Find Your Windows Version: winver, cmd, PowerShell

The fastest way: run winver

The winver command is built into every modern version of Windows and requires no administrator rights. Open the Start menu, type winver, and press Enter. A small dialog appears with your Windows edition (for example, Windows 11 Home), a version label (such as 24H2), and a full OS build number (such as 26100.3775).

This is a read-only, non-destructive check — nothing changes on your system. Close the dialog when you are done.

Command-line and PowerShell alternatives

If you prefer the terminal, the right command depends on which shell you are using. According to Microsoft’s documentation, ver works in the Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe) but is not supported in any version of PowerShell.

• Command Prompt (cmd.exe): type ver and press Enter. The shell prints the OS version number.
• Windows PowerShell (built-in): type $PSVersionTable.BuildVersion and press Enter.
• PowerShell 7.x: type $PSVersionTable.OS and press Enter.

All three methods report the same underlying OS build. If you are unsure which shell you have open, check the title bar — it will say either Command Prompt, Windows PowerShell, or PowerShell 7.

What the version label and build number mean

Windows uses two identifiers together. The version label (like 24H2 or 22H2) tells you which annual feature release you are on — the first two digits are the year, the letter and digit indicate which half of the year. The OS build number is a longer string (for example, 26100.3775) where the prefix before the dot identifies the feature release and the number after the dot identifies the specific monthly update.

According to Microsoft’s release-health pages, the mapping between version labels and OS build prefixes is:

Illustrative example (checked arithmetic): If winver shows build 26100.3775, the prefix 26100 maps to Windows 11 version 24H2. The suffix .3775 corresponds to the April 2025 monthly security update (KB5055523, released 2025-04-08), per Microsoft’s release history. No calculation is needed — just match the prefix to the table above.

Is your version still getting security updates?

Knowing your version matters most for security. Microsoft’s Windows 11 release-health page states that each annual feature update receives 24 months of security updates for Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations, and Pro Education editions, and 36 months for Enterprise and Education editions.

Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. The October 2025 monthly security update was the last one for Windows 10 version 22H2 (the final supported version). Devices still on Windows 10 can enroll in Microsoft’s paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for continued updates, or upgrade to Windows 11.

Once you know your version label from winver, compare it against Microsoft’s current release-health pages to confirm whether your version is still in its support window. If your version label is not listed as currently supported, your device is no longer receiving security patches. The next step is to run Windows Update or, for Windows 10 devices, evaluate upgrading to Windows 11. If you are also checking software compatibility for a new install, see how processor architecture affects which software you can run.

Version label vs. build number: why both matter

Many people assume that seeing “Windows 11” in the dialog is enough. It is not. Two computers can both show “Windows 11” while one is on version 23H2 (still supported) and the other is on version 22H2 (end of updates). The version label and build number together determine your support status — not the product name alone. Always check both fields in the winver dialog.