on Start to begin. (see screenshot below)
7. Windows will now start preparing for upgrade. (see screenshot below)
8. When finished preparing, your Windows will automatically restart and start upgrading to Windows 10 Pro. (see screenshots below)
9. When finished upgrading, sign back in to your account, and click/tap on Close. (see screenshot below)
10. Enjoy Windows 10 Pro.
That's it,
Shawn
Related Tutorials
- How to View Windows Upgrade History in Windows 10
- How to Upgrade to Windows 10
- How to Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro for Workstations
- How to Upgrade Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Pro for Workstations
- How to Downgrade Windows 10 Pro for Workstations to Windows 10 Pro
- How to Upgrade from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Enterprise
- How to Go Back to the Previous Windows in Windows 10
- How to Switch to Windows 10 Pro from Windows 10 S
- List of Generic Product Keys to Install Windows 10 Editions
Here's an FYI.
Upgraded Win 10 Home to Pro with a Win 7 Pro retail key.
Surprisingly enough, Win 10 Home accepted the Win 7 key in the "Change product key" dialog, and proceeded to upgrade to Win 10 Pro.
Once done, it went online and activated the Pro install with a digital licence automatically.
Now, how geeky-licious is that?![]()