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What are the key benefits of Microsoft Windows 10 Pro Upgrade?
Pro Upgrade – Adds business features to Windows 10 Home.
Device Security – BitLocker helps protect sensitive local data.
Remote Access – Remote Desktop supports secure off-site work.
Business Login – Join domains or Microsoft Entra ID.
Admin Control – Group Policy supports managed business settings.
Virtual Testing – Hyper-V enables local virtual machine workflows.
"Original Equipment Manufacturer" key. Is stored in the BIOS for reuse.
A Microsoft account is required for activation. It is not possible to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro. To upgrade, you need the “Windows 10 Pro Upgrade.”
Download: Windows 10 Pro OEM
Edition core – Full Windows 10 Pro feature set after upgrade.
BitLocker encryption – Full BitLocker Drive Encryption for internal and removable drives.
Hyper-V virtualization – Native Hyper-V for running virtual machines locally.
Remote Desktop host – Acts as RDP server, not only as client.
Domain join – Local Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID join supported.
Core Capacity – Supports up to 2 TB RAM and 2 CPU sockets.
The upgrade lifts an existing Windows 10 Home installation to Windows 10 Pro and unlocks the business-grade features that the Home edition does not include. It keeps installed programs, files, and user accounts in place, so no clean reinstall of applications is needed.
In-place upgrade – Keeps installed apps, files, and user profiles intact.
Business features – Adds BitLocker, Hyper-V, RDP host, domain join.
Group Policy – Enables local Group Policy Editor for fine control.
Update control – Windows Update for Business defers feature updates.
Sandbox isolation – Windows Sandbox runs untrusted apps in throwaway VM.
Assigned Access – Locks a device to a single kiosk application.
It converts the existing Windows 10 Home edition into Windows 10 Pro without reinstalling the operating system. The change is applied through Settings, Activation, Change product key, which switches the SKU and turns on the Pro-only components already present on disk. Installed software, documents, and user accounts remain in place, and Hyper-V plus the Group Policy Editor become available after a restart. The upgrade does not move Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 11 systems to Windows 10 Pro.
It is aimed at users running Windows 10 Home who need at least one Pro-only capability, typically full BitLocker for encrypted laptops, Hyper-V for test VMs, or Remote Desktop host so the machine can be accessed from outside. Home administrators with a small office network also use it to join a workstation to a local Active Directory or Microsoft Entra ID tenant, which Home does not allow. Users who only browse, use Office, and stream video gain little from the upgrade. The deciding question is whether the missing Home features are actually needed for daily work.
Pro adds the business features that Home omits: full BitLocker Drive Encryption, Hyper-V, Remote Desktop hosting, local Group Policy Editor, Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID join, Windows Update for Business, and Assigned Access. Home only offers device encryption on supported hardware and can act as an RDP client, not an RDP host. The maximum supported RAM also rises from 128 GB on Home to 2 TB on Pro. Everything else, including the user interface, Microsoft Store, and Windows Defender, behaves the same.
| Feature | Windows 10 Home | Windows 10 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Full BitLocker | ✕ | ✓ |
| Hyper-V | ✕ | ✓ |
| Remote Desktop host | ✕ | ✓ |
| AD / Entra ID join | ✕ | ✓ |
| Group Policy Editor | ✕ | ✓ |
| Maximum RAM | 128 GB | 2 TB |
| Windows Sandbox | ✕ | ✓ |
Yes, all three are unlocked once the upgrade completes. Full BitLocker Drive Encryption can be enabled on the system drive, fixed data drives, and removable drives via BitLocker To Go, with recovery keys stored in a Microsoft account, Active Directory, or a printed file. Hyper-V is available as a Windows feature after the upgrade and supports running Windows or Linux guests, provided the CPU offers SLAT and virtualization is enabled in firmware. The machine can also accept incoming Remote Desktop sessions, which Home blocks entirely.
The current installation must be a genuine Windows 10 Home edition; the upgrade path does not apply to Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 11. Mainstream Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025, so the upgrade is mainly useful when the hardware cannot run Windows 11 or when Windows 10 Pro is required for a defined business reason such as BitLocker or RDP hosting. Hardware that meets the Windows 11 requirements, including TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, is usually better served by moving to Windows 11 Pro instead. Customers who need extended security updates beyond October 2025 should also confirm whether their device qualifies for the ESU program.
If the hardware meets the Windows 11 requirements, especially TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, Windows 11 Pro is the longer-term choice because Windows 10 reached end of mainstream support on 14 October 2025. The Windows 10 Pro Upgrade is the better option when the device does not meet the Windows 11 hardware requirements, when a specific application is certified only on Windows 10, or when an existing Windows 10 Home installation needs Pro features immediately without changing the major version. The Pro features themselves, such as BitLocker and Hyper-V, work the same way on both releases.
No. The change from Home to Pro is an in-place edition switch through Settings, Update & Security, Activation. Installed applications, files, and user accounts stay in place, and only a restart is needed to finalize the Pro components.
No. Windows 10 Pro setup still allows a local user account during installation, unlike newer Windows 11 Home builds. A Microsoft Account is only needed for features such as OneDrive, Microsoft Store apps, and storing a BitLocker recovery key in the cloud.
Yes. Windows 10 Pro supports joining a local on-premises Active Directory domain and joining Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), including hybrid join. This is one of the core differences from Windows 10 Home, which cannot perform either type of domain join.
Mainstream support for Windows 10, including the Pro edition, ended on 14 October 2025. Extended Security Updates (ESU) are available as a paid option for eligible devices and deliver critical and important security fixes for a limited time after that date, but no new features or non-security fixes are included.
| Processor | 1 GHz or faster processor, or SoC. |
| Memory RAM | 1 GB for 32-bit; 2 GB for 64-bit. |
| Hard Disk | 32 GB or larger hard disk. |
| Display | 800 x 600 screen resolution. |
| Graphics | DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver. |
| Note | Internet connection required for setup, activation, updates, and some features. Some features require a Microsoft account. Requires an eligible Windows device for upgrade installation. Support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025. |
keys.express and keys.discount is a web platforms for new and used product keys. The product keys for Windows and other software available in the shop of keys.express and keys.discount are cheap, safe, legal and with activation guarantee.
Here you can find some general information about used software, an overview of the most important legal information as well as answers to frequently asked questions from our customers ("FAQ“)
Used software is available for sale in the European Union as well as in Switzerland according to current jurisdiction provided that the necessary conditions are met. The necessary conditions are as follows:
keys.express and keys.discount ensure that the above mentioned requirements are met and that a legal use of the software is guaranteed. The requirements of the European legislation are also met in Switzerland.
You can find further information on:
There is a lot of legal information about the topic of used software. We are more than happy to answer any questions you may have. You can contact us at any time via welcome(at)keys.express. In the meantime, you can also find a short overview of the most important legal information regarding used software here:
For distance contracts concluded by telephone, on the Internet or when ordering from a catalogue, EU law provides for the possibility for consumers to withdraw from the contract for a certain period of time ("right of withdrawal"). A consumer in this sense is any natural person who concludes a legal transaction for purposes that are predominantly neither commercial nor self-employed. In Switzerland we usually speak of consumers.
Consumers have the right to cancel the contract within fourteen calendar days without giving reasons. The revocation period begins on the day the contract is concluded.
In order to exercise your right of withdrawal from keys.express or keys.discount, you must inform us by means of a clear statement (e.g. a letter, fax or e-mail sent by post) of your decision to withdraw from this contract. For this purpose, you can contact us using the following information:
Keys Distribution Ltd
Suite 2, 215 Main Street
Gibraltar Heights, Gibraltar
Phone +423 7989130
Email: welcome@keys.discount
keys.express and keys.discount also provides a template revocation form. In order to comply with the revocation period, it is sufficient to send the notification of the exercise of the right of revocation to Keys Distribution Ltd before the end of the revocation period.
If you revoke this contract, we must reimburse you for all payments which we have received from you for the corresponding order, including delivery costs (with the exception of additional costs which result from the fact that you have chosen a different type of delivery than the cheapest standard delivery offered by us), immediately and at the latest within fourteen calendar days from the day on which we receive notification of your revocation of this contract. For this repayment we will usually use the same means of payment that you used for the original transaction, unless expressly agreed otherwise with you. In no case will you be charged for this refund.