Compare Windows 7 Editions

Compare Windows 7 Editions​

   Information

This is a comparison list of features between the Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions.

   Note

For more information on this, see also:

• Windows 7 features
• List of features removed in Windows 7
• Windows 7 Product Lifecycle

| Starter |

Home Basic​

|

Home Premium​

| Professional |

Ultimate​

|

Enterprise​

Estimated Full Retail Price​

|

OEM​

|

OEM​

|

$199.99​

|

$299.99​

|

$319.99​

|

Volume Licensing​

Estimated Upgrade Retail Price​

|

OEM​

|

OEM​

|

$119.99​

|

$199.99​

|

$219.99​

|

Volume Licensing

End of Support Life Cycle​

|

2020.01.14​

|

2020.01.14​

|

2020.01.14​

|

2020.01.14​

|

2020.01.14​

|

2020.01.14​

32-bit and 64-bit versions​

|

32-bit only​

|

Both (64-bit disc not included)​

|

Both​

|

Both​

|

Both​

|

Both​

AAC and H.264 decoding​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Accessibility​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Action Center​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Ad-hoc network (create and join)​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Aero Glass Remoting​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes

Aero Peek​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Aero Shake​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Aero Snap​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Aero Theme​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

AppLocker​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/7840-applocker-enable-dll-rule-collection.html ||||

Create Policies, But Cannot Enforce​

|

Create and Enforce Polices​

|

Create and Enforce Polices

Audio Recording over Terminal Services​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

Backup and Restore Files​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Backup to Network​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Bitlocker Drive Encryption​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

Bitlocker To Go​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/4624-bitlocker-drive-encryption-bitlocker-go-turn-off.html |||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

Bluetooth suppport​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Branche Cache Distributed Cache​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes

Calculator​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Compatibility Mode​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Desktop Background Changeable​

||

Yes (No Personalization - Only with "Set as desktop background" in Context menu)​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Desktop Windows Manager​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Device Stage​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

DirectAccess​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

Disk Defragmenter​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Disk Defragmenter (Automatic)​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Display Language​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes

Dolby Digital compatibility​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Domain Join (Windows Server)​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

DVD playback​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Dynamic Disks​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Encrypting File System (EFS)​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Encrypting Offline Files​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/50718-offline-files-encrypt-unencrypt.html http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/50718-offline-files-encrypt-unencrypt.html ||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Enterprise Search Scopes​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes

Fast User Switching​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Federated Search​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/742-windows-7-search-federation-providers.html |||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

Gadgets​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Games Explorer with basic games (FreeCell, Hearts, Minesweeper, Purble Palace, Solitaire, Spide Solitaire)​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Games Explorer with premium games (Internet Backgammon, Internet Checkers, Internet Spades, Mahjong Titans)​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes (disable by default)​

|

Yes​

|

Yes (disable by default)​

Getting Started​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Group Policy​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Guest account​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

HomeGroup​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/43972-homegroup-add-computer-join.html http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/43972-homegroup-add-computer-join.html |

Join Only​

|

Join Only​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

IIS Web Server​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Internet Connection Sharing​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

IE Protected Mode and DEP​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Internet Explorer​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Jump Lists​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Keyboard Input Language​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Language Packs (MUI)​

||||

Yes, purchased separately​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Libraries​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Live Explorer Previews​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Live Taskbar Previews​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Local Users and Groups Manager​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Local Security Policy Manager​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Location and other sensors support​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Location Aware Printing​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...ng-automatically-switch-default-printers.html ||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Max RAM (32-bit)​

|

2GB​

|

4GB​

|

4GB​

|

4GB​

|

4GB​

|

4GB​

Max RAM (64-bit)​

||

8GB​

|

16GB​

|

192GB​

|

192GB​

|

192GB​

MPEG-2 decoding​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Multi-Display Terminal Services​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes

Multiple Monitors​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Multi-Touch support​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Network and Sharing Center​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Network Bridge​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Network Printing​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Offline Files​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Paint​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Parental Controls​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Personlization​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Play To​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Power Management​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

64-bit Processor Support​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Physical Processor Support​

|

1​

|

1​

|

1​

|

2​

|

2​

|

2​

Presentation Mode​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Previous Versions​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Problem Steps Recorder​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Processor Core Support​

|

Unlimited​

|

Unlimited​

|

Unlimited​

|

Unlimited​

|

Unlimited​

|

Unlimited​

Projector Connection Switching​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2019-display-projection-switch.html |

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

ReadyBoost​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

ReadyDrive​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Remote Desktop Client​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3922-remote-desktop-connection-rdc-network.html |

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Remote Desktop Host​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Remote Media Streaming​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

RSS support​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

SMB Network Connections​

|

20​

|

20​

|

20​

|

20​

|

20​

|

20​

Snipping Tool​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Software Restriction Policies​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Startup Repair​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Sticky Notes​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

SuperFetch​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Switch User​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Sync Center​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

System Image Backup​

|

Yes - Not to network location​

|

Yes - Not to network location​

|

Yes - Not to network location​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

System Restore​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Tablet PC support​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Taskbar Thumbnail Live Previews​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Number of TV tuners supported​

|||

4 of each type (analog, digital, etc.)​

|

4 of each type (analog, digital, etc.)​

|

4 of each type (analog, digital, etc.)​

|

4 of each type (analog, digital, etc.)​

UAC - User Account Control​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/299-user-account-control-uac-change-notification-settings.html |

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

UNIX based applications subsystem​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

VHD - Boot from​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2953-virtual-hard-drive-vhd-file-create-start-boot.html |||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

VHD - Create and Attach​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/566-virtual-hard-disk-create-attach-vhd.html |

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Enhancements​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes

Windows Aero Theme​

||

Partial​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Anytime Upgrade​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

||

Windows Basic Theme​

|

Yes​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Connect Now (WCN)​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Windows Defender​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/6397-windows-defender-turn-off.html |

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows DVD Maker​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Easy Transfer​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows ExperienceIndex (WEI)​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Fax and Scan​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Flip​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Flip 3D​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2694-switch-between-windows-flip-3d-shortcut.html |||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Journal​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Firewall​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/522-windows-firewall-turn-off.html |

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Media Center​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Media Player​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Media Player multimedia redirection​

|||||

Yes​

|

Yes

Windows Media Player Remote Media Experience​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Mobility Center​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/6549-windows-mobility-center-open-use.html ||

Yes (No Presentation Mode)​

|

Yes (No Presentation Mode)​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Photo Viewer​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows PowerShell and ISE​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Search​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/36599-search-windows-7-a.html |

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Server domain joining​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Windows SideShow​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Windows Slideshow​

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/452-desktop-slideshow.html |||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Standard Theme​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Taskbar​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

Windows Touch​

|||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Troubleshooting​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Update​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

Windows Virtual PC support​

||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes

WordPad​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

XP Mode (Windows Virtual PC)​

||||

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

XPS Viewer |

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

|

Yes​

 

[emJay]

Looking at the table, it says the 32bit versions will support 4gb of RAM.

Is this true or will it be the same as previous 32bit versions, being limited to 3.5gb or around that number?

Thanks.

 

[Brink]

Hello emJay,

Yep, 32-bit Windows 7 can address up to a maximum of 4 GB of RAM now.

 

[emJay]

Thanks! My machine only has 4gb of RAM so this really helps my decision.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome emJay.

Of course, the retail Windows 7 version will come with both the 32-bit and 64-bit version though.

 

[emJay]

Thanks for all the replies, really appreciate it.

I know this shouldn't really be asked here, but if you had a overclocked desktop (it's a Q6600 at 3.31ghz, nVidia 9800GX2 and a few terabytes of disk space, 4GB of DDR2 RAM) would it be worth running the 32 or 64 bit version?

I'd usually be getting the 64bit version because of the RAM capabilities of the previous 32bit models. Would it still be worth getting the 64bit version incase i decided to upgrade my ram to a DDR3 set above 4gb?

 

[Brink]

I would say that if you have a 64-bit CPU, 64-bit drivers for all of your devices, and all of your software supports running on 64-bit, then you might give it a try instead for better future proofing.

 

[Night Hawk]

At this time with 4gb here I plan to continue running the 64bit 7. Even when with more then 4gb of memory installed a 32bit edition will run but still face the 3.5-3.571gb limitation while one site claims to have a method to see all 4gb. The ram over that amount is simply mapped out to hardwares and unavailable.

Future proofing?! The 32bit emulation for the most part in 7 has shown itself already while you still may not be able to run some 32bit programs.

That will change once the 64bit Windows is more widely used. And it won't matter if you move into a faster speed of memory as far moving from the 32bit into the 64bit 7 while the usable amount of memory would be the thing to note once you pass the 4gb mark.

 

[mrm261]

date/time formats

Hi

I notice that Language Packs are only available in the Ultimate edition. Are the date/time formats for various countries separate from this?

Cheers,

Martin

 

[Brink]

Hello Martin, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yes, the date and time formats are separate and not part of the Language Packs.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[mrm261]

Re: date/time formats

Cool, thanks for that. I don't need to shell the extra for the Ultimate ed. then :->

Cheers,

Martin

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Martin.

 

[sergiogarcia9]

Really Nice tutorial, Shawn, thanks

 

[Lebon14]

I dunno if someone pointed it out already, but, could you specify that the E version won't have IE8?

Beside that, it was very interresting.

 

[YupYup]

I dunno if someone pointed it out already, but, could you specify that the E version won't have IE8?

Beside that, it was very interresting.

If you were to do that you should mention the "N" version does not have IE and does not have Windows media player.

 

[Night Hawk]

The E version lacks IE 8 in that version as well. MS has a page on how to go about installing the E editions of 7 seen at Installing E editions of Windows 7

 

[Brink]

Information about Windows 7 E and Windows 7 N versions added to tutorial.

 

[Night Hawk]

That's definitely a good move from a general reference point of view. I pinned the MS page seen there in the help and support section on another site for those outside of the US and Canada that will be faced with the IE 8 dilemna.

With 7 to arrive in just a few more months I wasn't surprized at finding the page while others may not right off when simply going through the 7 home page and the "How Tos" section they have there.

 

[Professional]

nice compare ,thank u

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Professional.

 

[Backfire3788]

lol time to upgrade my ram 4GB.... hmmm how about i look for 2 ram cards with 96GB of DDR3 Ram on them lol JKING i wish my laptop had more ram slots I might get like 2 DDR3 or DDR2 10 GB ram cards