Draft:Windows 11 editions

Like its predecessor, Windows 10, Windows 11, released in 2021, has several editions. All editions support 64-bit CPUs.

Baseline editions
Baseline editions are the only editions available as standalone purchases in retail outlets.


 * Windows 11 Home is designed for use in PCs, tablets and 2-in-1 PCs. It includes all features directed at consumers. Unlike the Pro edition, Windows 11 Home requires an Internet connection and Microsoft account to complete first-time setup.
 * Windows 11 Home is designed for use in PCs, tablets and 2-in-1 PCs. It includes all features directed at consumers. Unlike the Pro edition, Windows 11 Home requires an Internet connection and Microsoft account to complete first-time setup.


 * Windows 11 Pro includes all features of Windows 11 Home, with additional capabilities that are oriented towards professionals and business environments, such as Active Directory, Remote Desktop, BitLocker, Hyper-V, and Windows Defender Device Guard.
 * Windows 11 Pro includes all features of Windows 11 Home, with additional capabilities that are oriented towards professionals and business environments, such as Active Directory, Remote Desktop, BitLocker, Hyper-V, and Windows Defender Device Guard.


 * Windows 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; up to four CPUs; up to 6 TB RAM; the ReFS file system; Non-Volatile Dual In-line Memory Module (NVDIMM); and remote direct memory access (RDMA).
 * Windows 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; up to four CPUs; up to 6 TB RAM; the ReFS file system; Non-Volatile Dual In-line Memory Module (NVDIMM); and remote direct memory access (RDMA).

Organizational editions
These editions add features to facilitate centralized control of many installations of the OS within an organization. The main avenue of acquiring them is a volume licensing contract with Microsoft.


 * Windows 11 Education is distributed through Academic Volume Licensing. It was built off of Windows 11 Enterprise and initially reported to have the same feature set. As of version 1709, however, this edition has fewer features. See for details.
 * Windows 11 Education is distributed through Academic Volume Licensing. It was built off of Windows 11 Enterprise and initially reported to have the same feature set. As of version 1709, however, this edition has fewer features. See for details.


 * This edition was introduced in July 2016 for hardware partners on new devices purchased with the discounted K–12 academic license. It was built off of the Pro edition of Windows 11 and contains mostly the same features as Windows 11 Pro with different options disabled by default, and adds options for setup and deployment in an education environment. It also features a "Set Up School PCs" app that allows provisioning of settings using a USB flash drive, and does not include Cortana, Microsoft Store suggestions, Windows Sandbox, or Windows Spotlight.
 * This edition was introduced in July 2016 for hardware partners on new devices purchased with the discounted K–12 academic license. It was built off of the Pro edition of Windows 11 and contains mostly the same features as Windows 11 Pro with different options disabled by default, and adds options for setup and deployment in an education environment. It also features a "Set Up School PCs" app that allows provisioning of settings using a USB flash drive, and does not include Cortana, Microsoft Store suggestions, Windows Sandbox, or Windows Spotlight.


 * Windows 11 Enterprise provides all the features of Windows 11 Pro, with additional features to assist with IT-based organizations. Windows 11 Enterprise is configurable on two servicing channels, Semi-Annual Channel and Windows Insider Program.
 * Windows 11 Enterprise provides all the features of Windows 11 Pro, with additional features to assist with IT-based organizations. Windows 11 Enterprise is configurable on two servicing channels, Semi-Annual Channel and Windows Insider Program.


 * SE is an enterprise oriented edition that removes customer oriented features such as Your Phone and Widgets and disables the Microsoft Store. It is also required to log in using a Microsoft account during the OOBE. There is no limitation regarding running Win32 apps not downloaded from the Store.
 * SE is an enterprise oriented edition that removes customer oriented features such as Your Phone and Widgets and disables the Microsoft Store. It is also required to log in using a Microsoft account during the OOBE. There is no limitation regarding running Win32 apps not downloaded from the Store.

Free upgrade
At the time of launch, Microsoft deemed Windows 7 (with Service Pack 1) and Windows 8.1 users eligible to upgrade to Windows 11 free of charge, so long as the upgrade took place within one year of Windows 11's initial release date. Windows RT and the respective Enterprise editions of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 were excluded from this offer.

Commercial upgrade
The following table summarizes possible upgrade paths that can be taken, provided that proper licenses are purchased. There is no upgrade path that can allow Windows RT 8.1 devices to install Windows 11.

Release branches
New releases of Windows11, called feature updates, are released twice a year as a free update for existing Windows 11 users. Each feature update contains new features and other changes to the operating system. The pace at which a system receives feature updates is dependent on the release branch from which the system downloads its updates. Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education can optionally use a branch that receives updates at a slower pace. These modes can be managed through system settings, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Windows Update for Business, Group Policy or through mobile device management systems such as Microsoft Intune.


 * Windows
 * Windows Insider is a beta testing program that allows access to pre-release builds of Windows 11; it is designed to allow power users, developers, and vendors to test and provide feedback on future feature updates to Windows 11 as they are developed. Windows Insider itself consists of four "rings", "Fast" (which receives new builds as they are released), "Slow" (which receives new builds on a delay after it is deployed to Fast ring users), "Release Preview" (which receives early access to updates for the Current Branch), and formerly "Skip Ahead" (which receives super-early builds for the next feature update while a current release is being finished).


 * The Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted), previously known as the Current Branch (CB), distributes all feature updates as they graduate from the Windows Insider branch. Microsoft only supports the latest build. A feature update can be deferred for up to 365 days, a quality update can be deferred for up to 30 days before it will be listed as available in Windows Update. As of version 1703, additional settings are provided to pause checking of updates for up to 35 days, but they were not available on Windows 11 Home until version 1903.
 * The Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted), previously known as the Current Branch (CB), distributes all feature updates as they graduate from the Windows Insider branch. Microsoft only supports the latest build. A feature update can be deferred for up to 365 days, a quality update can be deferred for up to 30 days before it will be listed as available in Windows Update. As of version 1703, additional settings are provided to pause checking of updates for up to 35 days, but they were not available on Windows 11 Home until version 1903.


 * The Semi-Annual Channel, previously known as Current Branch for Business (CBB), distributes feature updates on a four-month delay from their original release to the Semi-Annual Channel. This allows customers and vendors to evaluate and perform additional testing on new builds before broader deployments. Devices can be switched back to the Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted) at any time. The Semi-Annual Channel is not available on Windows 11 Home.
 * The Semi-Annual Channel, previously known as Current Branch for Business (CBB), distributes feature updates on a four-month delay from their original release to the Semi-Annual Channel. This allows customers and vendors to evaluate and perform additional testing on new builds before broader deployments. Devices can be switched back to the Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted) at any time. The Semi-Annual Channel is not available on Windows 11 Home.


 * (LTSC)
 * This servicing option is exclusively available for Windows 11 Enterprise, IoT Core, and IoT Enterprise LTSC editions. Distribution snapshots of these editions are updated every 2-3 years. LTSC builds adhere to Microsoft's traditional support policy which was in effect before Windows 11: They are not updated with new features, and are supported with critical updates for 10 years after their release. Microsoft officially discourages the use of LTSC outside of "special-purpose devices" that perform a fixed function and thus do not require new user experience features. As a result, it excludes Windows Store, most Cortana functionality, and most bundled apps (including Microsoft Edge).