Windows Version Check
Do you know what version of Windows you have? You probably know if your PC is running Windows XP, Vista, or 7 - but do you know which version of Windows it is? For example, is it XP Home? Windows 7 Ultimate? And is it the 32-bit or 64-bit variety? All users who are using Microsoft Windows can find what version of Windows they’re using by following the steps below.
Check Windows 10 Version
The new Settings application also offers this information in a user-friendly form. To launch it, click or tap the Start button and select Settings. Navigate to System > About and scroll down. You’ll see the “Version” and “Build” numbers here.
Edition: The “Edition” line tells you which edition of Windows 10 you’re using — Windows 10 Home, Professional, Enterprise, or Education. If you’d like to upgrade to Windows 10 Professional, you can upgrade to the Professional edition from within Windows 10. Switching to Windows 10 Enterprise or Education editions will require a complete reinstall and a special key that isn’t made available to normal home Windows users.
Build Number: Look at the “Version” and “OS Build” lines. If you have the original version of Windows 10, you’ll just see “OS Build 10240”. This was the initial release of Windows 10. If you have the “November Update” version of Windows 10 — Windows 10’s first big update — you’ll see a new version number scheme here. It’ll say “Version 1511 (OS Build 10576.29)”. The “1511” is the key. This number identifies that you’re using the build of Windows 10 released in November (the 11th month) of 2015. If Microsoft were to release a build of Windows 10 in April (the 4th month) of 2016, its version number would be “Version 1604”.
64-bit or 32-bit: The “System type” line tells you whether you’re using the 32-bit version of Windows 10 or the 64-bit version. It also tells you whether your PC is compatible with the 64-bit version or not. For example, “64-bit operating system, x64-based processor” indicates you’re using a 64-bit version of Windows 10 on a 64-bit processor. “32-bit operating system, x64-based processor” indicates you’re using a 32-bit version of Windows 10, but you could install the 64-bit version on your hardware if you preferred.
Winver Command (Windows 7, 8.1 & 10)
In order to find which Windows edition you have, you can also use the winver command. There are several ways in which you can run this command:
- Press the Windows + R keyboard keys to launch the Run window, type winver and press Enter. This works in all versions of Windows.
- Open a Command Prompt window, type winver and press Enter. This method also works in all versions of Windows.
- If you’re using Windows 7, you can also simply type this command in the Start Menu search box.
- In Windows 8.1, switch to the Start screen, start typing winver and click or tap on the appropriate search result.
- In Windows 10, you can use Cortana’s search field to enter winver and then, either press Enter on your keyboard, or click or tap on the winver search result.
Regardless of the method you choose, running the winver command will trigger the opening of a window called About Windows. It will displays the operating system you use, as well as Microsoft’s internal version of the operating system (6.1 for Windows 7, 6.2 for Windows 8, 6.3 for Windows 8.1 and 10.0 for Windows 10).
Determine 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows
If you want to determine if the version of Windows on your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit, follow the steps below for your version of Windows. But keep in mind that a 64-bit processor can be using either a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows and that a 32-bit processor can only use a 32-bit version of Windows.
Determine if Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10 is 32-bit or 64-bit:
- Press and Hold the Windows Key and the Pause key
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In the System window, next to System type it will list:
32-bit Operating System for a 32-bit version of Windows.
64-bit Operating System if you’re running the 64-bit version.
Determine if Windows XP is 32-bit or 64-bit:
- Press and Hold the Windows Key and the Pause key or open the System icon in the Control Panel.
- In the General tab of the System Properties window, if it has the text Windows XP, the computer is running the 32-bit version of Windows XP. If it has the text Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, the computer is running the 64-bit version of Windows XP.
That was it. It’s simple, but useful. If you happen to know another way of doing it, feel free to tell us. If you are interested in other useful tutorials (and maybe a little more complex than this one), check out the list of articles recommended below.