Windows 11 Pro Upgrade: How to Upgrade Home to Pro, Key Price and Steps (2026)

Reviewed 17 October 2026 by Justine, Technical Support Advisor at Nerdused. Prices checked on the same date.

To upgrade to Windows 11 Pro, enter a Windows 11 Pro key under Settings > System > Activation > Change product key: Windows downloads the Pro components, restarts once, and your files, apps and settings stay put. No reinstall, no installation media, no new PC. It takes about ten minutes. The cost is the only real decision: $99 for Microsoft’s Home-to-Pro upgrade in the Microsoft Store, or $29.99 for a genuine Windows 11 Pro upgrade key from Nerdused, entered in exactly the same place.

Windows 11 Pro upgrade at a glance

Question	Answer
What changes	Edition only: Home becomes Pro. Version, build and performance stay the same.
Reinstall needed?	No. One restart; files, programs and settings are kept.
Time	About 10 minutes, including the restart.
Microsoft Store price	$99 (Home-to-Pro upgrade); a full Windows 11 Pro licence is $199.99.
Nerdused upgrade key	$29.99 for 1 PC, $49.99 for 3, $79.99 for 5.
Key format	25 characters in five groups. A Windows 10 Pro key also upgrades Windows 11 Home to Pro.
Where to enter it	Settings > System > Activation > Change product key.
Licence	Permanent for the PC it activates on; nothing to renew. Reinstalling Windows on that PC keeps it.

What you get when you upgrade to Windows 11 Pro

Pro adds the features Home leaves out: BitLocker drive encryption, Remote Desktop hosting (connect to this PC from another device), Hyper-V virtual machines and Windows Sandbox, the Group Policy Editor, joining a company domain or Microsoft Entra ID, and more control over when updates install. The interface, gaming performance and your apps do not change. The Windows 11 Home vs Pro comparison goes through every feature, and if you have seen “Pro N” mentioned, Windows 11 Pro vs Pro N explains why you want standard Pro.

Windows 11 Pro upgrade key price: Microsoft Store vs Nerdused

For a PC with no Windows licence at all, the Windows licence keys collection compares the Windows 11 and 10 editions in one table.

Before you upgrade to Windows 11 Pro: a one-minute checklist

• Check your edition. Settings > System > About, under Windows specifications. If it already says Pro, there is nothing to do.
• Make sure Home is activated. Microsoft’s steps apply to an activated copy of Windows 11 Home; Settings > System > Activation should say “Windows is activated”. If not, fix that first with the Windows 11 activation guide.
• Be online. The upgrade downloads the Pro components from Microsoft.
• Save your work. One restart is required. Nothing is deleted, but a backup never hurts.
• Have the key ready. A Windows 11 Pro key is 25 characters in five groups of five.

How to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro with a product key

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings, go to System, then Activation.
2. Next to Change product key, click Change. If User Account Control asks, sign in as an administrator and click Yes.
3. Type or paste the 25-character Windows 11 Pro key and click Next.
4. Click Start. Windows shows “Upgrading your edition of Windows” and downloads the Pro features. Allow 3 to 10 minutes depending on your connection.
5. When prompted, restart. This restart takes longer than usual while the edition switches.
6. Back in Settings > System > Activation, the edition should read Windows 11 Pro and the status Windows is activated with a digital licence.

Files, programs, accounts and settings all carry over. The only visible difference is the new features: BitLocker in Control Panel, Remote Desktop under Settings > System, Hyper-V and Sandbox under Optional Features.

How to upgrade through the Microsoft Store instead

1. Settings > System > Activation, expand Upgrade your edition of Windows, and next to Upgrade in the Microsoft app click Open Store.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account and pay $99.
3. Click Install. Windows upgrades and restarts exactly as in the key method.

The Store route records the Pro licence against your Microsoft account. A key does the same job once activated: Microsoft stores a digital licence for that PC, so a later reinstall of Windows 11 Pro on the same machine activates by itself.

If the Windows 11 Pro upgrade fails

What you see	Cause	Fix
“This product key didn’t work” / 0xC004F050	Key typed wrong, or it is a Home key	Re-enter carefully (B and 8, O and 0). Confirm the key is for Pro, not Home.
“Unable to upgrade your edition” / 0x803FA067	Windows Update or the Store service is blocked	Run the Windows Update troubleshooter, make sure updates are not paused, then retry. If it persists, enter Microsoft’s generic Pro upgrade key VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T (it switches the edition but does not activate Windows) to switch the edition first, then enter your real key to activate.
0xC004C003 / “blocked”	Microsoft’s activation server has blocked the key	Contact Nerdused support with your order number; if the key won’t activate, the 30-day refund promise covers it. See fixing error 0xC004C003.
0x800F0805 / “invalid package”	Edition change did not complete	Restart, run sfc /scannow in an administrator Command Prompt, then enter the key again.
Activation stays “not activated” after the upgrade	Online activation blocked	Use phone activation: run slui 4, choose your country and follow the prompts. The Windows 11 activation guide walks through it.
Upgrade your edition of Windows is missing	PC is already Pro, or the edition cannot be upgraded	Check Settings > System > About. On a Pro N or Enterprise install, a Pro key will not upgrade it.

Still on Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 Pro in one step

On Windows 10 Home you do not have to buy twice. Enter the Pro key on Windows 10 to get Windows 10 Pro, then upgrade to Windows 11, which arrives as Pro; or move to Windows 11 Home first and enter the key afterwards. One key, either order. Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025, so the move should not wait. Setting up a PC that only needs Home and has no licence at all? A genuine Windows 11 Home key is below.

Windows 11 Pro upgrade FAQs

How much does a Windows 11 Pro upgrade cost?

$99 through the Microsoft Store, or $29.99 for a genuine Windows 11 Pro key from Nerdused. Both give a permanent upgrade on that PC; Microsoft’s full Windows 11 Pro licence is $199.99.

Do I need a special Windows 11 Pro upgrade key?

No. Any genuine Windows 11 Pro product key upgrades Home to Pro when entered under Settings > System > Activation > Change product key.

Do I have to reinstall Windows to upgrade to Pro?

No. It is an in-place edition change with one restart. Files, apps and settings stay where they are.

Can I use a Windows 10 Pro key to upgrade Windows 11 Home?

Yes. Windows 11 accepts Windows 10 Pro keys, and the result is Windows 11 Pro.

Can I reinstall Windows 11 Pro later without the key?

Yes, on the same PC. After the first activation Microsoft stores a digital licence for that hardware, so a clean install of Windows 11 Pro on that PC activates automatically. The licence is for the PC it activates on; our OEM vs retail keys guide explains what that means for a motherboard change.

Does upgrading to Pro include Office?

No. Office is a separate purchase; see the Office 2024 editions guide.

Does the generic key upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro for good?

It only switches the edition. Windows then shows as not activated until a genuine Pro key is entered, so you still need a real licence.

Sources: upgrade steps checked against Microsoft’s “Upgrade Windows Home to Windows Pro” support page; Home-to-Pro upgrade and full Windows 11 Pro prices from the US Microsoft Store. Last reviewed 17 October 2026.