Leaving S Mode Is Free, but You Can’t Turn It Back On

Switching a laptop out of Windows 11 S mode costs nothing and takes three steps, but Microsoft says it is one-way: once you leave, you can’t turn S mode back on. S mode is what stops an installer downloaded from the web: it allows apps from the Microsoft Store only, and keeps Edge as the default browser and Bing as the default search engine.

Microsoft’s support pages say Windows 11 in S mode “is only available in the Windows 11 Home edition”. If a new Windows 11 Home laptop refuses to run a program you downloaded from the web, S mode is one reason that happens.

What S mode allows, and what changes when you leave

	Windows 11 in S mode	Standard Windows 11, after switching
Where apps come from	The Microsoft Store only	The Store, plus x86 Windows apps from elsewhere
Default browser	Edge, always	Your choice
Default search engine	Bing	Your choice
Other browsers	Those in the Microsoft Store	Ones from outside the Store too
Antivirus	Windows Defender, the one Microsoft says is “known to be compatible”	No S mode limit; on Snapdragon PCs third-party antivirus can’t be installed (below)
Joining a work domain	Not available	Needs an upgrade to Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise as well
Going back to S mode	—	Not possible from Windows

Inside S mode you are not stuck with Bing for every search. Microsoft says you “can navigate to any other search engine website” and install any browser that is in the Store. What you cannot do is make one of them the default.

How to switch out of S mode

1. Open Settings › System › Activation.
2. Find the Switch to Windows 11 Pro section and select Go to the Store.
3. On the Store page called Switch out of S mode (or similar), select Get, then confirm.

After the confirmation, Microsoft says, “you’ll be able to install apps from outside Microsoft Store.”

Do not use the link under Upgrade your edition of Windows. It sits on the same Activation page, and Microsoft says it is “a different process that will keep you in S mode.” The section label mentions Pro, but Microsoft’s pages describe the result as “the standard version of Windows 11”, and its FAQ says joining a work domain needs a separate upgrade to Pro or Enterprise after leaving S mode. What Windows 11 Pro adds over Home covers that upgrade and the rest of the difference.

Is it free, and is it really permanent?

There is no charge. Both Microsoft support pages say so in the same words: “There’s no charge to switch out of S mode.”

On permanence they are just as plain: “Switching out of S mode is one-way.” There is no setting to turn it back on. The one route back we found is on an archived Microsoft Learn page for IT staff running Windows 10, which says the switch “can only be undone by a wipe and reload of the operating system”. It gives no steps for home users, so plan on the switch being for good.

What Microsoft says you give up

Microsoft says S mode is “streamlined for security and performance”, and that leaving it means you “lose the security and performance benefits that come with S mode.” It does not put a number on either. The mechanism it describes is the Store-only rule plus Edge: apps come through Microsoft’s Store, and it says “by exclusively using apps from Microsoft Store and browsing safely with Microsoft Edge, Windows 11 in S mode keeps you running more quickly and securely.”

The trade, then, is a narrower choice of software against a lock that you can open once. If everything you need is in the Store, Microsoft’s pages give no reason you have to leave. If one program you rely on is not, the switch is the way to run it.

Before you switch on a Snapdragon laptop

S mode also ships on PCs with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. To see which chip yours has, open Settings › System › About and read the line next to Processor. On a Snapdragon PC, leaving S mode lets you install x86 Windows apps, but Microsoft lists limits that apply “whether you’re running Windows 11 in S mode or not”:

• Drivers for hardware, games and apps work only if they are built for Windows 11 on Snapdragon.
• Games won’t work if they use OpenGL newer than 1.1 or rely on anti-cheat drivers.
• Third-party antivirus software can’t be installed on any edition.
• Client Hyper-V is supported only once S mode is off.

So on a Snapdragon laptop, check that the program you want has an Arm-compatible driver or version before you make a switch you cannot reverse.

If the switch is blocked

Microsoft’s only troubleshooting note on these pages is for managed devices: “If you’re blocked from switching and your device belongs to an organization, check with your administrator. Your organization can choose to keep all devices in S mode.” A school or work laptop may stay in S mode until its administrator changes that.

Older PCs still on Windows 10 in S mode

Windows 10 Home in S mode can move to Windows 11 Home in S mode free, through Windows Update, if the PC meets Windows 11’s minimum hardware requirements; if PC Health Check says yours doesn’t, two of the usual failures can be switched on in firmware. Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education in S mode has to leave S mode first, because S mode does not exist in those Windows 11 editions. Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on 14 October 2025; our Windows 10 security updates guide covers how long its extended updates run.

If you are still choosing a laptop rather than fixing one, S mode is worth checking on the listing, and our laptop shortlist is where to start comparing.

Questions people ask

What is Windows 11 S mode?

A version of Windows 11 Home that Microsoft says is streamlined for security and performance. It installs apps from the Microsoft Store and nowhere else, and keeps Edge as the default browser and Bing as the default search engine.

How to get out of S mode?

Open Settings, then System, then Activation. Under Switch to Windows 11 Pro, select Go to the Store, not the link under Upgrade your edition of Windows. On the Store’s Switch out of S mode page, select Get and confirm.

Is switching out of S mode free?

Yes. Microsoft’s support pages say there is no charge to switch out of S mode. The Upgrade your edition of Windows link on the same Settings page is a different process, and Microsoft says it keeps you in S mode.

Can I go back to S mode?

Not from Windows. Microsoft calls the switch one-way and says you won’t be able to turn S mode back on. An archived Windows 10 page for IT staff says only a wipe and reload of the operating system undoes it, and gives no steps for home users.

Can I use Chrome in S mode?

Not as your default, and not from Google’s site. Microsoft says Edge is always the default browser in S mode. You can install a browser that is in the Microsoft Store; anything else needs you to leave S mode first.

Why can’t I switch out of S mode?

If the PC belongs to a school or employer, Microsoft says to ask the administrator, because an organisation can choose to keep its devices in S mode. Microsoft’s S mode pages give no further troubleshooting steps.