Upgrading Windows 10/11 Home to Windows 10/11 Pro
Upgrading from Windows Home to Pro can be done during the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) or after setup. Below are the different methods for upgrading:
Option 1: During OOBE (Out of Box Experience)
- Press the FN KEY Once. ( This will ensure that the F1 - F12 Keys are active)
-
Press Ctrl + Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt.
- If Command Prompt does not show up, press Win + R to open the Run dialog, type
cmd
, and press Enter to manually open Command Prompt.
- If Command Prompt does not show up, press Win + R to open the Run dialog, type
- Enter the upgrade key using the following command in the Command Prompt:
-
Changepk.exe /ProductKey XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
Option 2: Ctrl + Shift + F3 Method
- Press the FN KEY Once. ( This will ensure that the F1 - F12 Keys are active)
-
Press Ctrl + Shift + F3 to boot into audit mode. This will skip the OOBE and allow you to perform administrative tasks before the user account is created.
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Open Activation Settings and click Change Product Key.
- Enter the upgrade key to initiate the upgrade.
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After updating, you may encounter a situation where you are locked out of your account. In this case:
- Restart the computer instead of shutting it down.
- You will be logged back into your account automatically.
Note: If you see a blank screen, wait for a few minutes to ensure all updates are completed, and then force shutdown the computer.
Option 3: Regular Mode Upgrade
If you're already in the regular user mode of Windows (not during OOBE or audit mode):
-
Go to Activation Settings:
- Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Navigate to Update & Security > Activation.
- Click Change Product Key.
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Enter the upgrade key in the prompt.
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If you encounter any issues, you can open Command Prompt with administrative privileges and enter the following command to apply the key manually:
Changepk.exe /ProductKey XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
Replace
XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
with your upgrade key.
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