Windows 10 N is a special edition sold in Europe that ships without Windows Media Player and several related multimedia components. If you ended up with a Windows 10 N build — whether it was pre-installed, selected by mistake during setup, or arrived through a volume license — you may find that certain apps and games refuse to run correctly because of those missing media features. Switching to the standard Windows 10 edition (Home, Pro, or Enterprise without the "N" suffix) restores full compatibility.
The good news is that you do not need to reinstall Windows or wipe your drive to make this change. This guide walks you through an in-place upgrade from Windows 10 N to regular Windows 10 using a single PowerShell command — your files, settings, and installed applications stay completely intact.
You can use the DISM command in PowerShell to check the current Windows edition.
# OutputDeployment Image Servicing and Management toolVersion: 10.0.19041.3636Image Version: 10.0.19045.6159Current edition is:Current Edition : ProfessionalNThe operation completed successfully.You can check to which Windows versions you can upgrade to using the below PowerShell command.
As shown in the output below, you can upgrade to the Windows N target editions. However, direct upgrades to the regular Windows editions (non-N) are not officially supported by Microsoft.
# OutputDeployment Image Servicing and Management toolVersion: 10.0.19041.3636Image Version: 10.0.19045.6159Editions that can be upgraded to:Target Edition : EnterpriseNTarget Edition : ProfessionalEducationNTarget Edition : ProfessionalWorkstationNTarget Edition : EducationNThe operation completed successfully.Upgrade From Windows 10 N to Windows 10
To upgrade from Windows 10 N to Windows 10, we will use a PowerShell script. The advantages of this method are:
- All data and applications on the system will remain intact. No need to worry about any data loss.
- The methods work seamlessly with all versions of Windows, including Windows Server.
- For Windows Server: The script can convert from Server Evaluation to Standard or Datacenter editions. It can also be used for switching between editions, such as upgrading from ServerStandard to ServerDatacenter or vice versa.
- For Windows clients: The script can convert, upgrade, downgrade, or switch between editions, such as upgrading from Home to Pro or downgrading from Enterprise to Pro.
- The script works on both Windows 64-bit and Windows 32-bit systems.
- The script automatically activates the Windows license after conversion.
1. Search for powershell then run it as administrator.
2. Type the following command in the PowerShell window then hit Enter ↵ button.
3. A new window will appear, allowing you to choose the target edition you wish to upgrade to.
4. Select a target edition and then click the Submit button to start the conversation. For instance, I will upgrade from Windows 10 Pro N to Windows 10 Pro.
5. It could take a while to complete. Please be patient.
6. After completing the process, close PowerShell and open Windows Settings to verify the activation status. As shown in the screenshot, Windows 10 Pro N has been successfully converted to Windows 10 Pro.
To use a different product key on this device, select Change product key.
Check the Windows version and edition
Restart the computer, and after it boots up again, open PowerShell to run the command that checks the Windows edition and version.
# OutputPS C:\> Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName, WindowsEditionIdWindowsProductName WindowsEditionId------------------ ----------------Windows 10 Pro ProfessionalConclusion
Hello Friends! My name is Leo, and I’m excited to share everything I know about activating Microsoft software products. In the past, I managed several YouTube channels on this topic, but they were taken down by Microsoft. That’s why I decided to start this blog to keep the conversation alive without interruptions. I’m committed to sharing my knowledge and insights for as long as possible!
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to leave a comment or visit my Discord server. I’d be happy to provide more details. Thank you so much for your feedback and support!
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