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​

 

[WindowsInformer]

The three main U.S. editions are Premium, Professional and Ultimate. As you've already guessed, Professional is the business version. Windows 7 Ultimate lacks ultimate extras, but can be used in 35 languages and has BitLocker. I personally think when comparing, Vista Ultimate is better than 7 Ultimate.

 

[Dark Nova Gamer]

The three main U.S. editions are Premium, Professional and Ultimate. As you've already guessed, Professional is the business version. Windows 7 Ultimate lacks ultimate extras, but can be used in 35 languages and has BitLocker. I personally think when comparing, Vista Ultimate is better than 7 Ultimate.

In terms of features, yes you would be correct. However if you compared the performance of both, you'd be incorrect. :|

 

[Dogz]

The three main U.S. editions are Premium, Professional and Ultimate. As you've already guessed, Professional is the business version. Windows 7 Ultimate lacks ultimate extras, but can be used in 35 languages and has BitLocker. I personally think when comparing, Vista Ultimate is better than 7 Ultimate.

In terms of features, yes you would be correct. However if you compared the performance of both, you'd be incorrect. :|

I have to agree Ultimate excels in performance.

 

[Dogz]

Hopefully in the near future Microsoft will release Ultimate in a Family Package

 

[JoHn87]

ah well im happy with my windows 7 pro. it's got everything ulimate version got expect the bitlock and applock.

 

[Zeca Urubu]

In Brazil the difference price between Home Premium and Professional version is prohibitive for us. For me the WinXP Mode is very necessary but i will consider not upgrade in this time.

 

[bobharding]

I'm really keen to find out the differences between Ultimate and Enterprise, the 'Direct Access' VPN feature seems good as does the Virtuliasation feature (running 4 x OS - license free). Is there anything in Ultimate that is missing in Enterprise

Sorry - just found the answer by looking at earlier posts. This is really helpful, thanks

 

[bls0620]

Home Premium vs. Professional

Hi,

I am planning to upgrade from Vista Home Premium 32-bit to Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional 64-bit to enjoy my 4GB.

Does Professional edition offer everything Home Premium has to offer with some extra features like xp mode? Will this upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit be worth it?

 

[Dark Nova Gamer]

Hi,

I am planning to upgrade from Vista Home Premium 32-bit to Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional 64-bit to enjoy my 4GB.

Does Professional edition offer everything Home Premium has to offer with some extra features like xp mode? Will this upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit be worth it?

Professional has everything Home Premium has, and the extra features.

If you have 3gb+ RAM then switching from 32-bit to 64-bit will be a good choice, allows more room for RAM upgrades, as well as utilizes the full potential of your 64-bit CPU.

 

[bls0620]

I know this is off-topic but what is the advantage for having 64-bit system for my CPU instead of 32-bit system?

My CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 @ 2.50 GHz

 

[Dark Nova Gamer]

I know this is off-topic but what is the advantage for having 64-bit system for my CPU instead of 32-bit system?

32-bit was optimized for a very old CPU that I forget the name of.

64-bit is optimized to utilize the full potential of a 64-bit processor. You should notice faster reaction times with programs, or faster opening times with programs.

I'm not trying to convince you to use 64-bit, that is entirely up to you.

 

[bls0620]

32-bit was optimized for a very old CPU that I forget the name of.

64-bit is optimized to utilize the full potential of a 64-bit processor. You should notice faster reaction times with programs, or faster opening times with programs.

I'm not trying to convince you to use 64-bit, that is entirely up to you.

I am upgrading to Professional 64-bit anyway. I was just curious about it. Thank you though!

 

[Dark Nova Gamer]

32-bit was optimized for a very old CPU that I forget the name of.

64-bit is optimized to utilize the full potential of a 64-bit processor. You should notice faster reaction times with programs, or faster opening times with programs.

I'm not trying to convince you to use 64-bit, that is entirely up to you.

I am upgrading to Professional 64-bit anyway. I was just curious about it. Thank you though!

No problem. Glad I could help.

 

[Flames]

Excellent, i'm sure this will be helping many people!

 

[Link2aavash]

Thanks shawn, It's easy to understand about Win7 versions.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Flames and Link2aavash. I'm happy to hear that you found it helpful.

 

[Capt.Jack Sparrow]

Great article Shawn ...

 

[Wrams]

Yea nice list. I was in 2 minds weather to upgrade from Windows 7 Pro 64 Bit to Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit because on the cover it only shows a few extra bits and peices but after looking at what the difference between the both are I think I will upgrade. Thanks for the info!!

 

[Riho]

Nice review

 

[expazatrix]

Home Premium looks to be the best, ultimate looks like it comes with a whole lot of crap.