Windows released their 10 operating system, and it was welcomed by nearly all Windows users happily. Everyone loves an upgrade, and so the Windows users out there switched over to Windows 10 in swathes. The new features that were available were the main hook, and as it comes in different versions, Windows 10 has the capability of meeting the needs of users with a different perspective for each.
Home and non-commercial users mostly use Windows 10 Home, and if you are using Windows for business, you can use Windows 10 Enterprise or Pro – each of these versions is of the same type, but have different features depending on what you need it for, with a separate version entirely for students.
Installation
When you start your Windows 10 installation, you will be asked for the product activation key, and you cannot move forward without this. Some people choose to test Windows and use Windows without entering the license key, and there are general product keys out there on the internet that can allow for this. You will, however, be compromising on personalization of the features that you get and you will only get 30 days of Windows before the product expires.
Users can extend this expiry date for up to 90 days, but after that, you need to input the product key that you got when you purchased Windows 10.
The product key for your Windows program activates your Windows for the lifetime that you use the program.
How do I activate Windows 10 Pro or Home editions?
- Go to Settings (Windows key + i).
- Go to Update & Security.
- Choose Activation from the left-hand menu.
- If you don’t have a license key, click on Go to Store. The Windows Store now opens to a product page for the version of Windows 10 installed on your computer.
- You can now buy Home or Pro, and it unlocks and activates your version of Windows 10.
Switching Product Keys
If you have already been running Windows 10 Home and you need to know whether it’s worth going to Pro, you can change between the two by swapping your current Home product key to the default Windows 10 Pro one, which is the one Microsoft has made for all users.
- Open Settings and go to Update & security > Activation > Change Product key.
- Enter the product key from Microsoft (VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T) in the space provided.
- This default key will not activate the system; it will just take you to Pro so you can activate using a valid Pro key that you purchased previously.
- Once you have done this, the system will go through an upgrade process from Home to Pro, but will not be activated on Pro.
- The upgrade process takes quite a while to complete, so this is the moment you leave the computer alone and let it do its thing!
If you want to buy a key for Windows 10 Pro, go the Activation page in Settings and click the Go to Store button.
