Windows 11 Home and Pro are designed to meet different user needs. While Windows 11 Home is more suitable for everyday users, 11 Pro offers advanced features for professionals. But what really makes the difference between the two versions, and which one is right for you?
Common features of both versions
Before we talk about the differences, it’s important to understand the features that both versions have. Windows 11 Home and Pro both include basic security and usability features, such as device tracking, basic encryption, parental controls, internet protection, Windows Hello, secure boot, and firewall and network protection.
These features are essential for both casual and power users. However, Windows 11 Pro offers additional advanced features like BitLocker Drive Encryption, Remote Desktop Access, Hyper-V Virtualization, Windows Sandbox, Group Policy Management, and more, making it a better choice.
Hardware limitations (CPU & RAM)
Windows 11 Home supports one CPU socket and up to 128GB of RAM, while Windows 11 Pro allows for two CPU sockets and up to 2TB of RAM. Overall, the Pro version is built for more powerful hardware, but it's probably redundant unless you need more processors or more than 128GB of memory.
For those using workstations with multiple CPUs or needing large amounts of RAM for tasks like virtualization, heavy multitasking, or resource-intensive applications, Windows 11 Home's limitations on processor count and memory capacity can be limiting. In this case, upgrading to Windows 11 Pro would be a better option.
BitLocker encryption support
Windows 11 Pro offers BitLocker drive encryption, a feature that Windows 11 Home doesn't have. BitLocker lets you encrypt your entire hard drive. Once encrypted, you'll need to enter a password or backup recovery key to access your data. This adds an extra layer of protection, ensuring that unauthorized people can't access your files.
BitLocker is useful if your device is lost or stolen. It prevents access even if someone tries to use a decryption tool or move the drive to another device. While Windows 11 Home doesn't support BitLocker, you can still encrypt your device if it has TPM 2.0, although customization options are limited.
Alternatively, you can use third-party encryption tools like VeraCrypt, DiskCryptor, and AxCrypt, which are good alternatives to BitLocker.
Remote Desktop Access
Windows 11 Pro includes remote desktop access, which allows you to control your own or someone else's computer remotely over a network or the Internet. This allows you to use your computer from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection. For business users or IT professionals, it also allows others to access your device remotely.
Windows 11 Home, on the other hand, can only act as a client, allowing you to connect to another device running Windows 11 Pro or higher. However, other devices will not be able to connect to your computer. While this is a major limitation for Windows 11 Home users, you can use many third-party tools like TeamViewer or AnyDesk that provide similar functionality.
Windows Sandbox
Windows Sandbox is a lightweight virtual environment that operates completely independently of your main system. It allows you to test untrusted applications, open suspicious files, and experiment with system settings safely. Windows Sandbox does not make permanent changes to the user's system and allows for a reset after each session, which helps protect your device from potential risks if something goes wrong.
Windows Sandbox is a valuable security feature for people who regularly test new apps without risking their main system. However, it is only available in Windows 11 Pro and is not included in Windows 11 Home. In this case, you will need to test the app directly on your system or consider using a third-party virtual machine.
Hyper-V Virtualization
Hyper-V is Microsoft's built-in virtualization platform that allows developers, IT professionals, and power users to run multiple operating systems on a single machine. This is useful for running legacy software that isn't compatible with Windows 11, isolating applications and processes to test performance, and protecting the main system from potential infections.
However, Hyper-V is only available in Windows 11 Pro, so Home users can't use it to run virtual machines (VMs). While third-party tools like VirtualBox or VMware Workstation are available as alternatives, Hyper-V offers better integration and performance. Plus, it's built directly into the operating system, so there's no additional cost.
However, if you are a regular PC user, you probably won't need this feature. That's probably why it's only available in the Pro version. If you need to run a virtual machine, you can simply use a third-party tool.
Group Policy Management
Another key difference between Windows 11 Home and Pro is that the Home edition does not include Group Policy Management. This powerful tool gives IT administrators and power users precise control over system settings. It lets you enforce security policies, restrict access to specific settings, and manage software and system updates.
While Windows Home users don't have access to the Group Policy Editor, they can still make similar changes using the Registry Editor. However, the Registry Editor is more complicated to edit, and making the wrong changes can render your system inoperable. Therefore, centralized control via the Group Policy Editor is much safer for non-technical users.
Pro Version More Expensive
Price is one of the most notable differences between Windows 11 Home and Pro. At $139, Windows 11 Home is more budget-friendly, making it a great choice for the average user. Windows 11 Pro, on the other hand, costs $199.99 due to its advanced features designed for professional users.
The good news is that both versions are one-time purchases, making them a worthwhile investment. However, if your computer came with Windows 11 Home, you’ll need to pay an additional fee to upgrade to the Pro version. In that case, it’s best to stick with the Home version unless you need the advanced features that Pro offers.
You can also find cheap licenses or activation keys from third-party stores, but be careful of the risks when purchasing them.
Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI since 2019, although the Redmond-based software giant is by no means the primary investor in the innovative AI startup.
One of the world's most popular VPN services - ExpressVPN - has officially launched an app version for Windows PCs running on ARM-based processors.
Did you know Microsoft is celebrating its 50th birthday this week?
In January, Microsoft announced plans to bring NPU-optimized versions of the DeepSeek-R1 model directly to Copilot+ computers running on Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors.
Microsoft continues to announce plans to add new features to Windows 10, despite the fact that the operating system will inevitably die in October 2025.
Microsoft releases new Fluid Textures desktop wallpaper collection
Besides elements like new interface and features, another aspect, although small, also receives a lot of attention on Windows: wallpaper packs designed and introduced by Microsoft for special occasions.
Microsoft has made an important announcement for customers using the Remote Desktop for Windows app from the Microsoft Store. On May 27, 2025, this app will be officially discontinued and removed from the Microsoft Store.
If you asked five Windows users to explain what Vista's Digital Rights Management (DRM) is, you'd probably get five different answers. But there's one thing that's important.
Microsoft has finally officially announced the planned end of support (EOS) for the Office 2016 and Office 2019 application ecosystem.
Windows 11 version 24H2 — the only major Windows 11 update in 2024 — has been out for a few months and is slowly stabilizing.
The issue was first reported when users reported that some PCs were unable to complete the update and encountered a blue screen of death (BSOD) error.
Windows 11 is expected to receive two notable major updates this year.
When users try to install Windows 11 build 26058, the Setup file will give a message saying “This PCs processor doesnt support a critical feature (PopCnt)”
Not long ago, Microsoft stopped providing support for Windows 10 version 21H2, which means version 22H2 becomes the only supported Windows 10 release at the moment.
The Libraries folder in Windows 11 is hidden in the File Explorer interface, but you can easily show it again with just a few taps.
Are you getting a High Memory Usage Detected warning while browsing on Microsoft Edge? It means that some browser processes are using too much memory (RAM).
Follow these steps to set up speech recognition on your Windows laptop or PC.
In many cases, it is usually due to virus attacks that the hidden folders of the system cannot be displayed even after activating the “Show hidden files and folders” option in Folder Options. Some of the following methods will help to handle this problem.
Sometimes you still need to turn off the firewall to perform certain functions. The 3 ways to turn off the Win 10 firewall below will help you in such situations.
If you're looking for a quicker method, here's how to add a dedicated shutdown shortcut to your Windows 11 desktop or taskbar.
Windows 11 doesn't support the JPEG X image format by default, but you can install an add-on that does. Here's how to add JPEG XL support in Windows 11.
In the process of pinning applications, sometimes we encounter some errors such as not being able to pin the application to the Taskbar. Below are some ways to fix the error of not being able to pin the application to the Windows 11 Taskbar.
Windows BitLocker offers an easy-to-use solution for encrypting your hard drive. However, it also has its drawbacks, so it may not be a great choice for everyone.
This guide will show you how to overwrite (securely erase) deleted data on a drive so that it cannot be recovered or accessed in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
If you regularly use Copilot on Windows 11, there is a very simple way to quickly access Copilot, which is to add Copilot to the right-click menu.
Adding a printer to Windows 10 is simple, although the process for wired devices will be different than for wireless devices.
A new utility is being developed that will help remove the strict system requirements of Windows 11.
PC maintenance is essential for long-term, efficient performance. However, there are some mistakes you can make that can do more harm than good to your PC.
Smart App Control (SAC) is a security feature included in the Windows Security application that locks down the system, allowing only trusted applications to run.
