Replace Win 11 Pro N edition with Windows 11 Pro without loosing apps and data.

Question

Replace Win 11 Pro N edition with Windows 11 Pro without loosing apps and data.

JohnM-4103 20

After upgrading from Window 10 Pro (machine bound license) to Windows 11 Pro N, I have encountered many issues, especially related to failed updates.

I have one issue left now that cannot be solved within the N edition, so it seems. It has to do with a constantly crashing camera framework, due to an old version of a dll file that simply will not update to the correct version. After spending hours trying to fix this,I decided that I should change to Windows 11 Pro. I purchased a retail license.

Again this is trouble. I obviously want to keep my apps and data. If I use the iso I created with the media creation tool,it let's me keep those apps and data, but won't allow me to go to Windows 11 Pro without the N.

If I use another international iso, it won't let me keep my apps and data.

Trying to change my activation data with my new key or a generally available temporary key does not work. Both are not accepted.

It seems like Windows 11 Pro N has me completely locked in and will not allow me to keep my apps and data when migrating to Windows 11 Pro without the N.

A completely clean install seems the only way. As I assume this cannot be true,hoping to find the path to Windows 11 Pro without loosing apps and data.

Any ideas? I already completely exhausted AI on this.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Lucus-V 13,230 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi JohnM,

Currently, there is not official way to upgrade from Windows Pro N edition to Windows Pro edition without performing a clean install.

However, there's a workaround to upgrade directly without data loss. Since this method is not officially supported, Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible if you take this workaround.

Please follow these steps carefully:

Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support to view the article.

Open Notepad.

Paste this content:

  Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
  
  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]
  "CompositionEditionID"="Core"
  "EditionID"="Core"
  "ProductName"="Windows 10 Pro"
  
  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]
  "CompositionEditionID"="Core"
  "EditionID"="Core"
  "ProductName"="Windows 10 Pro"

Save as "Windows-11-Pro-Upgrade.reg" - includes " in file name of the prompt.
Run it to merge.
Perform an In-place upgrade with mounted ISO to upgrade Windows.

Disclaimer: Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so. Once you are done backing up, you can follow the steps in the following guides: How to run In-place upgrade in Windows 11 - Microsoft Community

When the In-place upgrade has finished, you will have Windows 11 Pro.

I hope that above information is helpful to you.

JohnM-4103 20 Reputation points

2026-06-16T19:57:46.7666667+00:00

Thank you. Yesterday I managed to find this route with the help of Copilot. It worked perfectly in my situation, though it took me nearly the whole day to go through all Copilot steps. Haven't yet found time to post it here, so thank you for doing that.
Lucus-V 13,230 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-17T16:25:24.9533333+00:00

Hi JohnM,

I'm happy to hear that you have managed to resolve it and really appreciate your feedback.

If you have further questions, please feel free to make a thread.

1 additional answer

Your answer

JohnM-4103 20 Reputation points

2026-06-16T19:57:46.7666667+00:00

Thank you. Yesterday I managed to find this route with the help of Copilot. It worked perfectly in my situation, though it took me nearly the whole day to go through all Copilot steps. Haven't yet found time to post it here, so thank you for doing that.
Lucus-V 13,230 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-17T16:25:24.9533333+00:00

Hi JohnM,

I'm happy to hear that you have managed to resolve it and really appreciate your feedback.

If you have further questions, please feel free to make a thread.

Answer 1

Jeronimo Fuerte 46,300 Independent Advisor

Hi! Unfortunately, there is no supported path to move from Windows 11 Pro N to Windows 11 Pro non-N while keeping apps and settings. Microsoft’s upgrade-path documentation states that N/KN editions follow the same upgrade paths, but when the pre-upgrade and post-upgrade editions are not the same type, for example Pro N → Pro, personal data may be kept, but applications and settings are removed.

That explains why your Pro key is not accepted inside Windows 11 Pro N and why the ISO that matches your current edition lets you keep apps, while the non-N ISO does not. This is expected behavior, not a normal activation issue.

JohnM-4103 20 Reputation points

2026-06-13T19:35:06.6833333+00:00

Thank you for this response. It makes things clear that I did not hope for. Maybe someone has a not supported path. For now, I'll first further investigate a problem that I currently have within 11 Pro N with the Camera Framework that keeps crashing,causing the video part of my new webcam to not work.
Jeronimo Fuerte 46,300 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-06-15T16:14:50.6866667+00:00

A pleasure, have a great day!