Windows 11 Editions Explained: Home, Pro, Enterprise, LTSC and More (2026)

Windows 11 comes in eleven editions, but a PC buyer only ever chooses between two of them: Home and Pro. The rest are sold through schools, volume licensing or device makers, and each carries its own support calendar, which now matters more than the feature list, because Microsoft resets that calendar with every annual version. Version 24H2 Home and Pro lose updates on October 13, 2026, while an Enterprise LTSC 2024 install is supported until October 2029.

This guide lists every Windows 11 edition Microsoft ships in September 2026, what each one adds, how it is sold, and how long it is supported, using Microsoft’s lifecycle pages, its Home versus Pro comparison and the Microsoft Store as the sources. If you are coming from an older PC, our Windows 10 editions guide maps each old edition to its Windows 11 equivalent, and our Windows 11 26H2 guide, publishing shortly, covers the annual update that moves the support dates below.

All Windows 11 Editions Compared

Source: Microsoft Learn lifecycle pages for Windows 11 Home and Pro, Enterprise and Education, IoT Enterprise, Enterprise LTSC 2024 and IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024; Microsoft Learn memory limits for Windows releases; Microsoft Store, September 2026.

Two things in that table decide most purchases. Home and Pro are the only editions a person can buy, and the difference between them is management features rather than speed. And the support column is a moving target for every edition except LTSC: each annual version, currently 25H2 with 26H2 due in October, restarts the clock at 24 months for Home and Pro and 36 months for Enterprise and Education.

Windows 11 Home vs Pro: The Choice Most People Face

Home has everything a personal PC needs: the full desktop, the Microsoft Store, Windows Hello sign-in, Microsoft Defender, device encryption on supported hardware, Copilot, and the same games, drivers and browsers as Pro. Microsoft’s own comparison page frames Pro as Home plus business features, and that is accurate. Pro does not run faster and does not unlock better hardware below the 128 GB memory ceiling that almost no home PC reaches.

Pro adds the tools you need when a PC belongs to a company or when you manage it like one:

• BitLocker drive encryption with your own recovery keys and policy control, beyond Home’s automatic device encryption.
• Hyper-V for running virtual machines, and Windows Sandbox for opening suspicious files in a throwaway desktop.
• Remote Desktop as a host, so another PC can connect to this one.
• Group Policy, Microsoft Entra ID join, domain join and mobile device management enrollment.
• Windows Update for Business deferrals, Assigned Access kiosk mode, and support for 2 TB of RAM and two processors.

The price gap at the Microsoft Store is $139 for Home against $199.99 for Pro, and a Home PC can be upgraded to Pro from Settings by buying the upgrade or entering a Pro key. If none of the five bullets above means anything to you, Home is the right answer.

Every Windows 11 Edition Explained

1. Home: the consumer edition

Home ships on most consumer laptops and desktops. Setup requires an internet connection and a Microsoft account, which is the change from Windows 10 that people notice first. It follows the Home and Pro lifecycle: 24H2 is supported until October 13, 2026, 25H2 until October 12, 2027, and each new annual version adds another two years.

2. Pro: the business edition

Pro is Home plus the management and security layer listed above. It is the right edition for freelancers who need BitLocker with their own keys, developers who want Hyper-V and Sandbox, and anyone who joins a work network. Its lifecycle is identical to Home’s.

3. Pro for Workstations: server-grade hardware

Pro for Workstations is Pro with the ceilings raised for machines built like servers: up to four processors and 6 TB of memory, the ReFS file system, persistent memory support and SMB Direct for RDMA network adapters. It exists for CAD, simulation and video workstations, and it follows the Home and Pro lifecycle.

4. Pro Education and Education: the school editions

Education is Enterprise with school defaults, sold through academic volume licensing and supported for 36 months per version. Pro Education is Pro with the same defaults, for schools that buy PCs with Pro preinstalled and then step up through an academic agreement; it keeps Pro’s 24-month lifecycle. Both turn off consumer promotions and Microsoft Store suggestions by default.

5. Enterprise and Enterprise multi-session

Enterprise adds the controls large organizations pay for: Windows Defender Application Control, Credential Guard, AppLocker, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint integration and Universal Print. It is licensed per user through Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 or volume agreements, never at retail, and each annual version gets 36 months of support, so 24H2 Enterprise runs until October 12, 2027.

Enterprise multi-session lets several users sign in to one virtual machine at the same time. It only runs in Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365, and it shares the Enterprise lifecycle.

6. Enterprise LTSC 2024: long-term servicing

The Long-Term Servicing Channel is Windows 11 for devices that must not change: medical equipment, factory controllers, ATMs, signage. Enterprise LTSC 2024 was released on October 1, 2024, gets security updates but never feature updates, ships without the Microsoft Store or the inbox consumer apps, and has one fixed support end date, October 9, 2029. It is the only non-IoT Windows 11 edition with a date you can plan around five years out.

7. IoT Enterprise and IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024

IoT Enterprise is the full Enterprise binary under a device-maker license for point-of-sale terminals, thin clients, kiosks and industrial PCs. The annual-channel version follows the 36-month Enterprise lifecycle. IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 is the long-life option, with mainstream support to October 9, 2029 and extended support to October 10, 2034, the longest support window of any Windows 11 edition and the reason so much embedded hardware ships with it.

8. Windows 11 SE: the school edition being retired

SE launched in late 2021 on low-cost education laptops as Microsoft’s answer to ChromeOS. It is a locked-down Windows that only runs approved apps and is managed entirely through Intune for Education. Microsoft has confirmed it received its last version, 24H2, and that support ends on October 13, 2026. SE devices keep working after that date but no longer get security updates, so schools are being steered to regular Windows 11 devices.

9. Windows 11 in S mode

S mode is a state, not an edition: a Home or Pro PC that only installs apps from the Microsoft Store and only browses with Edge. It appears on cheap laptops for the battery life and security it brings. Switching out of S mode is free from the Microsoft Store and cannot be reversed, which is fine for most people, since the first thing they want is an app the Store does not carry.

Windows 11 Support Dates by Edition and Version

Source: Microsoft Learn lifecycle pages for Windows 11 Home and Pro, Enterprise and Education, IoT Enterprise, Enterprise LTSC 2024 and IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024, September 2026. 26H2 dates assume the October release Microsoft has signaled.

The practical rule: a Home or Pro PC must take the annual update at least every two years or it silently falls out of support. That is what makes the 26H2 enablement package worth the restart, and it is why the October 13, 2026 end of 24H2 is the date to watch this autumn.

How to Check Your Windows 11 Edition

Open Settings, choose System, then About, and read the Edition line under Windows specifications; the Version line beneath it tells you which annual release you are on. Typing winver in the Start menu shows the same details in a small dialog. To move from Home to Pro, go to Settings, System, Activation, and use either Upgrade your edition of Windows or Change product key.

FAQ: Windows 11 Editions

How many editions of Windows 11 are there?

Eleven that Microsoft actively ships: Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations, Pro Education, Education, Enterprise, Enterprise multi-session, Enterprise LTSC 2024, IoT Enterprise, IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 and SE, with SE ending in October 2026. S mode is a setting available on Home and Pro rather than a separate edition.

Which Windows 11 edition is best for gaming?

Home. Every edition uses the same DirectX 12 stack, drivers, Game Mode and Auto HDR. Pro’s extras are management features that do nothing for frame rates.

Is Windows 11 Pro worth the extra money?

Only if you will use BitLocker with your own keys, Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, Remote Desktop hosting or a work network. For a personal PC the $60 difference buys nothing you will see, and you can upgrade later from Settings if that changes.

What is the difference between Windows 11 Enterprise and Pro?

Enterprise adds organization-scale security and management, such as application control, Credential Guard and Defender for Endpoint, and a longer 36-month support window per version. It is licensed per user through Microsoft 365 or volume agreements rather than sold as a product key.

Which Windows 11 edition is supported the longest?

IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024, with extended support to October 10, 2034. Among editions a person can buy, none has a fixed date; Home and Pro stay supported as long as you keep installing the annual version.

Which Windows 11 Edition Should You Choose?

Choose Home for any personal PC, including gaming and creative work. Choose Pro if you manage the machine for work, need encryption you control, or run virtual machines. Everything else is chosen for you: schools get Education or Pro Education, companies get Enterprise through their Microsoft 365 plan, and embedded devices arrive with IoT Enterprise or its LTSC release already installed.

Whichever edition you have, check the version. If it says 24H2, install 25H2 or, from October, 26H2 before the October 13, 2026 cutoff, and the edition question stops mattering for another two years.