How-To: Upgrade Windows Home to Windows Pro

This document will help guide you through the process of upgrading your version of Windows 11 Home to Windows 11 Pro to meet UCSD’s Network security standards for Secure Connect to access the UCSD-PROTECTED network.

1. From the Windows desktop, click on the Windows icon to open the start menu and click “Settings”.

2. In the search field, type in “Activation Settings” and hit enter.

3. Here you will see the activation state of your OS and the option to “Upgrade your edition of Windows,” which will generate the pop-up below. Click Start
   
   

   Open

   

    

4. Next, you will need to enter a product key. In the link below, you will find product keys for multiple versions of Windows 11 Pro Upgrade keys. Enter the key that matches the version that you’re currently running, and the version that you’re upgrading to.

   1. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/kms-client-activation-keys?tabs=windows1110ltsc%2Cwindows81%2Cserver2025%2Cversion1803

5. Once the key is accepted, you will be prompted to reboot your machine. This will take 5-10 minutes to complete.

6. Once the system has booted up, Navigate back to the Start Menu > Settings > Activcation Settings > and verify that your version of Windows has changed from Home to Pro and that it is active.

For any reason that your computer did not upgrade from Home to Pro, please reach out to IGPP Helpdesk for Further assistance.