Windows 7 editions

Part of a series of articles on
Windows 7
Siblings

Windows 7, a major release of the Microsoft Windows operating system, has been released in several editions since its original release in 2009. Only Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate were widely available at retailers (including Enterprise for big businesses, companies etc.).[1] The other editions focus on other markets, such as the software development world or enterprise use. All editions support 32-bit IA-32 CPUs and all editions except Starter support 64-bit x64 CPUs. 64-bit installation media are not included in Home-Basic edition packages, but can be obtained separately from Microsoft.

According to Microsoft, the features for all editions of Windows 7 are stored on the machine, regardless of which edition is in use.[2] Users who wish to upgrade to an edition of Windows 7 with more features were able to use Windows Anytime Upgrade to purchase the upgrade and to unlock the features of those editions, until it was discontinued in 2015.[1][2][3] Microsoft announced Windows 7 pricing information for some editions on June 25, 2009, and Windows Anytime Upgrade and Family Pack pricing on July 31, 2009.[1][4][5]

Mainstream support for all Windows 7 editions ended on January 13, 2015, and extended support ended on January 14, 2020. After that, the operating system ceased receiving further support.[6] Professional and Enterprise volume licensed editions had paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) available until at most January 10, 2023.[7] Since October 31, 2013, Windows 7 is no longer available in retail, except for remaining stocks of the preinstalled Professional edition, which was officially discontinued on October 31, 2016.[8]

  1. ^ a b c "All Windows 7 Versions—What You Need to Know". ExtremeTech. February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
  2. ^ a b LeBlanc, Brandon (February 9, 2009). "A closer look at the Windows 7 SKUs". Windows Team Blog. Microsoft. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  3. ^ Thurrott, Paul (February 3, 2009). "Windows 7 Product Editions". Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  4. ^ "Microsoft unveils 'screaming deals' for Windows 7". ZDNet. June 25, 2009. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  5. ^ "Windows Anytime Upgrade and Family Pack Pricing". Microsoft. July 31, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  6. ^ "Microsoft product support lifecycle information by product family: Windows 7". Microsoft. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Lifecycle FAQ-Extended Security Updates". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved August 12, 2020. The Extended Security Update (ESU) program is a last resort option for customers who need to run certain legacy Microsoft products past the end of support.
  8. ^ "Windows lifecycle fact sheet". support.microsoft.com.