Windows 11 Pro Adds BitLocker, Remote Desktop and VMs

Windows 11 Pro adds BitLocker Drive Encryption, the ability to be reached with Remote Desktop, joining a work domain or Microsoft Entra ID, and two virtual-machine features, Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox. If you need none of those, Home covers the rest of Microsoft’s own security list, including device encryption on supported laptops.

Microsoft’s support page puts the Pro difference in one line: “Pro editions of Windows offer more advanced security and business networking features, including: BitLocker Drive Encryption. Remote Desktop. The ability to join a domain or Microsoft Entra ID.” Its Learn pages for IT staff add Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox.

Home vs Pro, feature by feature

Feature	Windows 11 Home	Windows 11 Pro	Microsoft’s wording
BitLocker Drive Encryption	No	Yes	Comparison table: ticked for Pro only. Support: “available on Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions”
Device encryption	Yes, on supported hardware	Yes	“available on a wider range of devices, including those running Windows Home”
Remote Desktop: being connected to	No	Yes	“The PC you want to connect to (the remote PC) must be running Windows Pro edition of Windows.”
Remote Desktop: connecting out	Yes	Yes	The client “can be running any edition of Windows (Pro or Home)”
Join a domain or Microsoft Entra ID	No	Yes	“The ability to join a domain or Microsoft Entra ID”
Hyper-V	No	Yes	“The Hyper-V role can’t be installed on Windows 10 Home or Windows 11 Home.”
Windows Sandbox	Not listed	Yes	“included in the supported Windows editions like Pro, Enterprise, and Education”
Find my device, firewall, parental controls, Secure Boot, Windows Hello, Windows Security	Yes	Yes	Comparison table: ticked for both
Microsoft Store US list price, new licence	$139.00	$199.99	Read 11 November 2026

Microsoft’s consumer comparison table has nine security rows, and BitLocker is the one it ticks for Pro alone. Everything else Pro adds sits on its support and Learn pages.

Encryption: what Home already does

Microsoft calls device encryption “a Windows feature that enables BitLocker encryption automatically for the Operating System drive and fixed drives”. So on a laptop that supports it, a Home laptop’s drive can be encrypted without Pro.

Two conditions apply. The hardware has to qualify: Microsoft’s comparison table footnotes device encryption with “Requires InstantGo/AOAC/HSTI-compliant.” And the switch-on is automatic only with an online account: “When you first sign in or set up a device with a Microsoft account, or work or school account, Device Encryption is turned on and a recovery key is attached to that account. If you’re using a local account, Device Encryption isn’t turned on automatically.”

To check yours, sign in as an administrator and open Settings › Privacy & security › Device encryption. If it isn’t there, Microsoft’s page says to run System Information as administrator and read Device Encryption Support (or Automatic Device Encryption Support); “Meets prerequisites” means it is available. Other values name the cause, such as “TPM is not usable” or “PCR7 binding is not supported”.

If your laptop shows no device encryption and you want the drive encrypted, that is when BitLocker, and so Pro, comes into it.

Remote Desktop: Pro is needed on the PC you reach

Microsoft is specific about which end needs Pro. “The PC you want to connect to (the remote PC) must be running Windows Pro edition of Windows. The device you connect from (the client device) can be running any edition of Windows (Pro or Home), or even a different operating system altogether.”

So a Home laptop can open a session on a Pro desktop at work, but nobody can open a Remote Desktop session on the Home laptop. On Pro, the setting is at Settings › System › Remote Desktop.

Virtual machines: Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox

Hyper-V runs full virtual machines. Microsoft Learn lists it for “Windows 11 (Pro or Enterprise)” and says “The Hyper-V role can’t be installed on Windows 10 Home or Windows 11 Home.” It also needs a 64-bit processor with Second Level Address Translation and at least 4GB of memory.

Windows Sandbox is a throwaway desktop for opening a file or program you don’t trust: Microsoft says “closing it deletes all software, files, and state.” Its edition table lists Windows Pro, Enterprise, Pro Education/SE and Education; Home is not on it. It needs virtualization switched on in the firmware, at least 4GB of memory (Microsoft recommends 8GB) and two CPU cores.

What a home user would notice

Microsoft does not say how many home users need Pro, so here is what changes day to day. On a laptop that supports device encryption and is set up with a Microsoft account, Home already encrypts the drive. Windows Security, the firewall, Windows Hello, Find my device and parental controls are ticked for both editions. If security is your reason for looking at Pro, start with the antivirus a new Windows 11 laptop already has.

The Pro features you would notice are narrower: reaching this laptop from another device with Remote Desktop, running Hyper-V virtual machines or Windows Sandbox, and joining an employer’s domain or Entra ID.

How to upgrade, and what it costs

Microsoft’s support page says the best route is the Microsoft Store, and the steps apply “only to devices currently running an activated copy of Windows 11 Home.”

1. Open Settings › System › Activation and check the edition and the activation state.
2. With a Windows 11 Pro product key, select Change next to Change product key, enter the 25-character key and select Next.
3. Without a key, expand Upgrade your edition of Windows and select Open Store next to Upgrade in the Microsoft app. Buy Pro while signed in with your Microsoft account, then install and restart.

Microsoft’s US web store lists the full Windows 11 Pro licence at $199.99, a version it says “is designed for PCs that need a new license for Windows”, which a new laptop with Home already has. The Home-to-Pro upgrade is bought in the Store app, and we could not find its price on Microsoft’s web store on 11 November 2026, so check it in the app before you buy.

If the laptop is in S mode, Microsoft says “Windows 11 Pro does not offer Windows 11 Pro in S mode, so you will need to switch out of S mode to upgrade”; leaving S mode is free and one-way. If you are still choosing the laptop, check which edition the listing names; our laptop shortlist is a place to start comparing.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between Windows 11 Home and Pro?

Microsoft names BitLocker Drive Encryption, Remote Desktop and joining a domain or Microsoft Entra ID as Pro features. Its Learn pages add Hyper-V and Windows Sandbox. Microsoft’s own comparison table ticks the other security features it lists, such as device encryption and Windows Hello, for both editions.

Does Windows 11 Home have BitLocker?

Not the full BitLocker Drive Encryption, which Microsoft lists for Pro, Enterprise and Education. Home has device encryption on supported hardware, which Microsoft says turns BitLocker encryption on automatically for the system drive and fixed drives.

Can Windows 11 Home use Remote Desktop?

It can connect out to another PC, but it cannot be connected to. Microsoft says the remote PC must run a Pro edition, while the device you connect from can run Home or another operating system.

Can I run Hyper-V or Windows Sandbox on Windows 11 Home?

No, according to Microsoft. Its Hyper-V page says the role can’t be installed on Windows 11 Home, and its Windows Sandbox page lists Pro, Enterprise and Education editions only.

How do I upgrade Windows 11 Home to Pro?

On an activated Windows 11 Home PC, open Settings, then System, then Activation. With a Pro key, select Change next to Change product key. Without one, expand Upgrade your edition of Windows, select Open Store, buy Pro while signed in with your Microsoft account, then install and restart.

Do I need Windows 11 Pro for a work laptop?

If your employer needs the laptop joined to its domain or to Microsoft Entra ID, yes: Microsoft lists the ability to join a domain or Microsoft Entra ID among the features of the Pro editions, not Home.