Compare Windows 11 Editions Tutorial

Staff

This tutorial will show you a comparison of available features between Windows 11 editions to help find out which Windows is right for you.

Windows 11 Home
The best Windows ever keeps getting better, offering home users, students, and gamers a calm, creative space to think, express, and create.

Windows 11 Pro
Designed for the hybrid workplace, Windows 11 Pro has the business and management features your team needs to work more efficiently, seamlessly, and securely almost anywhere.

Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
Designed for people with advanced workloads and data needs such as data scientists, CAD professionals, researchers, media production teams, graphic designers, and animators.

References:

Compare Windows 11 Business Editions | Microsoft

Compare Windows 11 business editions with this guide from Microsoft. Explore our Windows 11 editions comparison chart to see which features your organization can get.

www.microsoft.com

Compare Windows 11 Versions: Windows 11 Home & Pro vs. Windows 10 | Microsoft

Compare Windows versions and see why you should upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Find out the difference between Windows 11 Home and Pro to see which is best for you.

www.microsoft.com

Contents

Security for all
Consistent for IT
A smarter way to collaborate
Instantly productive

Security for all

Protect your business with a Zero Trust-ready OS with powerful built-in security, hardware-based isolation, encryption, and malware protection. Advanced encryption and intelligent protection against ransomeware, fileless, and other attacks built into all editions.

Feature	Home	Pro	Pro for Workstations
Application Control Powered by Intelligent Security Graph.
Automatic encryption on capable devices
Biometrics Windows 11 powers the advanced biometric features of modern devices, such as fingerprint scanners and special IR cameras for face recognition.
BitLocker device encryption If your device is lost or stolen, BitLocker puts everything on lockdown, so no one else can access your systems or data.
Device encryption Device encryption is available on a wide range of Windows devices and helps protect your data by encrypting it. If you turn on device encryption, only authorized individuals will be able to access your device and data.
Find my device Keep track of your devices—even your digital pen!
Firewall and network protection Your Windows device comes with comprehensive, built-in security features, including firewall and internet protections to help safeguard against viruses, malware, and ransomware.
Integrated with Microsoft Information Protection Protect your information from accidental or intentional data leaks.
Internet protection App & browser control in Windows Security provides the settings for Windows Defender SmartScreen, which helps protect your device from potentially dangerous apps, files, websites, and downloads.
Multifactor Authentication Windows 11 offers simple, secure multifactor authentication via phone call, text, or the Microsoft Authenticator app for mobile phones and tablets.
Parental controls/protection Manage screen time, limit access to mature content, control online purchases when you connect your family's Microsoft accounts, and check to make sure the family’s devices are secure and up to date.
Protection from fileless based attacks
Remote deployment and compliance Deploy, secure, and manage remote PCs through the cloud, in compliance with your company’s policies.
Resilient File System (ReFS) Detects when data becomes corrupt on one of the mirrored drives and uses a healthy copy of your data on other drives to correct and protect data.
Secure Boot Helps prevent malicious software applications and unauthorized operating systems from loading during the system start-up process.
Security by default All new Windows 11 devices will come with powerful built-in security including hardware isolation, encryption, and malware protection.
Windows Defender Antivirus Windows 11 includes built-in, malware protection to help keep you safe from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
Windows Defender System Guard Windows Defender System Guard uses hardware-based root of trust on modern devices to block startup attacks and prevent them from propagating.
Windows Hello Using facial recognition, a fingerprint, or PIN, Windows Hello is a fast, secure, and password-free way to unlock your compatible Windows devices.
Windows Hello for Business Windows Hello capabilities plus passwordless sign-in to Windows and Azure.
Windows Information Protection (WIP) WIP helps to protect against potential data leakage without otherwise interfering with the employee experience. WIP also helps to protect enterprise apps and data against accidental data leaks on enterprise-owned devices and personal devices that employees bring to work, without requiring changes to your environment or other apps.
Windows Sandbox Windows Sandbox is an isolated, temporary desktop environment where you can run untrusted software without fear of infecting your PC.
Windows Security View and manage the security and health of your device.

Consistent for IT

Apply comprehensive device management with familiar tools and processes to support employees working from anywhere.

Feature	Home	Pro	Pro for Workstations
Delivery Optimization Enables peer-to-peer transfer of updates.
Express Updates Ease the network impact of monthly quality updates.
Assigned Access With Assigned Access, Windows 11 Pro devices run different applications depending on the user and keep individual identities separate and secured.
Azure Active Directory Join Suitable for both cloud-only and hybrid organizations.
Hybrid Azure Active Directory Join Allows on-premises Active Directory enrolled devices to be joined to Azure Active Directory.
Cloud managed updates Approve, schedule, and monitor any Windows Update content through the cloud, including security updates, drivers, and firmware.
Dynamic Provisioning Take a new PC out of the box, turn it on, and transform it into a productive organization device, with minimal time and effort.
Enterprise State Roaming with Azure Available to any organization with an Azure AD Premium or Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) license, Enterprise State Roaming provides users with a unified experience across their Windows devices and reduces the time needed for configuring a new device.
eSIM Enterprise Solutions eSIMS10 are embedded SIM cards that let you connect your PC to cellular networks when you don’t have access to WI-FI or when available networks are unsecured.
Group Policy Manage PCs, user accounts, and groups, and get easy access to files and printers when you pair Windows 11 Pro with Windows Server.11 You can even define specific security and networking policies for your users and devices.
Kiosk mode setup Configure a device in kiosk mode in a very simple way. You can do this locally on the device or remotely using Mobile Device Management.
Microsoft Store for Business Your one place to find, manage, and distribute apps to Windows 11 devices in volume.
Mobile Application Management Employees can use their personal devices to access work apps and content without IT help.
Mobile device management Windows 11 mobile device management (MDM) provides an alternative to traditional PC management processes: you can transition to cloud-based management at your own pace.
Seamless local and virtual apps Virtual apps will behave like local apps with Windows 11 and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).
Support for Active Directory Domain Join + Group Policy: IT staff can easily manage PCs, user accounts and groups, security policies, and get easy access to files and printers when you pair Windows 11 Pro with Windows Server. You can even define specific security and networking policies for your users and devices.
Support for Azure Active Directory Employees can use a single login across Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and other Microsoft services, making logons and passwords easier to manage. The shared logon works on PCs, tablets, and phones with minimal IT involvement.
Windows Autopilot New devices can easily be set up following a cloud powered pre-configured process. Learn more
Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) Enables IT admins to deploy the latest Microsoft product updates.
Windows Update for Business Windows Update for Business can help businesses reduce management costs, provide control over update deployments, enable more efficient delivery of updates, and provide access to the latest innovations from Microsoft.

A smarter way to collaborate

Connect to the people, information, and apps you need right from your desktop in all editions.

Feature	Home	Pro	Pro for Workstations
Focus on meetings Meet online with confidence, keeping the background in the background with intelligent noise cancelling and blur.
Mute/Unmute from taskbar Mute and unmute your mic directly from your taskbar during online meetings without having to find and click on your meetings app.
Share from taskbar Instantly share any app or window from your taskbar in online meetings.

Instantly productive

Stay focused with an intuitive user experience and built-in tools and features. A simple, powerful UX improves employee productivity.

Feature	Home	Pro	Pro for Workstations
Accessibility Windows 11 supports users with diverse accessibility needs and workstyle preferences.
Cloud Clipboard Cloud Clipboard lets you copy multiple items to paste when you need them.
Cortana Your personal productivity assistant, now even better. Stay on top of your schedule, save time, and do more with less effort.
Desktops Create a separate desktop for each project or workstream and switch instantly between desktops from your taskbar.
Faster boot time Windows 11 devices ship with Windows fast startup enabled.
Fluid tablet experience Seamlessly use your device as a tablet, with improved multi-finger touch, smooth rotation, and touch and pen available to capture thoughts for every text input.
Focus Assist Focus assist helps you disable notifications when you want to stay focused.
Microsoft 365 apps on Windows Gives individuals and teams the breadth of tools they need to do what matters—faster.
Microsoft Edge A fresh approach to the browser, giving you world-class compatibility and performance, control and security from Microsoft, and productivity tools for the web. Learn more
Microsoft Power Automate Easily automate workflows across applications with a low-code, guided process and hundreds of pre-built connectors.
Microsoft search in Windows 11 Fast, comprehensive, local and cloud search, right in the taskbar.
Microsoft Whiteboard A freeform digital canvas where people, ideas, and content can come together.
Multi-tasking Multiple core processors including dual-core, quad-core processors, and 6-core processors enable stable, fast multi-tasking across several programs and applications.
OneDrive OneDrive syncs your files securely to the cloud, so you can access them from any device.
Single Sign-on Single Sign-on, also known as SSO, is the ability to sign into different applications and services using a single username and password.
Snap groups Snap groups remembers your layout, so you can seamlessly return to it even when you open another app or dock and undock your monitor.
Snap layouts Organize open windows with pre-configured layouts that intelligently adapt to the size and dimension of your screen.
Touch, pen voice, gesture Put your keyboard away and work the way you prefer using multi-finger gestures, typing with your voice, and writing with a digital pen in any app.
Voice Typing Turn ideas into text instantly by using your voice to type in any text box.
Widgets Seamlessly integrated into your desktop and taskbar, customizable Widgets help you keep track of everything from upcoming meetings and to-do lists to live updates on the news and weather.
Windows Ink Users can navigate within Windows, write into any text or search box, and take notes quickly.
Work across devices Windows 11 apps designed for mobile devices help users move freely between their phone and PC.
OneDrive for Business OneDrive for Business takes secure sync and collaboration to the next level through seamless synchronization with SharePoint and Teams.
Remote Desktop Remote desktop lets you unlock and access your files, folders, and apps just the way you left them—anywhere and from virtually any device.
Persistent Memory Provides the most demanding apps and data with the performance they require with non-volatile memory modules (NVDIMM-N) hardware.
SMB Direct Supports the use of network adapters with RDMA to function at full speed with very low latency, while using very little CPU for faster file sharing.