REFERENCE - |
Microsoft Windows Editions & Versions |
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Windows is a series of operating systems developed by the Microsoft Corporation.
Windows 11 is the latest version and is a free upgrade for existing Windows 10 users, but only if your computer meets the hardware specifications and it has one of the supported processors. To check this, Open Settings
, select System and click on About.
Otherwise, Windows 10 is the current release, and while updates will continue to be released, support for ALL editions will end on 14 October 2025, although some editions are expected to end sooner than that.
Windows 10 has 12 editions, and Windows 11 has 7 editions, but you are only likely to encounter some of them:
If you are unsure what version of Windows is running on your computer, press the Windows Key
and the R key at the same time, and then type "winver" into the small Run window that appears and press Enter or click OK.
Alternatively, go to Settings, select "Update and Security" and click on "OS build info" under Related links and look for "Windows specifications".
Information for versions with release date shown in cyan is tentative, and therefore subject to change. The value shown in parenthesis () is Microsoft's internal code name which is often used by technical sites when referring to a particular Windows release.
Only the Windows versions with support date shown in green are currently supported by Microsoft, and your computer should automatically update to the latest version when Microsoft determines it is ready, although you can request it from Windows Update.
If you are still running an earlier version of Windows with support date shown in pink, these are no longer supported, although some Windows security updates which also apply to those versions are still being released for some of them.
Information sourced from Microsoft Support - Windows lifecycle fact sheet.
Windows 11 is the latest version and is a free upgrade for existing Windows 10 users, but only if your computer meets the hardware specifications and it has one of the supported processors. To check this, Open Settings
, select System and click on About.
Otherwise, Windows 10 is the current release, and while updates will continue to be released, support for ALL editions will end on 14 October 2025, although some editions are expected to end sooner than that.
Windows 10 has 12 editions, and Windows 11 has 7 editions, but you are only likely to encounter some of them:
- Windows 10/11 Home is designed for use in PCs, tablets and 2-in-1 PCs. It includes all features directed at consumers.
- Windows 10/11 Pro includes all features of Windows 10/11 Home, with additional capabilities that are oriented towards professionals and business environments.
- Windows 10/11 Pro for Workstations is designed for high-end hardware for intensive computing tasks and supports Intel Xeon, AMD Opteron and the latest AMD Epyc processors.
- Windows 10/11 Enterprise provides all the features of Windows 10/11 Pro, with additional features to assist with IT-based organizations.
- Windows 10 S is a feature-limited edition of Windows 10 designed primarily for low-end devices in the education market, but was discontinued in 2018. However many new laptop computers are still being sold with this edition pre-installed - best avoided.
- Windows 11 S is a feature-limited edition of Windows 11 designed primarily for low-end devices with limited number of apps and only those available from the Windows Store. Many new low-specification computers are being sold with this edition pre-installed, but it can be upgraded to Windows 11 Home.
If you are unsure what version of Windows is running on your computer, press the Windows Key
and the R key at the same time, and then type "winver" into the small Run window that appears and press Enter or click OK.
Alternatively, go to Settings, select "Update and Security" and click on "OS build info" under Related links and look for "Windows specifications".
| Name | Release date | Support date | Major Updates |
| Windows 12 | 2025 ?? | unknown | 25H1-Windows 12 Initial (Hudson Valley) |
| Windows 11 Home & Pro |
Sep 2024 ?? | unknown | 24H2-Windows 11 September 2024 Update |
| 9 April 2024 | 10 Nov 2026 | 23H2-Windows 11 Moment 5 Update (KB5036893) |
|
| 31 Oct 2023 | 10 Nov 2026 | 23H2-Windows 11 Fall Update (KB4023057) |
|
| 26 Sep 2023 | 14 Oct 2025 | 22H2-Windows 11 Moment 4 Update (KB5030310) |
|
| 24 May 2023 | 14 Oct 2025 | 22H2-Windows 11 Moment 3 Update (KB5028185) |
|
| 28 Feb 2023 | 14 Oct 2025 | 22H2-Windows 11 Moment 2 Update (KB5023706) |
|
| 18 Oct 2022 | 14 Oct 2025 | 22H2-Windows 11 Moment 1 Update |
|
| 20 Sep 2022 | 14 Oct 2025 | 22H2-Windows 11 September 2022 Update |
|
| 5 Oct 2021 | 10 Oct 2023 | 21H2-Windows 11 Initial (Sun Valley) |
|
| Windows 10 Home & Pro |
18 Oct 2022 | 14 Oct 2025 | 22H2-Windows 10 October 2022 Update |
| 16 Nov 2021 | 13 Jun 2023 | 21H2-Windows 10 November 2021 Update |
|
| 18 May 2021 | 13 Dec 2022 | 21H1-Windows 10 Spring 2021 Update |
|
| 20 Oct 2020 | 20 May 2022 | 20H2-Windows 10 October 2020 Update |
|
| 27 May 2020 | 14 Dec 2021 | 2004-Windows 10 May 2020 Update (20H1) |
|
| 12 Nov 2019 | 11 May 2021 | 1909-Windows 10 November 2019 Update (19H2) |
|
| 21 May 2019 | 8 Dec 2020 | 1903-Windows 10 May 2019 Update (19H1) |
|
| 13 Nov 2018 | 10 Nov 2020 | 1809-Windows 10 Oct 2018 Update (Redstone5) |
|
| 30 Apr 2018 | 12 Nov 2019 | 1803-Windows 10 April 2018 Update (Redstone4) |
|
| 17 Oct 2017 | 9 Apr 2019 | 1709-Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (Redstone3) |
|
| 5 Apr 2017 | 9 Oct 2018 | 1703-Windows 10 Creators Update (Redstone2) |
|
| 2 Aug 2016 | 10 Apr 2018 | 1607-Windows 10 Anniversary Update (Redstone1) |
|
| 12 Nov 2015 | 10 Oct 2017 | 1511-Windows 10 Update 1 (Threshold2) |
|
| 29 Jul 2015 | 9 May 2017 | 1507-Windows 10 Initial (Threshold1) |
|
| Windows 8.1 | 17 Oct 2013 | 9 Jan 2018 | |
| Windows 8 | 26 Oct 2012 | 12 Jan 2016 | |
| Windows 7 | 12 Jul 2010 | 14 Jan 2015 | -Service Pack 1 (SP1) |
| 22 Oct 2009 | 14 Jan 2015 | -Initial release |
|
| Windows Vista | 30 Jan 2007 | 10 Apr 2012 | |
| Windows XP x64 | 25 Apr 2005 | 14 Apr 2009 | |
| Windows XP | 25 Oct 2001 | 8 Apr 2009 | |
| Windows ME | 14 Sep 2000 | 21 Dec 2003 | |
| Windows 2000 | 17 Feb 2000 | 30 Jun 2005 | |
| Windows 98 | 25 Jun 1998 | 30 Jun 2002 | |
| Windows NT 4.0 | 24 Aug 1996 | 30 Jun 2002 | |
| Windows 95 | 24 Aug 1995 | 31 Dec 2000 |
Information for versions with release date shown in cyan is tentative, and therefore subject to change. The value shown in parenthesis () is Microsoft's internal code name which is often used by technical sites when referring to a particular Windows release.
Only the Windows versions with support date shown in green are currently supported by Microsoft, and your computer should automatically update to the latest version when Microsoft determines it is ready, although you can request it from Windows Update.
If you are still running an earlier version of Windows with support date shown in pink, these are no longer supported, although some Windows security updates which also apply to those versions are still being released for some of them.
Information sourced from Microsoft Support - Windows lifecycle fact sheet.