Find out which version of Windows 10 is installed

Martin Brinkmann
Jul 24, 2016
Updated • May 7, 2018
Windows, Windows 10
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10

Microsoft changed how feature updates are released on Windows. While updates are still delivered via Windows Updates and other update options, updates on Windows 10 are not reflected in the operating system's name.

There is no Windows 10 Service Pack 1, or Windows 10.1, for instance, and Microsoft has no plans to change that.

This makes it a tad difficult to find out which version of Windows 10 is installed on a device.

Microsoft does have internal names for updates, the Anniversary Update for instance was released on August 2, 2016 and the April 2018 Update in, uh, April 2018. Those names are not added to the version of Windows 10 on the other hand.

Checking the Windows 10 version

windows 10 version

Probably the best option to verify which version of Windows 10 is installed on a device is to use the winver command.

  1. Tap on the Windows-key, type winver.exe and hit enter.

This launches a small About Windows program that lists information about the installed version of Windows. The program is also available in previous versions of the Windows operating system.

The program lists a version and build number, and both help you understand which version is installed.

Finding out can be useful in making sure that you got the most recent version for example.

Version

The version uses a four digit code that refers to the year and month of release.

  • 1507 - The initial release of Windows 10 (July 2015).
  • 1511 - The first major update for Windows 10. (November 2015).
  • 1607 - The second major update, also called the Anniversary Update for Windows 10 as it is released a year after the initial release of the operating system (July 2016).
  • 1703 -- The Creators Update released in April 2017.
  • 1709 -- The Fall Creators Update released in October 2017.
  • 1803 -- The April 2018 Update released on April 30, 2018.
  • 1809 --

OS Build

The OS Build number offers the same information as the version. It is a bit harder to decipher though as you cannot draw a direct link between the build and version.

The major builds of Windows 10 Stable are the following ones:

  • 10240 - The initial release build that Microsoft released back in July 2015.
  • 10586 - The build of the first major update released by Microsoft in November 2015.
  • 14393 - The build of the Anniversary Update, the second major update, released on August 2, 2016.
  • 15063 -- The build of the Creators Update released in April 2017.
  • 16299 -- The build of the Fall Creators Update released in October 2017.
  • 17134 -- The build of the April 2018 Update released in April 2018.

Note: The Anniversary Update is released in August 2016, but the version states 1607 meaning July 2016.

Note 2: The About Windows screen highlights the edition of Windows 10 as well. You find it listed in the first sentence after the copyright notice.

You may check winver to find out if you have installed the most recent Windows 10  feature updates on a computer. Knowing the version may also be useful to find out if a guide, tutorial or news article applies to the version of Windows that is installed on your computer.

Summary
Find out which version of Windows 10 is installed
Article Name
Find out which version of Windows 10 is installed
Description
The guide provides you with information on how to find out which version of Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system is installed on a device.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. Dan Donx said on January 15, 2023 at 10:29 am
    Reply

    What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?

    Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.

    If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.

  2. Dexter said on January 15, 2023 at 11:14 am
    Reply

    5. Rufus
    6. Ventoy

    PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.

    1. cdr said on January 15, 2023 at 3:32 pm
      Reply

      I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.

  3. sv said on January 15, 2023 at 6:40 pm
    Reply

    bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.

    ps…. time travelling?
    written. Jan 15, 2023
    Updated • Jan 13, 2023

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on January 16, 2023 at 5:49 am
      Reply

      This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.

  4. Anonymous said on January 16, 2023 at 8:24 am
    Reply

    Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.

  5. basingstoke said on January 16, 2023 at 11:18 am
    Reply

    I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:

    1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)

    2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)

    3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””

    4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows

    5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss

    Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:

    6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now

    Have I missed any group off this list?

    1. Heinz Strunk said on September 19, 2023 at 3:57 pm
      Reply

      You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.

      Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.

  6. ilev said on August 24, 2023 at 7:34 pm
    Reply

    Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update

    1. EP said on August 24, 2023 at 9:21 pm
      Reply

      only from windows update though
      KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site

  7. Anonymous said on August 24, 2023 at 11:05 pm
    Reply

    1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.

    2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.

    3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.

    This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
    Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.

    Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.

  8. john said on August 24, 2023 at 11:17 pm
    Reply

    Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.

    1. John G. said on August 25, 2023 at 12:08 pm
      Reply

      Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.

  9. EP said on August 25, 2023 at 3:10 pm
    Reply

    motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
    https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215

  10. EP said on August 29, 2023 at 7:32 pm
    Reply

    check out the following recent articles:

    Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
    https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/

    BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
    https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/

  11. Leonard Britvolli said on August 30, 2023 at 10:33 pm
    Reply

    While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.

  12. sembrador said on September 5, 2023 at 9:32 pm
    Reply

    My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.

  13. EP said on September 6, 2023 at 11:55 am
    Reply

    motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):

    https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277

  14. Raphael Benzo said on September 24, 2023 at 9:52 pm
    Reply

    I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
    Tank you for your help

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