How to Tell What Version of Windows You Have Installed

Every installation of Windows has a major version, a specific version, and a build number. While you may never need to know the specific version or build number of your Windows installation, it is is It is important to know which major version of Windows your computer is running.

Furthermore, it looks like future updates for Windows will come in the form of new Windows 10 builds every 6 months. In other words, future updates could be called something like Windows 10 [Build Name]. The latest version of Windows 10 is 20H2 released on October 20, 2020. The next versions in 2021 will be 21H1 and 21H2.

That makes sense because Microsoft is moving a way of making money from licensing certain software versions and in the direction Earn money with Software as a Service (SaaS), where your software subscription includes future updates.

If this is indeed the case with updates for Windows 10. Finally, it is important to know the build number/name of the instance of Windows 10 installed on your computer.

Why should I care?

Knowing what version of Windows you have can help you know when it's time to update device drivers or determine which apps to install on your computer.

Also, if you're looking for instructions on how to do something specific on your computer, you can make sure the instructions are specific to your operating system.

What do I have to know?

Besides the major version, specific version, and build number, you'll also want to know if your Windows installation is 32-bit or 64-bit. This too can determine what software works on your computer or what instructions to follow. Below we show you how to find all this information.

What's what: major version, specific version, and build number

The major version is the edition of Windows. If your computer is new, it is extremely it's probably running Windows 10. Windows 7 support ended on January 14, 2020.

As you might suspect, Microsoft recommends that you "move to a Windows 10 PC" so that security upgrades can be pushed to your PC automatically. That's all well and good if you have the resources to get a new computer running Windows 10. But if you don't, it's still useful to know what version of Windows you have.

The specific version of Windows is a number, most likely four digits, like 1909. The build number is a longer numeric string, like 19041.867. As mentioned above, future builds of Windows 10 are expected to have names, not numbers.

How to find your Windows version

We'll show you several ways to find out what version of Windows is installed on your computer. Each method shows different types of information, so choose the best one based on your needs.

Using File Explorer

1. Launch Windows File Explorer by pressing victory+E or by typing file explorer in the Windows search bar and selecting the app.
2. Find This PC on the left. Look for it in older versions of Windows My computer.
3. Right-click This PC (or My computer).
4. Choose properties.

5. This will bring up a window with basic information about your PC, including the version of Windows it's running.

If you're running Windows 10 20H2 or later, you're now taken to the System Information (About) page in Settings rather than Control Panel:

The Control Panel shows that the PC is running Windows 10 Pro and has a 64-bit operating system. This screen does not tell you the build number of windows or version. However, the new About screen in the Settings app gives you all this information.

Using Winver

Here's another way to determine the version of Windows that's likely to work, whether you have Windows 10, Windows 8, or Windows 7.

1. Hold the Windows key and press R (victory+R) to launch the Run dialog box, or type the following run Search and select in Windows run.

2. Type winver.

3. Press Input or choose the one OK Button.
4. This will launch an "About Windows" window with all the information you are looking for.

The screenshot above shows us that the PC is running Windows 10, version 2004 and build 19041.867.

Via the control panel or the settings app

You can use either the Settings app or the Control Panel to get information about your PC. Microsoft is slowly migrating to the Settings app, so let's start there.

click on beginning button and then click the ideas icon (gear).

Click on system.

Finally, click About at the bottom of the left pane. This will bring you to the same About screen as mentioned in the first method above.

The second method is through the Control Panel. This method will show you the version of Windows on your PC as well as the system type - whether it is a 64-bit operating system or a 32-bit operating system.

1. Type Switchboard in the search bar.

2. Choose Switchboard to launch the Control Panel app.
3. Search the Control Panel system.

4. Choose system.
5. This will bring up a window with basic information about your PC.

Again, as mentioned above, you'll get the new About screen in the Settings app if you're using the latest version of Windows.

About system information

If you prefer, you can bypass the Control Panel and go straight to the Windows System Information app by following these steps.

1. Type system in the Windows search bar.
2. Choose system information app to start them.

3. In the system summary area, you can see your major Windows version, its specific version, and the build number. You will also see the system type, either 64-bit or 32-bit.

If in doubt, use the command prompt

If you prefer Command Prompt, find out what version of Windows your PC is running here. This method should work regardless of what version of Windows you're running.

1. Hold the Windows key and press R (victory+R) to launch the Run dialog box, or type the following run Search and select in Windows run.
2. Type cmd and press Input or choose the one OK Button.

3. Type ver in the command terminal.

4. Press Input
5. This will display the version number of Windows including the specific version number.

BONUS: For computers running Windows 8

If you followed any of the above methods and found that your PC is running Windows 8, you can find more information by following these steps:

1. Use your mouse to point to the bottom right corner of your screen.
2. Hover your mouse pointer up to see the ideas Opportunity.
3. Choose Ideas.
4. Choose Change PC settings.
5. Choose PC and devices and then PC info.
6. Under the Windows heading, you can see which edition and version of Windows is installed on the device. Also, under the PC heading, you'll see whether you're running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows.

By: How to Tell What Version of Windows You Have Installed