How to Find Windows 10 Computer Specifications & Systems Requirements

Here’s an overview of how to find computer specification requirements, versions, and languages available for Windows 10.

Table of Contents

System requirements for installing Windows 10

These are the basic requirements for installing Windows 10 on a PC. If your device does not meet these requirements, you may not have the great experience intended with Windows 10 and might want to consider purchasing a new PC.

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit

Hard drive size:

32GB or larger hard disk

Note: See below under “More information on hard drive space to install or update Windows 10” for more details.

Compatible with DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

Display: 800×600 Internet Connection:

Internet connectivity is necessary to perform updates and to download and take advantage of some features. Windows 10 Pro in S mode, Windows 10 Pro Education in S mode, Windows 10 Education in S mode, and Windows 10 Enterprise in S mode require an internet connection during the initial device setup (Out of Box Experience or OOBE), as well as either a Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Activity Directory (AAD) account. Switching a device out of Windows 10 in S mode also requires internet connectivity. Learn more about S mode here.

There may be additional requirements over time for updates, as well as requirements to turn on specific features within the OS.

Keeping Windows 10 up-to-date

Windows 10 is designed to deliver updates for the supported lifetime of the device. Two types of updates may be provided: quality updates and feature updates. Quality updates include both security and non-security updates and are typically targeted to be released once a month. Feature updates also include security and non-security fixes as well as new features to Windows 10 and are typically provided twice a year. Ensuring that your device receives these updates and is kept up-to-date is important for your device security. Windows 10 periodically checks for updates so you don’t have to. When an update is available—and sufficient free disk space is available on your device—it will be automatically installed. So that Windows 10 continues to stay updated, it’s important to ensure your device has sufficient free space. See additional applicable details in the following notes.

Important notes about updates:

• A device might not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, if it lacks current drivers or sufficient available hard drive space, or if it’s otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (“OEM”) support period. Visit the Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet or the Lifecycle FAQ for Windows products to learn more about the servicing timeline for each feature update.
  • Some of the disk space needed for installing updates is only temporarily required. Typically, ten days after installing an update, a disk cleanup will be automatically performed to delete copies of the older, unneeded Windows files and free up space again.
• Not all features in an update will work on all devices.
• An internet connection is required to perform updates and Internet access (ISP) fees might apply.
• If you need assistance installing an update, Windows 10 Update Assistant may be able to help.

More information on hard drive space requirements to install or update Windows 10

The size of the Windows operating system that comes with your device and the amount of space needed to download and install Windows updates, are highly variable as they depend on a variety of factors. Visit here to learn why. The factors that impact the amount of free hard drive space needed to take an update include: the versions of Windows previously installed on the machine, the amount of disk space available to reuse from Windows files, such as the virtual memory pagefile or hibernation file, which applications are installed on your device and how those applications store data. Starting with the May 2019 Update, the system requirements for hard drive size for clean installs of Windows 10 as well as new PCs changed to a minimum of 32GB. The 32GB or larger drive requirement is set to leave space for users to install apps and to keep data on the device. Installing Windows or updating from a previous version of Windows on devices with less than 32GB storage will continue to work if the device has enough free space available. When updating, Windows will attempt to automatically free up enough hard drive space and guide you through freeing up even more if the automatic cleanup is not sufficient. You can also take steps to free up space on your own. For more information, see Free up space to install the latest Windows 10 update or visit the related FAQ.

Feature-specific requirements for Windows 10

In addition to the requirements above that are needed to run Windows, some features have additional requirements. In some cases, features included with updated versions of Windows 10 will be best experienced with newer processors. For specific hardware support please refer to your Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Below are some additional details regarding requirements for key features:

• BitLocker Drive Encryption (available with Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise only) requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 or higher and Trusted Computing Group (TCG)-compliant BIOS or UEFI. BitLocker can be used on devices without TPM, but you will need to save a startup key on a removable device such as a USB flash drive. TPM 2.0 and InstantGo support is required when you want to automatically encrypt the local drive when joining a device to Azure Active Directory (AAD). Check with your PC manufacturer to confirm if your device supports the correct TPM version and InstantGo for the scenario you want to enable.
• BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive (available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise only).
• Client Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system with second level address translation (SLAT) capabilities and additional 2 GB of RAM (available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise only).
• Cortana is only currently available on Windows 10 for the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Spain, Australia and India.
• Microsoft account is required for some features.
• Miracast requires a display adapter which supports Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.3, and a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct.
• Movies & TV application is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to the Movies & TV information page.
• Secure boot requires firmware that supports UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B and has the Microsoft Windows Certification Authority in the UEFI signature database.
• Skype is available only in select countries and regions. Calling to select countries and regions only. Excludes special, premium and non-geographic numbers. For details, visit the Office FAQ page.
• Snap: The number of applications that can be snapped will depend upon the minimum resolution for the application with a limit of two applications in Tablet mode and four applications in Desktop mode.
• Speech recognition will vary by device microphone. For a better speech experience, you will need a:
  • High fidelity microphone array
  • Hardware driver with microphone array geometry exposed
• Tablet mode is available on tablets and 2-in-1s with GPIO indicators or those that have a laptop and slate indicator will be able to be configured to enter «tablet mode» automatically.
• Touch: To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multi-touch.
• Two-factor authentication requires the use of a PIN, Biometric (finger print reader or illuminated infrared camera), or a phone with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities.
• Windows Hello requires a camera configured for near infrared (IR) imaging or fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. Devices without biometric sensors can use Windows Hello with a PIN or a portable Microsoft compatible security key.
• Xbox application requires an Xbox Live account, which is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to Xbox Live Countries and Regions website.
• Wi-Fi Direct Printing requires a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct and a device that supports Wi-Fi Direct Printing.

What Version of Windows Do I Have?

How to tell which version of Windows is installed on your computer

Do you know what version of Windows you have? While you usually don’t need to know the exact version number for whatever Windows version you have installed, general information about the operating system version you’re running is very important.

Why You Should Know Which Version of Windows You Have

Everyone should know three things about the Windows version they have installed: the major version of Windows, like 10, 8, 7, etc.; the edition of that Windows version, like Pro, Ultimate, etc.; and whether that Windows version is 64-bit or 32-bit.

If you don’t know what version of Windows you have, you won’t know what software you can install, which device driver to choose for an update—you may not even know which directions to follow for help with something!

Keep in mind that the taskbar icons and Start menu entries in these images might not be exactly what you have on your computer. However, the structure and general appearance of each Start button will be the same, so long as you don’t have a custom Start menu installed.

Windows 10

You have Windows 10 if you see a Start menu like this when you select the Start button from the desktop. If you right-click the Start menu, you’ll see the Power User Menu.

The Windows 10 edition you have installed, as well as the system type (64-bit or 32-bit), can all be found listed in the System applet in Control Panel.

Windows 10 is the name given to Windows version 10.0 and is the latest version of Windows. If you just got a new computer, there’s a 99 percent chance you have Windows 10 installed. (Maybe closer to 99.9 percent!)

The Windows version number for Windows 10 is 10.0.

Windows 8 or 8.1

You have Windows 8.1 if you see a Start button on the bottom-left of the desktop and selecting it takes you to the Start menu.

You have Windows 8 if you don’t see a Start button at all on the desktop.

The Power User Menu when right-clicking the Start button in Windows 10, is also available in Windows 8.1 (and the same is true for right-clicking the corner of the screen in Windows 8).

The edition of Windows 8 or 8.1 you’re using, as well as information on whether or not that version of Windows 8 is 32-bit or 64-bit, is all found in Control Panel from the System applet.

If you’re not sure if you’re running Windows 8.1 or Windows 8, you’ll also see that information listed in the System applet.

Windows 8.1 is the name given to Windows version 6.3, and Windows 8 is Windows version 6.2.

Windows 7

You have Windows 7 if you see a Start menu that looks like this when you select the Start button.

The Windows 7 & Windows Vista (below) Start buttons and Start menus look very similar. The Windows 7 Start button, however, fits completely inside the taskbar, unlike the one for Windows Vista.

Information on which Windows 7 edition you have, as well as whether it’s 64-bit or 32-bit, is all available in the Control Panel in the System applet.

Windows 7 is the name given to Windows version 6.1.

Windows Vista

You have Windows Vista if, after clicking the Start button, you see a menu that looks a lot like this.

As you read in the Windows 7 section above, both versions of Windows have similar Start buttons and menus. One way to tell them apart is to look at the button itself—the one in Windows Vista, unlike in Windows 7, extends above and below the taskbar.

Information on the Windows Vista edition you’re using, as well as whether your version of Windows Vista is 32-bit or 64-bit, are all available from the System applet, which you can find in Control Panel.

Windows Vista is the name given to Windows version 6.0.

Windows XP

You have Windows XP if the Start button includes both a Windows logo as well as the word start. In newer versions of Windows, as you can see above, this button is just a button (without text).

Another way the Windows XP Start button is unique when compared with newer versions of Windows is that it’s horizontal with a curved right edge. The others, as seen above, are either a circle or square.

Like other versions of Windows, you can find your Windows XP edition and architecture type from the System applet in Control Panel.

Windows XP is the name given to Windows version 5.1.

Unlike with newer versions of Windows, the 64-bit version of Windows XP was given its own version number: Windows version 5.2.

How to Find the Windows Version With a Command

While the images and information above is the best way to determine the version of Windows you’re running, it’s not the only way. There’s also a command you can run on your computer that will display an About Windows screen with the Windows version included.

It’s really easy to do this regardless of the version of Windows you’re running; the steps are identical.

Just invoke the Run dialog box with the Win+R keyboard shortcut (hold down the Windows key and then press R once). Once that box shows up, enter winver (it stands for Windows version).