The new Surface Laptop ships with Windows 10 S, a variant of the Windows 10 Pro OS with one caveat: it only runs Windows Store apps. We've written a lot on Windows 10 S already including detailed a hands-on, and we explained why Windows 10 S is the right move for education – and eventually for consumers. Today, I want to highlight a few things you may not know about Windows 10 S, how it works, what's unique about it, and how upgrading to Pro works.

Windows 10 S is really just Windows 10 Pro Windows 10 S is a just variant of Windows 10 Pro. That's not a naming trick because it has all the same features, including BitLocker and Remote Desktop, both of which are not in Windows 10 Home.

These features are the reason why you can only upgrade from 10 S to Pro and not Home, which would be a downgrade. The pricing also reflects this, too, because users with PCs that cost more $799 and that come with Windows 10 S will be charged $49 – versus $99 – to upgrade to Pro starting in 2018. (It's free for 2017.) Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more The one difference is the inability to run non-Windows Store apps and games. In other words, if you download a .exe from the internet (or side load it) that .exe won't run. This limitation is for security, battery, and long-term performance considerations. The idea is to make your laptop more like a tablet or smartphone for speed and reliability. How to upgrade from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro The process of going to Windows 10 Pro is simple. If you try to run an app you downloaded off the internet, a popup message will explain why it cannot run. Eventually, that same dialogue will fetch data from the Store to let you know if that app is available in the Store, and it will take you there to get it.

A dialogue box asks, "Still want to run this unverified app? See how." Clicking "See How" takes you to the Store to unlock Pro. Next, you just click "Free" and it will grab a file and begin the installation.

Once installed, the Surface Laptop will reboot, do a quick configuration and return to Windows 10 with a little notification to let you know the update is complete.

The whole process takes about three minutes and requires only a button click. You pay for a Windows 10 license either way I often hear that Surface Laptop should just ship with Windows 10 Pro, or that Microsoft is "nickel and diming" by charging $49 starting next year to upgrade to Pro from S. But even if Microsoft shipped Surface Laptop with Windows 10 Pro, the company would just slip that $49 fee into the base cost anyway, raising the price from $1,299 to $1,348. You're buying a Windows 10 license either way, whether's Home, S, or Pro. Microsoft audits how many licenses it sells and distributes, and even on its own devices, there is a fee. Whether you see that cost upfront or embedded in the device purchase is another issue. But you are paying it. Microsoft Office is in the Store Microsoft's goal is to get as many of its old Win32 apps into the Store, and Microsoft Office is a big one. If you're on Windows 10 S, you need Microsoft Office, so it's great to see it launch on day one of the Surface Laptop.

The process is simple, and the apps behave and look just like the Win32 apps that you would download from the web. You can also just download Word, for example, if you don't need all the apps. Later, if you upgrade to Pro the same process takes you to the web, and you can't download Office through the Store.