How to find which version of Windows you're running
Windows describes itself with three separate things: an edition (Home or Pro), a version (a name like 24H2) and a build number. Software download pages and support staff tend to ask for one of them, and this guide shows where all three are. The steps are for Windows 11 — the Windows 10 route is under Variations.
What you'll need: A Windows PC you're signed in to. You don't need administrator rights — any user account can look this up.
Open Settings
Hold down the Windows key and press I. The Settings window opens.
If you'd rather use the mouse, right-click the Start button on the taskbar and click Settings in the menu that appears.
Click System
In the list down the left-hand side, click System. It's the first item, and Settings usually opens on it already.
Click About
Scroll to the bottom of the System page and click About. It's the last item in the list, below Clipboard.
Read the Windows specifications section
Scroll down to the heading Windows specifications. The lines that matter are Edition, Version and OS build.
Edition tells you which Windows you have, such as Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro. Version is the twice-yearly release, written as a year and a half: 24H2 means the second-half-of-2024 release. OS build is the longer number, and it's the one to read out if a support agent asks for "the build".
Check whether it's 64-bit or Arm
Scroll back up to the heading Device specifications and find the line System type. On most PCs it reads 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor. On a newer laptop it may say ARM-based processor instead.
This matters when a download page offers more than one installer. Pick the one that matches this line.
Copy the details if someone has asked for them
To the right of the Windows specifications heading is a Copy button. Click it, then paste into your email or support chat. It copies the edition, version and build together, so nothing gets mistyped.
Variations
Open Settings the same way, click System, then click About at the bottom of the list on the left. The information sits under the same Windows specifications heading and the version is numbered the same way — Windows 10's final release was 22H2. Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 10 on 14 October 2025, so a PC still showing it isn't receiving security updates unless it's been enrolled in Extended Security Updates.
Hold down the Windows key and press R. In the Run box, type:
winverPress Enter. A small About Windows box opens showing the version and build on one line, with the edition named in the licence text beneath. This works on every version of Windows going back decades, so it's the one to remember when Settings looks unfamiliar.
Right-click the Start button and click System. This opens the same About page as steps 1 to 3, skipping the navigation.
Troubleshooting
Give them the edition and the version together, for example "Windows 11 Pro, version 24H2". That answers the question nine times out of ten. If they come back asking for more, read out the OS build line as well.
Use the winver command under Variations instead — it doesn't depend on the Settings app. If that fails too, the PC has a deeper problem than a version check, and restarting it is the first thing to try.
The PC is behind on a feature update. Go to Settings › Windows Update and click Check for updates. A new version sometimes appears as a separate item with its own Download & install button rather than installing on its own, so look for that on the page. It needs a restart to finish.
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