You may not have really thought near Windows build numbers in the past unless information technology was office of your chore to do so. Just they've become more important with Windows ten. Hither's how to discover out what build—and edition and version—of Windows x you're running.

Windows has always used build numbers. They represent pregnant updates to Windows. Traditionally, almost people take referred to Windows based on the major, named version they're using—Windows Vista, 7, 8, and then on. Inside those versions, we also had service packs to refer to: Windows 7 Service Pack 1, for example.

With Windows 10, things have inverse a chip. For one matter, Microsoft claims there volition be no more new versions of Windows—Windows 10 is here to stay. Microsoft has besides done away with service packs, instead moving to releasing two large builds each year and giving them names. If you really need to refer to a specific version of Windows, though, it'due south easiest to refer to information technology by its version number. Microsoft has subconscious the version number somewhat in an attempt to make Windows x wait e'er-up-to-appointment, but information technology's not difficult to find.

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Annotation: In addition to builds, there also are however different editions of Windows x—Home, Professional person, Enterprise, and and so on—with different features. Microsoft is also nonetheless offer both 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows ten, likewise.

Find Your Edition, Build Number, and More with the Settings App

The new Settings app also offers build, edition, and version information in a user-friendly form. Striking Windows+I to open Settings. In the Settings window, navigate to System > About.  Scroll down a bit and you lot'll see the data you're later on.

Navigate to System > About and roll downward. You'll come across the "Version" and "Build" numbers here.

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  • Edition. This line tells you which edition of Windows 10 you're using—Home, Professional, Enterprise, or Educational activity. If you're using Home and y'all'd like to upgrade to Professional, you can upgrade to the Professional edition from within Windows 10. Switching to Windows x Enterprise or Didactics editions will crave a complete reinstall and a special key that isn't made available to normal dwelling Windows users.
  • Version. The version number gives you lot the best information on what version of Windows 10 you're running. The number is based on the engagement of the virtually contempo big build release and uses a YYMM format. For example, in the screenshot to a higher place, the "1607" version tells us that the version we're running is from the 7th month (July) of 2016. That's the large Anniversary Update of Windows x. The Fall Creators Update was released in September of 2017, so it's version 1709.
  • Bone Build. This line shows the specific operating system build yous're running. Information technology gives you sort of a timeline of small build releases in between the major version number releases. In the screenshot in a higher place, the "14393.693" build was really the 13th build released after version 1607 shipped in July, 2016. This information is somewhat less important to virtually people than the major version numbers, but it can withal assistance yous identify exactly what you're running. If you're curious, you tin check out the whole history of versions and builds for Windows ten on Microsoft's TechNet site.
  • System Type. This line tells you whether you're using the 32-chip version of Windows 10 or the 64-chip version. It also tells you whether your PC is compatible with the 64-scrap version or non. For case, "64-bit operating system, x64-based processor" indicates you're using a 64-bit version of Windows ten on a 64-scrap processor. "32-chip operating system, x64-based processor" indicates you lot're using a 32-bit version of Windows 10, but you could install the 64-chip version on your hardware if you preferred.

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Find Your Edition and Build Number with the Winver Dialog

You can too use the old standby Windows Version (winver) tool to find some of this information. Hit Beginning, type "winver," and then press Enter. You could also press Windows Key + R, blazon "winver" into the Run dialog, and press Enter.

The 2nd line in the "Nearly Windows" box tells you which version and build of Windows 10 you have. Retrieve, the version number is in the class YYMM—so 1607 ways the 7th month of 2016. A couple of lines down, you'll meet the edition of Windows 10 you're using—Windows 10 Pro in our instance.

The "Well-nigh Windows" box does not show whether yous're using a 64-flake or 32-bit version of Windows ten, but it does requite y'all a quicker way to check your version and build than navigating through the Settings app.

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All this information—edition, version, build number, and build type—can be of import if yous're trying to determine whether Windows 10 has received a specific update, whether yous have access to a feature available merely in sure editions, or whether you lot should download the 64- or 32-fleck version of a program. And, if you're super interested in keeping up with it, we even have a style to display your build number right on your desktop. Relish!

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