What is a Windows 7 N edition?

Windows 7 N editions offer choice

Windows 7 N editions, available for customers who live in countries that are part of the European Economic Area, Croatia, and Switzerland, have been designed to give you most of the features of Windows 7—with the addition of choice.

Windows 7 N editions come in five editions: Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate. For detailed information about what each edition includes, see Which one is right for you?

The N editions of Windows 7 allow you to choose your own media player and software required to manage and play CDs, DVDs, and other digital media files. If you choose to use Windows Media Player 12, downloading it, along with related software, is free.

Frequently asked questions

Show all

What's not included in N editions of Windows 7?

The N editions of Windows 7 have all the features that normally come with each individual Windows 7 edition, except for Windows Media Player 12 and related programs, such as Windows Media Center or Windows DVD Maker. You'll need to install a media player or other software to play or create audio CDs, digital media files, and video DVDs; organize content in a media library; create playlists; convert audio CDs to digital media files; view artist and title information of digital media files; view album art of music files; transfer music to personal music players; or record and play back TV broadcasts.

Where are the N editions of Windows 7 sold?

The N editions of Windows 7 are available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

How does the price for the N editions of Windows 7 compare to other editions of Windows 7?

There is no difference in price between the N editions of Windows 7 and other editions. The Windows Media Player 12 download is free.

I already have an N edition of Windows 7. How can I upgrade to another N edition?

If you want to move up to a different N edition of Windows 7, you can use Windows Anytime Upgrade. If you want to move from an N edition of Windows 7 to a non-N edition of Windows 7, you'll need to buy the non-N edition of Windows 7 you want, and perform a clean installation. For more information about installing Windows 7, see Installing and reinstalling Windows 7.