Updated June 2026
For most people the answer takes about thirty seconds: if you don’t know what BitLocker, Remote Desktop, or Hyper-V are, you need Home. If any of those words mean something to you professionally, you probably need Pro. Everything below works through the decision properly for the cases that aren’t that simple.
The quick answer by user type
| Your situation | Edition | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Home user, student, family PC | Home | Everything you need at the best price |
| Gamer | Home | Performance is identical — Pro adds nothing for gaming |
| Remote worker who needs to connect back to their PC | Pro | Remote Desktop host is Pro only |
| Small business owner managing devices | Pro | BitLocker, Group Policy, Azure AD join |
| Developer or IT professional | Pro | Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, Group Policy |
| Laptop with sensitive work data | Pro | BitLocker encrypts the drive if lost or stolen |
| Windows 10 user upgrading — hardware compatible | Either | Match your current edition unless you need Pro features |
| Windows 10 user — hardware not compatible | Home | New licence required — Home covers most users |
Feature comparison — what Pro actually adds
The core of Windows 11 is identical between editions — same interface, same performance, same app compatibility, same security foundation. Pro adds a specific set of features aimed at business, IT, and professional users. Here’s the full picture.
| Feature | Home | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Security | ||
| BitLocker drive encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Windows Information Protection | ✗ | ✓ |
| Windows Sandbox | ✗ | ✓ |
| Secure Boot & TPM 2.0 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows Security (Defender) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remote access & management | ||
| Remote Desktop — host (connect to this PC) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Remote Desktop — client (connect to other PCs) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Group Policy management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Windows Update for Business | ✗ | ✓ |
| Assigned Access (kiosk mode) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Infrastructure & identity | ||
| Azure Active Directory join | ✗ | ✓ |
| Local domain join | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hyper-V virtualisation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Everyday use & gaming | ||
| DirectX 12 Ultimate & Auto HDR | ✓ | ✓ |
| Game Mode & gaming optimisations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Microsoft Store & app compatibility | ✓ | ✓ |
| Copilot AI features | ✓ | ✓ |
The three Pro features that actually drive the decision
Most of the Pro-only feature list is irrelevant to most buyers. Three features are responsible for the vast majority of Pro purchases.
BitLocker drive encryption
BitLocker encrypts everything on the drive. If the laptop is lost or stolen, the data is inaccessible without the recovery key. Home has no equivalent — Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 protect the boot process, but the drive contents are readable if someone removes it and connects it elsewhere. For any laptop carrying client data, financial records, or anything genuinely sensitive, BitLocker is the reason to choose Pro. It’s not a nice-to-have in that context — it’s the difference between a data breach and a lost laptop.
Remote Desktop — host
Both editions can connect to other PCs using Remote Desktop. Only Pro can act as the host — the machine being connected to. If you work from home and need to access your office PC remotely, or you want to control your home machine from elsewhere, the office machine or home machine needs to be running Pro. Windows 11 Home can only be the device you’re connecting from, never the device you’re connecting to.
Hyper-V
Hyper-V is Microsoft’s built-in hypervisor — it runs virtual machines directly on the hardware without third-party software. Developers use it to test builds across different OS configurations. IT teams use it to run isolated environments. Home users who want to experiment with Linux or test software in a sandboxed environment typically reach for VirtualBox instead, which runs on Home without issue. If your workflow specifically requires Hyper-V rather than a third-party alternative, you need Pro.
Pro costs £38 against Home at £34 — a difference of a few pounds. If you’re on the boundary, the price is not the deciding factor. Choose based on whether you genuinely need any of the three features above.
Gaming — Home is fine
Performance is identical between editions for gaming. DirectX 12 Ultimate, Auto HDR, Game Mode, memory integrity, and all gaming-relevant features are present in both. There is no frame rate difference, no latency difference, and no game compatibility difference between Windows 11 Home and Pro.
The only reason to run Pro on a gaming machine is if you also need one of the business features — BitLocker on a laptop you travel with, or Remote Desktop to access your rig remotely. As a gaming-only decision, Home wins on simplicity and marginally lower cost.
Windows 10 users: what this means for you in 2026
Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025. If you’re still running it, you’re now outside Microsoft’s security patch cycle — which means vulnerabilities discovered after that date go unpatched on your machine.
The upgrade path depends on your hardware.
If your hardware is compatible
The free upgrade to Windows 11 is still available via Windows Update for machines that meet Microsoft’s requirements. Check Settings → Windows Update — if your machine qualifies, the upgrade will appear there at no cost. Your existing Windows 10 edition determines what you upgrade to: Windows 10 Home upgrades to Windows 11 Home, Windows 10 Pro upgrades to Windows 11 Pro.
If your hardware isn’t compatible
The most common blockers are TPM 2.0 and CPU compatibility. If your machine fails the hardware check, you have two realistic options: upgrade the hardware (adding a TPM module is straightforward on many desktops) or continue on Windows 10 under the Extended Security Updates programme, which provides paid security patches through October 2027. A new Windows 11 licence won’t help if the hardware check fails — the requirement is enforced at installation.
Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates for Windows 10 cover October 2025 to October 2026 (Year 1) and October 2026 to October 2027 (Year 2). ESU is available to individuals via the Microsoft Store. If you’re evaluating whether to pay for ESU Year 2 or buy a Windows 11 licence instead, a Windows 11 key at £34 is almost certainly the better long-term decision — provided your hardware qualifies.
Already on Home? Upgrading to Pro is straightforward
You don’t need to reinstall Windows to move from Home to Pro. Go to Settings → System → Activation → Change product key, enter a valid Windows 11 Pro key, and the Pro features unlock immediately. Your files, applications, and settings stay in place. The whole process takes a few minutes.
This means there’s no risk in buying Home now if you’re uncertain. If your needs change — you start a business, begin working remotely, or take on IT responsibilities — upgrading later is clean and simple.
Pricing
- ✓ Full Windows 11 — all everyday features
- ✓ DirectX 12 & gaming optimisations
- ✓ Windows Security (Defender)
- ✓ Secure Boot & TPM 2.0
- ✓ Copilot AI features
- ✓ Upgradeable to Pro — no reinstall needed
- ✗ No BitLocker encryption
- ✗ No Remote Desktop host
- ✗ No Hyper-V or Group Policy
- ✓ Everything in Home
- ✓ BitLocker drive encryption
- ✓ Remote Desktop — host & client
- ✓ Hyper-V virtualisation
- ✓ Group Policy management
- ✓ Windows Sandbox
- ✓ Azure AD & domain join
- ✓ Windows Update for Business
Common questions
The core Windows 11 experience is identical — same interface, same performance, same app compatibility. Pro adds a specific set of business and IT features that most home users don’t need: BitLocker drive encryption, Remote Desktop host, Hyper-V virtualisation, Group Policy, Windows Sandbox, Azure AD join, and Windows Update for Business. If none of those mean anything to you, Home is the right choice.
No — not purely for gaming. Performance is identical between editions. DirectX 12 Ultimate, Auto HDR, Game Mode, and all gaming-specific features are present in both Home and Pro. The only reason to choose Pro for a gaming setup is if you also need BitLocker on a laptop or Remote Desktop access to your machine while away. As a gaming-only decision, Home is the right answer.
Yes. Go to Settings → System → Activation → Change product key, enter a valid Windows 11 Pro key, and the upgrade completes in a few minutes. Your files, applications, and settings are untouched. There’s no reinstall and no data loss. This means you can safely buy Home now and upgrade later if your needs change.
It depends on which end of the connection you’re on. Both editions can connect to other machines using Remote Desktop — that’s the client side. Only Pro can act as the host — the machine being connected to remotely. If you want to access your PC from elsewhere, the PC being accessed needs to run Pro. If you’re only ever connecting from your machine to someone else’s Pro machine, Home is sufficient.
Yes, for most small business use cases. BitLocker protects data on lost or stolen devices. Group Policy allows centralised control of device settings across a team. Azure AD join integrates with cloud-based identity management. Windows Update for Business gives control over when updates are applied. For a sole trader working from a single PC, Home is often sufficient — the business features become relevant when you’re managing multiple machines or handling sensitive client data.
Both editions require a compatible 64-bit processor, 4 GB RAM minimum, 64 GB storage minimum, UEFI firmware with Secure Boot enabled, and a TPM 2.0 chip. TPM 2.0 is the most common compatibility blocker on older machines. Check Microsoft’s full specifications page before purchasing a licence — buying a key won’t help if the hardware check fails at installation.
Not necessarily. If your hardware meets Windows 11’s requirements, the upgrade from Windows 10 is still available at no cost via Windows Update. Check Settings → Windows Update — if you’re eligible, the option appears there. If your hardware doesn’t qualify, you’ll need to either upgrade the hardware or buy a new licence for a replacement machine. Windows 10 support ended October 2025, so running it unpatched carries increasing security risk.
Gary Walsh is the Head of Tech Support at Software Supplies, with more than 20 years in the IT industry. Fully Microsoft-certified and experienced across the full business software stack — from Windows and Office to cloud infrastructure and device management — Gary delivers practical, no-nonsense advice that helps users and businesses get the most from their technology.
