Windows 11 Home vs Pro: Which One Do You Need?

Windows 11 Home vs Pro: Home covers everyday use, while Pro adds business features such as BitLocker encryption, Remote Desktop and Hyper-V virtual machines. This guide compares both editions feature by feature, so you can work out which licence key you actually need before you buy.

Windows 11 Home vs Pro at a glance

Who should choose Windows 11 Home?

Home suits most people who use a PC for browsing, streaming, gaming, Office documents and everyday tasks. It has the same interface, security basics (Windows Defender, Windows Hello) and app support as Pro, just without the business tools.

Who should choose Windows 11 Pro?

Choose Pro if you need any of the following:

• You want BitLocker to encrypt your drive, for example on a work laptop.
• You need Remote Desktop to connect to this PC from another device.
• You run virtual machines with Hyper-V for testing or development.
• Your workplace requires the PC to join a Windows domain or be managed with Group Policy.
• You work with datasets that need more than 128 GB of RAM.

What the Pro-only features actually do

BitLocker

BitLocker encrypts your entire drive, so if a laptop is lost or stolen, the data on it cannot be read without the recovery key, even by removing the drive and connecting it to another PC. Home does have basic “Device Encryption” on some hardware, but it is more limited and depends on the device meeting specific Microsoft requirements. BitLocker on Pro works on any compatible PC and gives you more control, including printing or saving the recovery key yourself.

Hyper-V

Hyper-V is Microsoft’s built-in virtualization tool, letting you run one or more separate virtual Windows or Linux machines inside your main PC. Developers use it to test software across different Windows versions, IT staff use it to test system changes safely, and some people use it to run an isolated environment for one specific app. It requires virtualization support in your CPU, enabled in BIOS/UEFI.

Remote Desktop (host)

Both editions can start a Remote Desktop connection to another PC, but only Pro can act as the host, meaning only a Pro PC can be connected to remotely. This matters if you want to access your home or office PC from elsewhere.

Windows Sandbox

Sandbox opens a temporary, disposable desktop for testing an unfamiliar file or installer without risking your main system. Everything inside it is discarded when you close it.

Group Policy and domain join

These are IT administration tools. Group Policy lets an administrator control settings across many PCs at once, and domain join connects a PC to a company’s central Windows Server network. Home users generally never need either.

How to check which Windows 11 edition you currently have

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to System, then About.
3. Look under Windows specifications for the Edition field, which shows Home or Pro.

Common myths about Windows 11 Pro

• “Pro is faster.” Not true. Both editions run identically for everyday tasks; Pro adds features, not performance.
• “Pro gets updates first.” Not true for consumers. Both editions receive the same feature and security updates on the same schedule by default.
• “You need Pro for gaming.” Not true. Gaming performance is identical, and most gaming and anti-cheat software works the same on both editions.

Price difference

A Windows 11 Pro key usually costs a little more than a Home key, because of these extra business features. If you do not need any of the Pro features above, Home is the more cost-effective choice. Not sure what type of key you’re buying? See our guide on OEM vs Retail vs Volume license keys.

Already have Windows 11 Home? You can upgrade

You do not need to reinstall Windows to move from Home to Pro. You can buy a Windows 11 Pro key and upgrade in place, keeping your files and apps, following the same redemption steps as in our activation guide.

Still on Windows 10?

If you’re buying a new licence in 2026 and still deciding between the two operating systems rather than between Home and Pro, see our comparison of Windows 11 vs Windows 10, including whether your current PC can actually run Windows 11.

Running into an activation error?

If your new key won’t activate, most Windows key errors have a quick fix. See our guide on common Windows activation errors and how to fix them.

Ready to buy? See Windows 11 Home key or Windows 11 Pro key, or browse all Windows licences.