Windows 11 N is a special edition sold in Europe that omits Windows Media Player, the Movies & TV app, Groove Music, and certain media-related features — stripped out to comply with EU competition regulations. If your PC shipped with Windows 11 N or you ended up on it by mistake, you are missing those built-in media capabilities that the standard Windows 11 editions include.
The good news is you can switch from Windows 11 N (Home N, Pro N, Education N, etc.) to the equivalent regular Windows 11 edition without reinstalling Windows, without wiping your drive, and without losing any files or applications. This guide walks you through the entire process using a single PowerShell command.
Before upgrading, you can verify your current edition with DISM and see which target editions are available. Run the commands below in PowerShell to confirm you are on an N edition.
# OutputDeployment Image Servicing and Management toolVersion: 10.0.26100.1150Image Version: 10.0.26100.4770Current edition is:Current Edition : ProfessionalNThe operation completed successfully.You can also check which editions you can upgrade to using the following command.
As shown in the output below, the standard DISM upgrade path only lists other N editions. Direct in-place upgrades to the regular (non-N) Windows editions are not officially supported by Microsoft through DISM alone — that is why this guide uses a PowerShell script instead.
# OutputDeployment Image Servicing and Management toolVersion: 10.0.26100.1150Image Version: 10.0.26100.4770Editions that can be upgraded to:Target Edition : EducationNTarget Edition : ProfessionalEducationNTarget Edition : ProfessionalWorkstationNTarget Edition : EnterpriseNTarget Edition : CloudEditionNThe operation completed successfully.Upgrade From Windows 11 N to Windows 11
To upgrade from Windows 11 N to Windows 11, 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 11 Pro N to Windows 11 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 Pro N has been successfully converted to Windows 11 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 OSName, WindowsEditionIdOsName WindowsEditionId------ ----------------Microsoft Windows 11 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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