How to upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Windows 11 Pro

Overview

In order to enrol a device to Entra ID and Intune, it requires to be running Windows 11 Pro or higher SKU.

If a device is running Windows Home edition, it will need to be upgraded. Please follow this guide for the steps to complete this task.

Requirements

Windows 11 Pro key

Known Issues

When upgrading Windows 11 Home to Pro, the Windows version actually changes to a Windows 11 Enterprise edition. As a result, Windows fails to activate correctly, as the key you just purchased is for Windows 11 Pro edition.

It isn’t clear why Windows 11 Pro from Microsoft Store results in this mismatch of product ID's, but this is a bug on the Microsoft Store.

Resolution

  1. Open the Settings app by going to Start Menu.
  2. Click Update & Security and choose Activation.
    • Click Change product key and type in the following generic product key:
      VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Be sure to click activate product when prompted.
    Your Windows copy should now be activated with the correct version of Windows.
    Note: If there are issues activating at this point, try disconnecting from the Internet, and while offline, try Activating again.
  5. Restart the device.
  6. Log in again follow the same steps (1 - 3) above and enter the genuine product key you have.
  7. Restart the device again.
  8. Activate your product key.