Microsoft releases new products version of Windows periodically. Each new version has a set of core features and security updates. For Windows 11, these new versions will launch once a year, in the second half of the year.
To date, Microsoft has released four versions of Windows 11: 21H2, 22H2, 23H2 and 24H2. You can probably decipher the naming scheme without too much effort: the release date (shown as the year in two digits), followed by the letters H2 (representing the second half of the year).
Also: Have a Windows problem you can’t fix? Try this ultimate troubleshooting trick
Each version of Windows is released under several versions edition at different price levels. For retail customers, the two most popular versions are Home and Pro. All versions share the same features but are sold and distributed differently depending on the device type and the market they are aimed at. The higher priced version has features that are not available on the lower priced version.
You will often hear the term edition And Product code are used interchangeably. It’s a common abbreviation and suitable enough for a casual discussion, but there are some important differences between the two terms. The short version? An edition is a general description. SKU is an extremely specific description that includes product name, version, channel, licensing method, etc.
Product code stands for Stock keeping unitis the part number that manufacturers assign to specific items they sell. A single product, like Windows 11 Pro, is sold in many different physical and digital packages, each with its own part number or SKU.
Also: Best Windows laptops of 2024: Tested and reviewed by experts
The full list of SKUs for Windows 11 is presented page after page, but unless you’re in the purchasing office of a Fortune 500 company, you don’t need to pay attention to those identifiers.
This is not unusual in the computer industry. For example, Apple has a different SKU for every combination of storage, color, and carrier for each iPhone. You’ll rarely see them because whoever buys your phone will filter that list to show only the ones that are relevant to you.
