A simple look at the desktop and you can identify if it’s Windows 8, Windows 10, or Windows 11 but can you identify the version? Probably not! Microsoft releases a new version of Windows every few months with new and enhanced features for you to have a finer experience.

Typically, you wouldn’t need to identify the Windows version but sometimes there may arise a need. For instance, to check the compatibility or to update a driver or an app. Hence, it becomes imperative for you to know the various way to identify the version of Windows 11 installed on your PC.

There are a few terminologies pertaining to the Windows version that often confuses people. Hence, before we proceed, let’s go through each.

  • Edition: Windows have many editions, such as, Home, Professional, Enterprise and Education. The core operation remain the same in each but there are some additional features in particular editions.
  • Version: These are major updates released by Microsoft twice a year. The naming convention is quite simle, year of release followed by H1 or H2, depending on whether it’s the first or second release of the year respectively. For instance, the version ’21H2′ is the second major build realease for the year 2021.
  • OS build: This shows the current build of the Windows with respect to the minor builds. Apart from realsing two major builds each year, Windows releases minor builds quite frequently and that’s what the ‘OS’ build here signifies.

With a basic understanding of the terminology, you will now be in a much better position to understand what lies ahead. Here’s how you check the Windows 11 version.

There are primarily five ways to check the Windows 11 version and a keyboard shortcut. We have listed them all for your benefit.

Check Windows 11 Version from Settings

To check the Windows 11 version via settings, right-click on the ‘Start’ icon or press WINDOWS + X to launch the Quick Access/Power User menu, and select ‘Settings’. Alternatively, you can press WINDOWS + I to directly launch the Settings app.

In the ‘System’ tab of Settings, scroll down on the right and select ‘About’ from the list of options.

You will now find the edition, version, and OS build of Windows 11 installed on your system.

Note: You can also directly launch the ‘About’ section in the ‘System’ settings with the WINDOWS + PAUSE/BREAK keyboard shortcut.

Check Windows 11 Version from Control Panel

To check Windows 11 version via Control Panel, search for the app in the ‘Search Menu’ and click on the relevant search result to launch the app.

Next, click on the ‘View by’ drop-down menu and select ‘Large icons’ from the list of options.

Now, locate and select the ‘System’ option.

You will now be redirected to the ‘About’ section of the ‘System’ settings where you can verify the Windows 11 version, edition, and OS build.

Check Windows 11 Version from System Information

There is a built-in System Information tool on Windows 11 that gathers information pertaining to both hardware and software. It also lists the Windows 11 version, and is one of the methods to check it.

To check Windows 11 version via System Information, search for the app in the ‘Search Menu’ and click on the relevant search result to launch the app.

In the ‘System Information’ app, you will find the Windows 11 version listed on the right.

Check Windows 11 Version from Command Prompt

Many users prefer Command Prompt over the conventional GUI methods. There’s a command that allows you to view the current Windows 11 version in the Command Prompt. Here’s how you do it.

To check Windows 11 version with Comand Prompt, search for ‘Windows Terminal’ in the Search Menu, and click on the relevant search result to launch the app.

If you haven’t set ‘Command Prompt’ as the default profile, the ‘Windows PowerShell’ tab will launch by default. To open ‘Command Prompt’, click on the arrow icon at the top, and select ‘Command Prompt’ from the menu. Alternatively, you can press CTRL + SHIFT + 2 to launch the Command Prompt tab.

Now, type the following command and press ENTER.

ver

The Windows 11 version will now appear on the screen.

Check Windows 11 Version with Winver Command in Run Box

Winver or Windows Version, is a command that displays the Windows version along with the edition and OS build presently installed on your system.

To check Windows 11 version with Winver, press WINDOWS + R to launch the ‘Run’ command, type ‘winver’ in the text and then either press ENTER or click on ‘OK’ at the bottom.

In the ‘About Windows’ screen that appears, you can find the version, OS build, and the edition of the Windows 11 installed on your system.

These are all the ways you can find the Windows 11 version on a PC. If you need to check just the version, going for ‘Winver’ would be the quickest of all but to view the other related information, you will have to opt for other methods.