Yes. You can change an activated Windows 10 Home installation to Pro through Settings without performing a clean reinstall. You’ll need a valid Windows 10 Pro product key, or, if Microsoft offers it on your device, you can purchase the upgrade through Microsoft Store. Before paying for Pro, note that Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025.
Before you upgrade: check whether Windows 10 Pro is the right choice
Pro may be useful if you need features such as BitLocker Drive Encryption, Remote Desktop, or the ability to join a domain or Microsoft Entra ID. Microsoft lists these among the capabilities included with Windows 10 Pro.
However, Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025. It says Windows 10 no longer receives free Windows Update software updates, technical assistance, or security fixes after that date. If you are deciding whether to spend money on an upgrade, consider whether moving to a currently supported Windows version better fits your needs.
Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro with a product key
Microsoft’s documented manual process changes the edition through the existing Windows installation. Start from an activated copy of Windows 10 Home.
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- Check your edition and activation: Open Settings > Update & Security > Activation. Confirm that the device is running Windows 10 Home and that Windows is activated. If Home is not activated, activate it first.
- Open the product-key option: On the Activation page, select Change product key. If Windows displays a User Account Control prompt, approve it using an administrator account.
- Enter your Pro key: Type the valid 25-character Windows 10 Pro product key, select Next, and follow the prompts to start the edition change.
- Verify the result: Return to Activation settings and check the installed edition and activation state.
If you don’t already have a Windows 10 Pro key
Microsoft’s instructions say to select Go to the Store on the Activation page and purchase Windows 10 Pro through Microsoft Store if that option is available. If the Store link is unavailable, Microsoft says the device may already be running Pro or the edition upgrade may not be available.
Use a valid Pro license for activation. A Windows 10 Home license does not activate Windows 10 Pro, and a generic installation key is not proof that you own a Pro license.
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- OEM IS TO BE INSTALLED ON A NEW PC WITH NO PRIOR VERSION of Windows installed and cannot be transferred to another machine.
- OEM DOES NOT PROVIDE PRODUCT SUPPORT | To acquire product with Microsoft support, obtain the full packaged “Retail” version.
Activation problems and license fit
Changing the key starts the edition upgrade, but it does not guarantee that every activation issue will be resolved. Windows needs a license that matches the installed edition. License history or hardware changes can also affect activation; consult Microsoft’s activation and reactivation guidance if Windows does not activate after the edition change.
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- Windows 11Pro for Workstations
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- WINDOWS 11 PRO FOR WORKSTATIONS is for people with advanced needs such as data scientists, CAD professionals, researchers, media production teams, graphic designers, and animators.
- WINDOWS 11 PRO FOR WORKSTATIONS helps power through advanced workloads while providing server-grade data protection and performance, and includes all the features of Windows 11 Pro | Users will benefit from greater speed with faster processing and file transfers, greater resilience with server-grade storage, and the full power of high-performance hardware configurations.
- OEM IS TO BE INSTALLED ON A NEW PC with no prior version of Windows installed and cannot be transferred to another machine | Windows 11 Pro for Workstations is required licensing for systems with Intel Xeon or AMD Opteron processors.
- OEM DOES NOT PROVIDE SUPPORT | To acquire product with Microsoft support, obtain the full packaged “Retail” version.
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