How to downgrade Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Home without losing data

Windows 10 is available in many editions in the market, and the demand varies according to the customer. The most common versions of Windows are the following:

• Windows 10 Pro
• Windows 10 Home
• Windows 10 Home Single Language
• Windows 10 Education

The following table highlights the official upgrade and downgrade paths between various editions of Windows 10.

As you can see Windows 10 Pro to Home, Enterprise to Education is labeled as «D». «D» is considered as a downgrade, which technically is not possible unless the user does a reinstall of Windows, which removes apps and settings. This article discusses how to downgrade in such scenarios while keeping everything.

• A Windows 10 ISO file of the same or higher release from the Media Creation tool
• Some command-line experience.

How to downgrade Windows 10 Pro to Home without losing data

To downgrade Windows 10 Pro to Home, what you need to do is, change the registry entries so that Windows Setup assumes the existing edition of Windows is Windows 10 Home. When the Setup

Step 1: Change the Registry values

To change the Registry entry, follow the steps here:

• Right-click Start and choose Windows Powershell(admin)
• Paste the following command and press enter.

Set-ItemProperty -Path «HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion» -Name EditionID -Type String -Value Core;Set-ItemProperty -Path «HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion» -Name ProductName -Value «Windows 10 Home»;Set-ItemProperty -Path «HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion» -Name CompositionEditionID -Value «Core»

What this command does is, changes the Current version values in the registry from Pro to Home.

Step 2: Download the Windows 10 ISO file.

Download the ISO file from the Windows 10 Media Creation tool.

• Choose Create Installation Media for this PC.
• Choose Windows 10 standard ISO file, and language accordingly.
• Choose ISO File. Save the ISO.

Downloading the ISO file is covered in the detail here:

Step 3: Perform an InPlace Upgrade

• Open the ISO file and run Setup.exe.
• Change the settings so that updates aren’t downloaded.
• After Preparation, select Keep personal files and apps, if prompted.

You should see that there is a checkmark besides Windows 10 Home and Keep apps, files, and Settings.

Let the procedure finish which can take up to 90 minutes on a standard PC.

After installation, you should see Windows 10 Home together with updated to the latest version. If you had an existing license of Windows 10 Home, you would find Windows activated automatically, courtesy of a digital license.

Credits to FroggyPwns post from here.

Windows 10 downgrade to home edition

Вопрос

I have been evaluating Windows 10 for a while by running an unactivated installation and I would now like to activate it. I would, however, prefer to downgrade it to home as the license is much cheaper. What is the best way of doing this? Is it necessary to format and reinstall or will the home installation go over the top of pro without any problems, allowing me to put in the home product key afterwards?

Все ответы

Unfortunately, clean install is your only option, you can’t downgrade from Pro to Home. Changing the key will not work. You could try the following work around then test your luck:

Open Registry Editor(WIN + R, type regedit, hit Enter)

Browse to key HKEY_Local Machine > Software > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion

Change EditionID to Home (double click EditionID, change value, click OK). In your case it should at the moment show Pro

Change ProductName to Windows 10 Home. In your case it should at the moment show Windows 10 Professional

Browse to key HKEY_Local Machine > Software > Wow6432Node > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion, change the same two values as in steps 3 and 4 above

Close the Registry Editor

Insert the Windows 10 Homeinstallation media, do an in-place upgrade by launching the setup from desktop (not booting with Windows 10 Home install media)

When asked, enter your validWindows 10 Home product key and select what to keep(settings, personal files and apps, only personal files or nothing)

Windows 10 Home in-place upgrade will be done now.

Credit to: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install-winpc/downgrade-from-windows-10-pro-to-home/345f5464-cb7a-44b3-8856-237cbec072c8

If you find that my post has answered your question, please mark it as the answer. If you find my post to be helpful in anyway, please click vote as helpful. Regards Simon Disclaimer: This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights.

Downgrading Windows 10 Pro Edition To Home Edition.

I recently just finished building my dream pc & managed to get Windows 10 on it without any actual «issues». The only thing I didn’t realize until later on was that I originally intended to get Windows 10 Home edition & instead I have the Windows 10 Pro edition which I don’t actually need.

So, I was wondering if I would be able to downgrade from the Pro edition to Home edition without actually having to purchase another license just for Home? If it’s possible, is all that’s needed is to backup my data, downgrade & Windows will keep the license key. I would very much appreciate it if someone with experience can tell me if this can be done without any hiccups or setbacks along the way & I would like to know what’s involved!

If anyone needs any other details or wishes to ask me anything, feel free to do so & I’ll get back to you in a flash!

Thanks to anyone who can help! 🙂

Replies (10) 

Try this by Andre Da Costa:
Unfortunately, clean install is your only option, you can’t downgrade from Pro to Home. Changing the key will not work. You could try the following work around then test your luck:
Open Registry Editor (WIN + R, type regedit, hit Enter)
Browse to key HKEY_Local Machine > Software > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion
Change EditionID to Home (double click EditionID, change value, click OK). In your case it should at the moment show Pro
Change Product Name to Windows 10 Home. In your case it should at the moment show Windows 10 Professional
Browse to key HKEY_Local Machine > Software > Wow6432Node > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion, change the same two values as in steps 3 and 4 above
Close the Registry Editor
Insert the Windows 10 Home installation media, do an in-place upgrade by launching the setup from desktop (not booting with Windows 10 Home install media)
When asked, enter your valid Windows 10 Home product key and select what to keep (settings, personal files and apps, only personal files or nothing)
Windows 10 Home in-place upgrade will be done now.

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Here is an update on the situation: I called up Microsoft directly & explained in full detail what has happened so far. After some thorough investigation done by the agent that helped me out, he informed me that the Windows Home License/Activation Key I got from Ebay is actually a key for Windows 8.1 Pro. But for some odd reason after I installed Windows & went thru the setup process —(roughly a month ago after I built my pc & fired it up for the first time)— it showed that I have Windows 10 Pro instead of Windows 10 Home. The agent I was with also told me that doing an in-place upgrade (like Time Lady had suggested) wouldn’t work. Just thought I would let you all know. As far as trying to downgrade back to Windows 10 Home for my pc, I guess it’s not possible unless I wish to get a Key/License directly from Microsoft themselves, or I could just leave it be. If I’m wrong or if there’s another way that would work, DO let me know! If not, then I guess Windows 10 Pro is fine even though it’s not what I was originally after. 🙂

My experience should serve as a lesson for anyone who wishes to get Windows 10 on the cheap: Try to avoid 3rd-party sources if you can! Unless you can verify yourself that things are on the up & up & that you have nothing to worry about. I personally don’t believe I was scammed or ripped off in any way, but I will use better judgement on this sort of thing IF I ever wish to build a new pc years down the road.

Thanks to anyone who might be able to help me out further! (If it’s possible given these circumstances.)

Downgrade from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Home version

My old WindowVista PC hardrive failed. So the tech installed Windows 10 PRO on a new SSD drive.

I asked for windows 10 , and didn’t think he would install the PRO.

Now the computer had issue running Google sketchup which is the only program I use so I need to downgrade to Home version.

Is there a way to downgrade from PRO to Home version ?

Replies (9) 

Yes but my advice is to go back to talk to the tech and tell him to do it for you. Because your computer has an issue with win 10 Pro. You need windows 10 home. Tell him to transfer your windows 10 Pro license to another PC and install the windows home that your computer deserve.

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My name is Fred. I am an independent advisor, First of all, thanks for being part of the Microsoft Community, I will try to help you.

Unfortunately, downgrading the edition is not possible. It can be done by reinstalling Windows. Choose Windows 10 Home when asked for a version to Install.

Kindly see the link for the guide on how to do a clean install.

But, How do you know that your issue with Google Sketchup is Windows 10 PRO?

In the end, They are exactly the same except for Professional having a few features that Home does not.

I hope this information is useful to you but in any case, I will be here.

Downgrade from Windows 10 Pro to Home?

For some reason, my Windows 10 Home has magically upgraded itself to Pro, only of course I do not have the product key for Pro so it will not activate. (I think this is because I was part of the Insider programme and then left — presumably the system did not revert to Home as it should have.)

How can I «downgrade» to Home so the system will correctly reactivate itself?

I have tried all the methods I can find with Google but none of those work for me.

For example, I cannot do a clean install of Home — which is what most people suggest — because when I run the Media Creation Tool, it automatically tries to install a copy of Pro. I never see an option to choose Home instead.

I have tried changing EditionID to Core and ProductName to Windows 10 Home in the registry, as I have seen suggested, but this does nothing at all. The system still won’t activate.

Any ideas please? (edit) For example, could I change the Product Key to the default Home key of YTMG3-N6DKC-DKB77-7M9GH-8HVX7?

Unfortunately, clean install is your only option, you can’t downgrade from Pro to Home. Changing the key will not work. You could try the following work around then test your luck:

Open Registry Editor (WIN + R, type regedit, hit Enter)

Browse to key HKEY_Local Machine > Software > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion

Change EditionID to Home (double click EditionID, change value, click OK). In your case it should at the moment show Pro

Change ProductName to Windows 10 Home . In your case it should at the moment show Windows 10 Professional

Browse to key HKEY_Local Machine > Software > Wow6432Node > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion , change the same two values as in steps 3 and 4 above

Close the Registry Editor

Insert the Windows 10 Home installation media, do an in-place upgrade by launching the setup from desktop (not booting with Windows 10 Home install media)

When asked, enter your valid Windows 10 Home product key and select what to keep (settings, personal files and apps, only personal files or nothing)

Windows 10 Home in-place upgrade will be done now.