To check whether your computer is running Windows 10 or Windows 11, type winver into the taskbar search box and press Enter: the window that opens shows the operating system’s name and version. This is the most direct way to check, although you can also find these details in Settings or System Information without installing any additional tools.
Check your Windows version with winver or Settings
At the top of the winver window, you will see whether you are using Windows 10 or Windows 11, while the text below Microsoft Windows provides more specific information about the installed version. The middle paragraph also shows the edition, such as Windows 11 Home.
If you prefer to use Settings, follow these steps:
- Type About your PC into the taskbar search box and open the matching result.
- Find the Windows specifications section below the device information; you may need to scroll down to see it.
- Check the Edition field: it will show a name such as Windows 11 Home, which identifies the operating system installed.
It is worth distinguishing between the details on this screen: Edition tells you which Windows you have, while Version shows a release identifier such as 25H2. The latter can change when you update your computer, so it should not be confused with the Windows 10 or Windows 11 name.
You will also find an installation date, but this refers to the current version or update, not necessarily the day Windows was first installed on the computer.
Open System Information for more details
When you need to identify Windows and check your computer’s specifications on the same screen, System Information offers more detail than winver. To open it, type msinfo32 into the taskbar search box and press Enter. A panel will appear with both operating system details and hardware specifications, including RAM.
Look for the OS Name field, which displays a name such as Microsoft Windows 11 Home. This is the information you need to answer the main question.
Below it is the version, which may appear as a number such as 10.0.26200 alongside its corresponding build. There is a potentially confusing detail here: that example belongs to Windows 11 despite starting with 10.0, so you should not infer the operating system’s name from the first few digits.
Visual differences are clues, not proof
The desktop can also offer clues, although its appearance should not replace a direct check. By default, Windows 10 places taskbar items on the left, while Windows 11 centres them. However, this alignment can be changed: seeing the Start button at the far left is not enough to confirm that you are using Windows 10.
Another clue lies in the Settings app. Press Windows + I to open it and look at how its sections are organised: Windows 10 uses a grid layout, while Windows 11 has a left-hand sidebar. If you want a definitive answer without interpreting the design or other settings such as display scaling, go by the name shown in winver.
