Which version of Windows operating system am I running?

Find operating system info in Windows 10

To find out which version of Windows your device is running, press the Windows logo key + R, type winver in the Open box, and then select OK.

Here’s how to learn more:

Select the Start button > Settings > System > About .

Under Device specifications > System type, see if you’re running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows.

Under Windows specifications, check which edition and version of Windows your device is running.

Related links

If you’re having a problem with activation, see Activate in Windows 10.

If you forgot the password you use to sign in to Windows devices or email, see How to reset your Microsoft password.

For info about updating Windows, see Windows Update: FAQ.

Find operating system info in Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1

To find out which version of Windows your device is running, press the Windows logo key + R, type winver in the Open box, and then select OK.

If your device is running Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1, here’s how to learn more:

If you’re using a touch device, swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings. Continue to step 3.

If you’re using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.

Select PC and devices > PC info.

Under Windows you’ll see which edition and version of Windows your device is running.

Under PC > System type you’ll see if you’re running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows.

Related links

If you’re having a problem with activation, see Activate Windows 7 or Windows 8.1

If you forgot the password you use to sign in to Windows devices or email, see How to reset your Microsoft password.

For info about updating Windows, see Windows Update: FAQ.

Find operating system info in Windows 7

Select the Start button, type Computer in the search box, right-click on Computer, and then select Properties.

Under Windows edition, you’ll see the version and edition of Windows that your device is running.

Support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, 2020

We recommend you move to a Windows 10 PC to continue to receive security updates from Microsoft.

Related links

If you’re having a problem with activation, see Activate Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

If you forgot the password you use to sign in to Windows devices or email, see How to reset your Microsoft password.

For info about updating Windows, see Windows Update: FAQ.

Operating System Version

The Version API Helper functions are used to determine the version of the operating system that is currently running. For more information, see Getting the System Version.

The following table summarizes the most recent operating system version numbers.

Operating system	Version number
Windows 10	10.0*
Windows Server 2019	10.0*
Windows Server 2016	10.0*
Windows 8.1	6.3*
Windows Server 2012 R2	6.3*
Windows 8	6.2
Windows Server 2012	6.2
Windows 7	6.1
Windows Server 2008 R2	6.1
Windows Server 2008	6.0
Windows Vista	6.0
Windows Server 2003 R2	5.2
Windows Server 2003	5.2
Windows XP 64-Bit Edition	5.2
Windows XP	5.1
Windows 2000	5.0

* For applications that have been manifested for Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. Applications not manifested for Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 will return the Windows 8 OS version value (6.2). To manifest your applications for Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, refer to Targeting your application for Windows.

Identifying the current operating system is usually not the best way to determine whether a particular operating system feature is present. This is because the operating system may have had new features added in a redistributable DLL. Rather than using the Version API Helper functions to determine the operating system platform or version number, test for the presence of the feature itself.

To determine the best way to test for a feature, refer to the documentation for the feature of interest. The following list discusses some common techniques for feature detection:

• You can test for the presence of the functions associated with a feature. To test for the presence of a function in a system DLL, call the LoadLibrary function to load the DLL. Then call the GetProcAddress function to determine whether the function of interest is present in the DLL. Use the pointer returned by GetProcAddress to call the function. Note that even if the function is present, it may be a stub that just returns an error code such as ERROR_CALL_NOT_IMPLEMENTED.
• You can determine the presence of some features by using the GetSystemMetrics function. For example, you can detect multiple display monitors by calling GetSystemMetrics(SM_CMONITORS).
• There are several versions of the redistributable DLLs that implement shell and common control features. For information about determining which versions are present on the system your application is running on, see the topic Shell and Common Controls Versions.

If you must require a particular operating system, be sure to use it as a minimum supported version, rather than design the test for the one operating system. This way, your detection code will continue to work on future versions of Windows.

Note that a 32-bit application can detect whether it is running under WOW64 by calling the IsWow64Process function. It can obtain additional processor information by calling the GetNativeSystemInfo function.

Windows Version Numbers

A list of Windows version numbers & major Windows builds

Each Microsoft Windows operating system has a familiar name, like Windows 10 or Windows Vista, but behind each common name is an actual Windows version number 1 .

You can determine your Windows version a number of ways if you want to check which build number you’re currently running.

Windows Version Numbers

Below is a list of major Windows versions and their associated version numbers:

Reference Table for Windows Version Numbers
Operating System	Version Details	Version Number
Windows 10	Windows 10 (20H2)	10.0.19042
Windows 10 (2004)	10.0.19041
Windows 10 (1909)	10.0.18363
Windows 10 (1903)	10.0.18362
Windows 10 (1809)	10.0.17763
Windows 10 (1803)	10.0.17134
Windows 10 (1709)	10.0.16299
Windows 10 (1703)	10.0.15063
Windows 10 (1607)	10.0.14393
Windows 10 (1511)	10.0.10586
Windows 10	10.0.10240
Windows 8	Windows 8.1 (Update 1)	6.3.9600
Windows 8.1	6.3.9200
Windows 8	6.2.9200
Windows 7	Windows 7 SP1	6.1.7601
Windows 7	6.1.7600
Windows Vista	Windows Vista SP2	6.0.6002
Windows Vista SP1	6.0.6001
Windows Vista	6.0.6000
Windows XP	Windows XP 2	5.1.2600 3

_{[1] More specific than a version number, at least in Windows, is a build number, often indicating exactly what major update or service pack has been applied to that Windows version. This is the last number shown in the version number column, like 7600 for Windows 7. Some sources note the build number in parenthesis, like 6.1 (7600).}

_{[2] Windows XP Professional 64-bit had its own version number of 5.2. As far as we know, that’s the only time Microsoft has designated a special version number for a specific edition and architecture-type of a Windows operating system.}

_{[3] Service pack updates to Windows XP did update the build number but in a very minor and long-winded way. For example, Windows XP with SP3 and other small updates is listed as having a version number of 5.1 (Build 2600.xpsp_sp3_qfe.130704-0421 : Service Pack 3).}

How to Update Windows

To update Windows to the newest build number, use Windows Update. Using the built-in Windows Update utility is the easiest way to check for and install Windows updates.

If your version of Windows isn’t currently set up to install updates automatically, you can change the Windows Update settings so that new updates are downloaded and applied automatically. This is the simplest way to keep Windows updated to the latest version number.

Major Changes in Windows 10

Microsoft introduced several changes to the Windows operating system with the release of Windows 10. These are some of the biggest differences between Windows 10 and Windows 8 (and older versions of Windows):

OSVERSIONINFOA structure (winnt.h)

Contains operating system version information. The information includes major and minor version numbers, a build number, a platform identifier, and descriptive text about the operating system. This structure is used with the GetVersionEx function.

To obtain additional version information, use the OSVERSIONINFOEX structure with GetVersionEx instead.

Syntax

Members

The size of this data structure, in bytes. Set this member to sizeof(OSVERSIONINFO) .

The major version number of the operating system. For more information, see Remarks.

The minor version number of the operating system. For more information, see Remarks.

The build number of the operating system.

The operating system platform. This member can be the following value.

Value	Meaning
VER_PLATFORM_WIN32_NT 2	The operating system is WindowsВ 7, Windows ServerВ 2008, WindowsВ Vista, Windows ServerВ 2003, WindowsВ XP, or WindowsВ 2000.

A null-terminated string, such as «Service Pack 3», that indicates the latest Service Pack installed on the system. If no Service Pack has been installed, the string is empty.

Remarks

Relying on version information is not the best way to test for a feature. Instead, refer to the documentation for the feature of interest. For more information on common techniques for feature detection, see Operating System Version.

If you must require a particular operating system, be sure to use it as a minimum supported version, rather than design the test for the one operating system. This way, your detection code will continue to work on future versions of Windows.

The following table summarizes the values returned by supported versions of Windows. Use the information in the column labeled «Other» to distinguish between operating systems with identical version numbers.

Operating system	Version number	dwMajorVersion	dwMinorVersion	Other
WindowsВ 10	10.0*	10	0	OSVERSIONINFOEX.wProductType == VER_NT_WORKSTATION
Windows ServerВ 2016	10.0*	10	0	OSVERSIONINFOEX.wProductType != VER_NT_WORKSTATION
WindowsВ 8.1	6.3*	6	3	OSVERSIONINFOEX.wProductType == VER_NT_WORKSTATION
Windows ServerВ 2012В R2	6.3*	6	3	OSVERSIONINFOEX.wProductType != VER_NT_WORKSTATION
WindowsВ 8	6.2	6	2	OSVERSIONINFOEX.wProductType == VER_NT_WORKSTATION
Windows ServerВ 2012	6.2	6	2	OSVERSIONINFOEX.wProductType != VER_NT_WORKSTATION
WindowsВ 7	6.1	6	1	OSVERSIONINFOEX.wProductType == VER_NT_WORKSTATION
Windows ServerВ 2008В R2	6.1	6	1	OSVERSIONINFOEX.wProductType != VER_NT_WORKSTATION
Windows ServerВ 2008	6.0	6	0	OSVERSIONINFOEX.wProductType != VER_NT_WORKSTATION
WindowsВ Vista	6.0	6	0	OSVERSIONINFOEX.wProductType == VER_NT_WORKSTATION
Windows ServerВ 2003В R2	5.2	5	2	GetSystemMetrics(SM_SERVERR2) != 0
Windows ServerВ 2003	5.2	5	2	GetSystemMetrics(SM_SERVERR2) == 0
WindowsВ XP	5.1	5	1	Not applicable
WindowsВ 2000	5.0	5	0	Not applicable
* For applications that have been manifested for WindowsВ 8.1 or WindowsВ 10. Applications not manifested for WindowsВ 8.1 or WindowsВ 10 will return the WindowsВ 8 OS version value (6.2). To manifest your applications for WindowsВ 8.1 or WindowsВ 10, refer to Targeting your application for Windows.

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Examples

The winnt.h header defines OSVERSIONINFO as an alias which automatically selects the ANSI or Unicode version of this function based on the definition of the UNICODE preprocessor constant. Mixing usage of the encoding-neutral alias with code that not encoding-neutral can lead to mismatches that result in compilation or runtime errors. For more information, see Conventions for Function Prototypes.