Microsoft said that Windows 10 was the last version of Windows the company would ever make. But then came Windows 11. And, leaving out the mismatch between what’s been said and what’s been done, Windows 11 brought with it a new user interface, new features, and a lot of changes under the hood. Furthermore, Windows 11, just like Windows 10, is constantly updated and improved, and new releases come out every year. Which raises the question: do you know what version of Windows 11 you have? How do you tell what Windows 11 you’re using? If you want to know whether you have the latest version of Windows 11 installed, how to check what version, build, or type of Windows 11 you’re running, read this guide: What version of Windows 11 do I have? The fast way The quickest way to find out what version of Windows 11 you have is to use the winver tool. Click or tap on the search button next to Start, type winver and select the search result bearing the same name: winver. Search and run winver in Windows 11 Alternatively, you could press the Windows + R keys to launch the Run window, type winver in its Open text field, and then press Enter or OK. Type and run winver from the Run window The winver command opens a window called About Windows. In it, you get to see the Windows 11 version you have, as well as its OS Build and the Windows 11 edition you own. For example, on my desktop PC, I have Windows 11 Pro, version 21H2, OS Build 22000.556. About Windows tells you the Windows 11 version, build, and edition Do you want to know more? Read the last sections of this article to find out what Windows 11 versions and editions are there, and what OS build numbers mean. How to check what Windows 11 version you use from the Settings app An alternative way to find out what Windows 11 you have is offered by the Settings app. Start by opening the Settings app: a fast way to do that is to simultaneously press Windows + I on your keyboard. Then, select System on the left sidebar, and click or tap About on the right side of the window. In Windows 11\'s Settings, go to System > About This opens the About page from the Settings app. On it, you get details regarding your computer and operating system. The information we’re looking for is: System type - listed under Device specifications, it tells you that Windows 11 is a 64-bit operating system Edition - shown in the Windows specifications section, tells you what Windows 11 edition you own: Pro, Home, Enterprise, Education, etc. Version - listed in the Windows specifications section, displays the version of Windows 11 currently installed OS Build - also part of the Windows Specifications list, shows you the exact Windows 11 build you’re using Check the Windows 11 version, OS Build, edition, and type Now you know how to check your Windows 11 version and other details using graphical tools. Would you also like to know how to get this information in the command-line too? If you do, read the next section of this guide: How to check the Windows 11 version using commands (in Windows Terminal, PowerShell, Command Prompt) If you prefer using a command-line environment, open your favorite cmd app: Windows Terminal, PowerShell, or Command Prompt. In any of them, type or copy/paste this command: wmic os get BuildNumber,Caption,version[/DC-CODE] Then, press the Enter key to execute it and see the information you need. Find your Windows 11 version and build number using wmic in cmd Alternatively, you can also use this command to get the same information: systeminfo | findstr /B /C:“OS Name” /C:“OS Version”[/DC-CODE] Find your Windows 11 version and build number using systeminfo in cmd As you might’ve noticed, the commands output information that looks a bit different from the one shown by graphical tools we’ve talked about in the previous sections of this guide (winver and the Settings app). The commands list Windows 11’s Version as a series of numbers that also include the OS build. In the earlier examples, the build numbers are 22000, which comes after 10.0. This build number is the one that helps you make sense of the exact Windows 11 version you’re using, so continue reading. What do Windows 11 version numbers mean? Microsoft will keep on updating Windows 11 and, theoretically, release one major update each year. Each update has a specific version number, and each one comes with new features, new apps, under-the-hood changes and improvements, and so on. For now, there’s only one Windows 11 version released to the general public: Version 21H2 or build 22000 - The initial release of Windows 11, launched in October 2021. Here’s a list of its best features. Version 22H2 - The next release of Windows 11, will probably be released by Microsoft before October 2022. When writing this article, the company didn’t announce the exact launch date, so we’re just sharing our best guess. Windows 11 editions: What’s different about them? You can have one of the following editions of Windows 11 installed on your computer or device: Windows 11 Home. This is one of the main Windows 11 editions, intended for home users. It includes consumer features and requires an internet connection and a Microsoft account to complete the initial setup. It lacks business features like BitLocker encryption or virtualization. Windows 11 Pro. This is the second main edition of Windows 11. It includes everything from the Home edition but also adds features for business environments and power users, such as BitLocker and the ability to join a domain. Windows 11 Pro for Workstations. Similar to Windows 11 Pro, but it also includes support for additional tools useful to professionals, like advanced processing, resilient data storage, and faster file-sharing. Windows 11 SE. This one is an edition of Windows 11 designed for low-end computers and addressed to education and academic organizations. Windows 11 Education. Just like Windows 11 SE, this edition is designed for academic organizations. However, it comes with more features, and it’s not targeted exclusively at low-end devices. Windows 11 Enterprise. It provides all the features of Windows 11 Pro, with additional features to assist network administrators and technology-oriented companies. Besides the Windows 11 editions listed above, Microsoft might also sell other types of specialized editions, such as N and KN. These are editions of Windows 11 that don’t come with Windows Media Player, Groove Music, and other multimedia features. N versions are sold in Europe, while KN versions are available in Korea. They exist only to comply with antitrust laws in these regions, where Microsoft has been found guilty of abusing its monopoly to hurt competing video and audio applications. N and KN can apply to various editions of Windows 11. For example, you can have Windows 11 Home N, Windows 11 Pro N, etc. What\'s the Windows 11 OS build? The OS Build number increases each time significant updates are applied to Windows 11. This information is helpful if you need to know the version of Windows 11 you use, as explained earlier in the “What do Windows 11 version numbers mean?” section of this guide. Furthermore, they’re also useful for troubleshooting purposes. For example, if you stumble upon a bug and contact Microsoft’s support engineers, the OS Build lets them know your exact version of Windows 11 and what updates are required to fix the issue. You can find out more about the evolution of Windows 11 build numbers here: Windows 11 release information. What’s the Windows 11 system type? The system type only tells you that Windows 11 uses the 64-bit register of the processor. As Windows 11 only works on 64-bit processors, we find this information rather redundant. What Windows 11 version and edition do you use? Now you know how to find the Windows 11 version and edition you have. Before leaving, share your Windows 11 version, edition, and build number with us. We are curious to discover the most popular Windows 11 editions with our readers.
