5 reasons to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro

Windows 11 comes in many flavors for different kinds of users, but for most people, only two really matter: Windows 11 Home and Pro. Out of those, you're most likely to have Home on your PC, since that's what ships with most laptops. And with Windows 11 Pro costing $100 on top of that, you might wonder if it's really worth it.

To help with that decision, here are five of the top reasons why you might want to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro if you're currently using the Home version.

Hyper-V and Remote Desktop

Run virtual machines and access remote ones

We'll start with what might be the least interesting of the bunch, but they're worth points worth bringing up anyway. Hyper-V and Remote Desktop are two important tools for IT workers and managers, and they can be useful for general use, too.

Hyper-V is the built-in virtualization tool built into Windows, allowing you to create virtual machines to run and try different operating systems in a contained, safe environment. Hyper-V supports most Windows and Linux operating systems, and it's a great solution for testing out different operating systems and software.

Meanwhile, Remote Desktop is useful for accessing physical PCs in remote locations. Whether you want to help someone with a computer problem or you need access to a machine without being physically present, Remote Desktop can help with that.

This point is a little less interesting because there are plenty of rival solutions that you can use on Windows 11 Home, such as VirtualBox as a competitor to Hyper-V or TeamViewer as a competitor to Remote Desktop. You can also enable Hyper-V on Windows 11 Home with some tricks.

On the other hand, depending on your use case, some of these apps may come with an added cost, so it might be cheaper to get Windows 11 Pro instead and get those benefits that way. Plus, maybe you just prefer not installing software from third parties on your PC for security reasons.

More security features

Safety first

A lot of the features in Windows 11 Pro are aimed at business users, and to that extent, there are a lot of security-focused capabilities. I'm bundling them all together here because they share the same nature overall.

First, there's BitLocker Drive Encryption, which is a more advanced feature than the standard device encryption in Windows 11 Home. In the Home edition, device encryption will encrypt all your fixed drives, and you can't manage it per drive. You also don't have the option on how to store the encryption keys (they're linked to your Microsoft account, though you can back them up elsewhere). In Windows 11 Pro, you can encrypt and decrypt individual drives at will, store the recovery keys in your preferred location, and more. It's just a more versatile experience.

Windows 11 Pro also includes tools like Windows Information Protection, which allows organizations to block certain information from being shared with outsiders. If a user in the organization tries to forward it to someone outside of it, that attempt will be barred, and the data will be kept safe.

Delay Windows updates for longer

Avoid breaking bugs

This one is a bit controversial because updates are usually important for keeping your computer safe. But Windows updates are also known for causing all sorts of issues, so the ability to pause updates for some time is an important one for many users, and Windows 11 Pro is a bit better here. Windows 11 Home lets you pause updates for one week, which is something, but it's not really a long time, and you'll be forced to install updates at the end of that week.

On the other hand, Windows 11 Pro lets you pause updates for up to five weeks, which is not only enough for any issues to be discovered, but also long enough for them to be potentially ironed out with a following update, since new cumulative updates are generally rolled out on a monthly cadence. If you're worried Windows updates will disrupt your flow, Windows 11 Pro is for you. Especially with this next point.

Group Policy Editor

Change settings that are usually off-limits

Speaking of delaying updates, what if you don't want to receive automatic updates at all? Well, that's where another major feature in Windows 11 Pro comes in: the Group Policy Editor. Group Policy Editor allows you to configure administrative settings on your Windows PC (and others, in certain scenarios) that aren't available in Windows 11 Home. For example, rather than pausing updates, you can use the Group Policy Editor to pause automatic updates altogether, so they only install when you actively search for them. You can even ask to be notified when updates are available and then choose whether you want to download and install them, no commitment necessary.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Group Policy Editor. Want to choose a specific day for installing updates? You can. Need to disable Microsoft Defender completely? You got it. Disable the built-in game recorder? that's here too. There's a lot you can do with the Group Policy Editor, and you'll often find it in Windows tutorials when it comes to disabling features many people don't want to see.

Windows Sandbox

A playground to test anything you want

I've already covered Hyper-V as a useful feature for testing software in a safe environment, but Hyper-V is still a fairly complex solution. You have to download the operating system, create a virtual drive, and make sure all the settings are right. What if you just want to test an app safely and then be done with it? Well, that's what Windows Sandbox is for.

Windows Sandbox is built off of the same technology that powers Hyper-V, but it's far more straight forward. When you open Windows Sandbox, you get a copy of your current version of Windows, but without any of the changes you've made to the system. In this environment, you can install any app you want to try it and and see what happens. Are you worried you downloaded an app with a virus? Download it inside the Windows Sandbox and check it out. If you're making your own app and are worried about crashes, Windows Sandbox is also a good safeguard for testing it.

The great thing about Windows Sandbox is that it's always a clean environment. When you close it, all the changes you made will be gone, and you can just open it again to test something new. You never have to set up a fresh machine or create restore points or snapshots. It's a playground for all your testing needs, and it's always ready to go.

Windows 11 Pro is worth it (for some people)

These are just some of the reasons you might want to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro, and the ones that I personally find most compelling. However, there are more capabilities, too, like the ability to use a PC with more than 128GB of RAM, which can be useful for certain professionals with powerful workstations. And of course, there are more obvious benefits, like the ability to sign in with Microsoft Entra ID or other enterprise accounts.

At the end of the day, though, Windows 11 Pro isn't for everyone. There's a good chance most people don't need the features it offers, and in many cases, alternatives to those features can be found without having to pay extra. It really depends on your use case.