Join your work device to your work or school network

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Table of contents. Submit and view feedback for This product This page. View all page feedback. In this article. If you need complex features, such as a network domain or the ability to manage group policies on several computers such as a small office , Windows 10 Pro has these advanced features to make management easy and centralized. If your networking needs are less complicated or you have a single computer, Windows 10 Home should be sufficient for an operating system.

If you’re on a budget, the lower price should help. The bottom line is Windows 10 Pro offers more than its Windows Home counterpart, which is why it’s more expensive. There’s nothing Windows 10 Home can do that Pro can’t. These operating systems are largely the same. The difference is based on whether the license you activate is for Home or Pro.

You may have done this before, either when installing Windows, or setting up a new PC for the first time. During the setup, you reach a point in the process where you enter a character Product ID license key. Based on that key, Windows makes a set of features available in the OS. The features average users need are present in Home. Pro offers more features, but this refers to the built-in functions of Windows, and many of these functions are tools used only by system administrators.

The question is, what are these additional features in the Pro version, and do you need these features? In addition to the user account management features, Windows 10 Pro includes Bitlocker, a Microsoft encryption utility. It can secure either the disk with the OS for example, the C: drive or removable media like thumb drives. While there are other disk encryption tools available, Bitlocker integrates with your company’s infrastructure, meaning your admin can secure your machine without you having to worry about it.

Windows Fundamentals includes some features that have been present in Windows for some time, going back to when it was originally separated into Pro and Home versions. The below examples of these have been bumped up to become Pro version upgrades or features that Home users can’t use until they upgrade to Pro. Some Windows 10 Pro advantages won’t be as important to the personal computing enthusiast.

Nonetheless, it’s worth knowing some of the business-focused functions you’d pay for if you upgraded to Pro:. You’ll need to choose between Home and Pro when you buy a computer, or when you buy a copy of Windows in a store or online. Take a moment to give it some thought before you make your purchase, for two reasons:. If you buy Windows 10 Pro, but later realize you only need Windows 10 Home, buy a license for Home and activate it on the machine with Pro.

This will leave you with an unused Pro license. If you plan to use the machine for business purposes at some point, or if you’re not concerned about cost, go with Windows 10 Pro. However, if you don’t believe you need the enterprise features of Pro, your best bet is to get Windows 10 Home.

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Windows 10 – Wikipedia

Users will receive an app from Microsoft which they must download to their Android phone and follow the setup prompts, including being signed into same Microsoft Account across mobile apps and Windows 10 PC. Users will receive an app from Microsoft which they must download to their iPhone and follow the setup prompts.

Available on limited select devices supporting far-field capabilities. Connect email accounts in the Cortana Notebook; works with Outlook. Microsoft requires a subscription. Functionality and apps may vary by market and device.

To see up to 30 days of activities, users must choose this option in settings. Available in select markets. Functionality may vary by device. Requires specialized hardware, including fingerprint reader, illuminated IR sensor or other biometric sensors and capable devices. Compare Windows 10 Home vs. Pro Find the right fit for your needs. Windows Security Windows 10 changes the game for security by protecting user identities, devices, and information with a comprehensive solution driven by intelligence that only Microsoft offers.

Device encryption Device encryption is available on a wide range of Windows devices and helps protect your data by encrypting it. Firewall and network protection Your Windows device comes with comprehensive, built-in security features, including firewall and internet protections to help safeguard against viruses, malware, and ransomware.

Secure Boot Secure Boot helps prevent malicious software applications and unauthorized operating systems from loading during the system start-up process. BitLocker device encryption If your device is lost or stolen, BitLocker and BitLocker To Go put everything on lockdown, so no one else can access your systems or data.

Windows Defender Antivirus Windows Defender Antivirus uses the power of the cloud, wide optics, machine learning, and behavior analysis to protect your devices from emerging, sophisticated threats.

Windows Fundamentals Windows 10 comes with automatic updates enabled, which means you get all the latest features at no extra cost. Microsoft Edge Get faster browsing 7 8 and better battery life 8 9 across your devices with Microsoft Edge, the browser built for Windows Cortana All you have to do is ask Cortana. Battery saver mode Extend battery life by limiting background activity and push notifications. Voice Free up time and your hands by talking to your computer.

Jump to a Section. Microsoft offers Windows 10 in two versions: Home and Professional. It’s easy to understand on a conceptual level what this means. Pro is for people to use at work, and Home is for personal machines. But what’s the real difference? Let’s take a look at Windows 10 Home vs. Windows 10 Pro. Knowing your needs for an operating system helps in your decision between Windows 10 Home versus Windows 10 Pro.

If you’re a home user, Windows 10 Home will take care of your computing needs. If you need complex features, such as a network domain or the ability to manage group policies on several computers such as a small office , Windows 10 Pro has these advanced features to make management easy and centralized.

If your networking needs are less complicated or you have a single computer, Windows 10 Home should be sufficient for an operating system. If you’re on a budget, the lower price should help. The bottom line is Windows 10 Pro offers more than its Windows Home counterpart, which is why it’s more expensive.

There’s nothing Windows 10 Home can do that Pro can’t. With a couple of changes from the Control Panel and other techniques, you can make sure you have all security essentials set up to harden your operating system. When you first set up a new PC with Windows 10, you create a user account. By default, your new account is set to log in automatically at startup.

But it can create a serious security risk if anyone can open your computer, then immediately get access to your data and company systems. This is especially important if you travel with a laptop , bringing it with you to places like a coffee shop, airport, or open co-working spaces. Depending on the security policies at your company, this may also be something your employer requires. It is easy to disable, so in only a few steps, you can turn off auto-login.

Bonus tip: If you do travel with your laptop or work from public places, you may want to get a privacy screen protector. Privacy screens can also reduce glare and make the screen easier on your eyes, another reason to get one. You can turn this on when you adjust your screensaver settings. Security starts with following the most basic protocols. So make sure you password protect your PC. In recent versions of Windows operating systems, including Windows 10, your firewall is enabled by default.

Easy enough! Windows Firewall is a built-in network security system. Network firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets.

If you want to check the settings for your Windows Firewall, we have instructions for you here: How to Turn on the Firewall in Windows In Windows 10, you have the Windows Remote Desktop feature that allows you or others! Remote access allows someone to control everything on your computer as if they are directly connected to it.

Unfortunately, hackers can exploit Windows Remote Desktop. In more than one cyberattack, criminals have gained to tried to gain control of remote systems, installed malware, or stolen databases full of personal information.

By default, the feature is disabled. You want to keep the remote access feature turned off, except when you are actively using it. You can prevent viruses and malicious code using your built-in tools in Windows Enterprise editions of Windows 10 include Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection , a security platform that monitors endpoints such as Windows 10 PCs using behavioral sensors.

You should install urgent security updates right away. Related topics. Work or school accounts. Microsoft Authenticator App. Two-step verification. My Staff portal. My Account portal. Security Info portal. My Apps portal. Password reset. What happens when you join your device While you’re joining your Windows 10 device to your work or school network, the following actions will happen: Windows registers your device to your work or school network, letting you access your resources using your personal account.

You’ll go through the sign-in process, using automatic sign-in with your work or school account. To join a brand-new Windows 10 device If your device is brand-new and hasn’t been set up yet, you can go through the Windows Out of Box Experience OOBE process to join your device to the network.

Start up your new device and begin the Windows Out of Box Experience. Your device is now joined to your organization’s network. To make sure you’re joined new device You can make sure that you’re joined by looking at your settings.