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​

 

[Night Hawk]

Gee? I'm hearing from a few with 12gb installed saying it was a waste! That's mainly from not having anything on that uses more then 3gb total. As far as resources any edition of 7 takes on both predacessors XP and Vista there.

 

[Sheryl]

Which versions, if any, come in "family packs" for use on more than one computer?

 

[Night Hawk]

There was an indication of that for the Home Premium in a July 1st article seen at Microsoft to offer Family Pack for Windows 7 Home Premium | Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report | ZDNet.com titled "Microsoft to offer Family Pack for Windows 7 Home Premium".

You'll notice that is for the retail family pack while vendors will often be seen carrying multi packs of the oem disks once a version is out. For custom builders who make a living selling new builds and want a bulk package of Vista with SP1 for instance they could get a 30ct package deal like the one seen at Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic SP1 32-bit 30 Pack for System Builders - Operating Systems

At this time the preorder discounts and the family value packs are directed at the Home Premium and certainly the Professional edition with the preorders there. MS is holding off on any bargains for the Ultimate editions in order to promote the HP and Pro.

 

[MihaiS]

Hello!

What is the point of selling Windows 7 versions that do not include a browser and/or player?

 

[Brink]

Hello MihaiS,

It all has to do with the antitrust lawsuits in Europe for this. However, Microsoft has decided to instead add a option to select what browser you want installed instead pf just not including one.

 

[MihaiS]

Thank you for clearing that up to me!

 

[Brink]

You're welcome MihaiS.

 

[ADS]

It's Funny this comparatives since Starter edition don't support 64 bits, but still support 4gb in 32 bits and 8 in 64 bits

 

[Night Hawk]

The Starter edition doesn't require much to start with mainly intended for portable application like Netbooks and basics for certain regions. The Basic edition seen with Vista is no longer seen for 7 as well.

For desktop, laptop, and then even business, commercial applications you would make the selection based on the information seen there when comparing the particulars for each. Shawn has done a far better job here listing all the differences to notes on compared to the MS page for that which is quite limited simply to save space on the MS page for other things apparently.

 

[Brink]

It's Funny this comparatives since Starter edition don't support 64 bits, but still support 4gb in 32 bits and 8 in 64 bits

Typo. Fixed now. Thank you.

Shawn

 

[ADS]

Typo. Fixed now. Thank you.

Shawn

No Problem ^^

 

[mickey megabyte]

i think the windows E note box needs updating.

 

[Brink]

Hello Mickey,

Agreed, it has been removed since it no longer applies and you can choose what browser you want to be installed now.

 

[Dogz]

Seems that enterprise and Ultimate are evenly matched.

 

[Brink]

Hi Dogz,

They are just about the same. Enterprise has these added features for enterprises.

Windows 7 Enterprise Edition Customer Benefits - Windows for your Business - The Windows Blog

 

[Dogz]

Okay, so the enterprise is a business edition right?

 

[Brink]

The Enterprise is the same as a Ultimate edition with the added features at the link above for enterprises. That's all.

 

[Dogz]

Thanks Brink.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome.

 

[Dark Nova Gamer]

You're welcome.

Wait so they lie! Ultimate isn't the ultimate then.