How to Check Your Windows 11 Version

Knowing your exact Windows 11 version matters when you need to check compatibility with software, confirm an update has installed, or troubleshoot a problem where the version number is required. Windows 11 has several ways to check, each showing slightly different information — here is what each one tells you and when to use it.

Method 1: Settings (Quickest for General Use)

1. Go to Settings → System → About
2. Scroll down to Windows specifications

This shows:

• Edition: Windows 11 Home, Pro, or Enterprise
• Version: The feature update version, e.g. 24H2 or 23H2
• Installed on: When this version was installed
• OS build: The full build number, e.g. 26100.3775
• Experience: The Windows Feature Experience Pack version

The Version field (e.g. 24H2) tells you which major feature update you are on. The OS build is more specific and identifies the exact cumulative update installed.

Method 2: winver Command (Quickest Pop-Up)

1. Press Win + R
2. Type winver and press Enter

A small window appears showing the Windows 11 version and OS build number. This is the fastest way to get a quick version check — useful when someone asks you to confirm your Windows version over the phone or in a support ticket.

Method 3: System Information

1. Press Win + R, type msinfo32 and press Enter

System Information shows the most complete picture, including:

• OS Name: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro (or Home/Enterprise)
• Version: 10.0.26100 (Windows 11 build numbers start with 10.0)
• OS Build Type: Multiprocessor Free
• System Type: x64-based PC
• Hardware details: processor, RAM, motherboard

This is the tool to use when a support team or software installation asks for detailed system information.

Method 4: Command Prompt or PowerShell

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:

winver

This opens the same pop-up as Method 2. For a text-only output in the terminal:

systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"

Or in PowerShell:

[System.Environment]::OSVersion.Version

For the full detailed build including the UBR (Update Build Revision):

Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" | Select-Object ProductName, DisplayVersion, CurrentBuild, UBR

This PowerShell command is useful for IT scripts that need to log or check the exact build of Windows across multiple machines.

Understanding Windows 11 Version Numbers

Windows 11 version numbers can be confusing because there are several different numbers in use:

• Feature update version (e.g. 24H2): The year and half-year the feature update was released. 24H2 = second half of 2024. This is the main version you report when asked which version of Windows 11 you have.
• OS build (e.g. 26100.3775): The first part (26100) identifies the feature update; the second part (.3775) is the cumulative update number and changes with every monthly patch.
• Edition: Home, Pro, Enterprise, or Education. This determines which features are available (Pro adds BitLocker, Remote Desktop host, Hyper-V, Group Policy).

How to Check if Windows 11 is Up to Date

1. Go to Settings → Windows Update
2. Click Check for updates

If your current OS build matches the latest cumulative update for your feature version, you are up to date. You can compare your build number against Microsoft’s Windows 11 release information page to confirm.

How to Check the Windows 11 Version Remotely

If you are an IT administrator checking the version on a remote machine without connecting via Remote Desktop, you can use PowerShell remoting:

Invoke-Command -ComputerName REMOTE-PC -ScriptBlock {
    Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" |
    Select-Object ProductName, DisplayVersion, CurrentBuild, UBR
}

This requires PowerShell remoting to be enabled on the target machine (Enable-PSRemoting) and appropriate network access.

Windows 11 Version History

For reference, the main Windows 11 feature update versions:

• 21H2 — Original Windows 11 release (October 2021). No longer supported.
• 22H2 — Second major update (October 2022). No longer supported.
• 23H2 — Released November 2023.
• 24H2 — Released October 2024. Current version.

If you are on a version no longer listed as supported, you should update — unsupported versions no longer receive security patches.

Related Guides

• Windows 11 Running Slow After Update
• How to Stop Windows Updates Interrupting Your Work Day
• How to Use Remote Desktop in Windows 11