Keeping safety and security in the point of view, Microsoft announced Windows 10 S as another edition to current stable Windows OS. In simple words, Windows 10 S is the Windows 10 edition that allows you to install apps only from Windows Store. You will not be able to install class Win32 applications and other third-party software in this edition. Thus in the way, Windows 10 S becomes the most secure Windows 10 edition, ever. It provides you close OneDrive access as compared to other editions.
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Everything You Need To Know About Windows 10 S
Recently, Microsoft has released Windows 10 S to end users for download and testing. So you can now download and install it using the Upgrade Assistant. Before you upgrade, get to know Windows 10 S closer.
You can upgrade to Windows 10 S from existing Windows 10 Pro/Home/Education/Enterprise editions only. As far as activation is concerned, when you upgraded from either of these activated Windows 10 editions to Windows 10 S, the system will be automatically activated.
See, Windows 10 S differs from Windows 10 Home and Pro edition on feature basis and that comparison is shown below (this comparison is provided by Microsoft).
| FEATURES | Windows 10 S | Windows 10 Pro | Windows 10 Home |
| Non-Windows Store applications | No | Yes | Yes |
| Domain Join on premise | No | Yes | No |
| Azure AD domain join | Yes | Yes | No |
| Windows Store Apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Default browser set to Microsoft Edge | Yes | Configurable | Configurable |
| Windows Update for Business | Yes | Yes | No |
| Windows Store for Business | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mobile Device Management (MDM) | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| BitLocker | Yes | Yes | No |
| Enterprise state roaming with Azure AD | Yes | Yes | No |
| Shared PC Configuration | Yes | Yes | No |
| Microsoft Edge/Internet Explorer search default: Bing and designated regional search providers | Yes | Configurable | Configurable |
| Switch to Windows 10 Pro (through Windows Store) | Yes | N/A | Yes |
Above comparison will help you to decide whether you should upgrade to Windows 10 S from your existing edition or not. Windows 10 S comes with necessary pre-installed apps you would need for day to day to work such as Office 2016 apps, Windows Defender etc. Upgrade to Windows 10 S will preserve all your data and settings. You can go back within 10 days to your previous edition, in case if you don’t like Windows 10 S.
Windows 10 S Is Now Available For Download
Microsoft has released the Upgrade Assistant which you can use to upgrade to Windows 10 S. You can download it below:
Download Windows 10 S Upgrade Assistant
Windows 10 S Upgrade Assistant once downloaded, open it and click Next, it will start downloading Windows 10 S. Once the download has completed, you can follow on-screen instructions to upgrade to Windows 10 S.
If you have Visual Studio subscription (previously MSDN/Technet subscription), you can download Windows 10 S ISO file from subscriber downloads section and make clean install of Windows 10 S using bootable USB.
Hope you’ll enjoy Windows 10 S!
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