How to check your Windows version in CMD

Knowing your exact Windows version, edition and build number is useful when troubleshooting problems, checking software compatibility or confirming that a system update has applied correctly. Command Prompt gives you several ways to retrieve this information without opening any settings menus.

The four methods below range from a single-line version check to a full system summary. Each returns slightly different output, so the right choice depends on how much detail you need.

Check your Windows version using the ver command

The ver command returns the Windows version number in a single line. This is the fastest method when you only need the version string and do not require edition or build details.

1. Open Command Prompt.
   Press Win + R, type cmd and press Enter.
2. Run the ver command.
   Type the following and press Enter:

ver

The output will look similar to this:

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.4046]

This confirms your Windows version number but does not show the edition (for example, Home or Pro).

Get full system details with systeminfo

The systeminfo command returns a detailed summary of your machine, including the OS name, version, build number and system architecture. Use this when you need a complete picture of the system configuration.

In Command Prompt, run:

systeminfo

Look for these lines in the output:

OS Name:                   Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
OS Version:                10.0.19045 N/A Build 19045
System Type:               x64-based PC

The command returns a large amount of output. Scroll up to find the OS-related lines near the top of the results.

Query edition and build with wmic

The wmic command lets you request specific fields from Windows Management Instrumentation. The query below returns your edition name, version string and build number in a compact table, which is useful for quick reference or scripting.

Run the following in Command Prompt:

wmic os get Caption, Version, BuildNumber

Example output:

Caption                          Version        BuildNumber
Microsoft Windows 11 Pro         10.0.22631     22631

Note that wmic is deprecated in Windows 11 and may be removed in a future release. It remains functional on current Windows 10 and 11 builds, but the registry method below is the preferred alternative going forward.

Read version details from the Windows registry

Windows stores version information in the registry under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion. Querying this directly is reliable across all current Windows versions and returns the release ID alongside the build number.

Run the following command to retrieve the product name, release ID and current build:

reg query "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" | findstr /i "ProductName ReleaseId CurrentBuild"

Example output:

ProductName    REG_SZ    Windows 11 Pro
ReleaseId      REG_SZ    23H2
CurrentBuild   REG_SZ    22631

The ReleaseId value confirms which feature update is installed, which is particularly useful when verifying that a specific Windows update has been applied.

Troubleshooting

The wmic command returns an error or deprecation warning

Microsoft has deprecated wmic in Windows 11. On some builds it may display a deprecation notice or fail entirely. Use the reg query method instead, which returns the same information from the registry without relying on WMI.

systeminfo takes a long time to return results

The systeminfo command queries several system components before returning output, so a short delay is normal. If it hangs for more than a minute, it may be attempting a network lookup. Running Command Prompt as administrator can sometimes resolve this, or use ver or reg query for a faster result.

The findstr filter returns no results

If the reg query command runs but the findstr filter returns nothing, check that the pipe character (|) and the search terms are typed correctly. The /i flag makes the search case-insensitive, so capitalisation of ProductName or CurrentBuild should not matter.

Wrapping up

You now have four Command Prompt methods for checking your Windows version. The ver command gives a quick version string, systeminfo returns a full system summary, wmic provides a structured table of edition and build details, and reg query reads version data directly from the registry.

For most purposes, the reg query method is the most reliable option on current Windows versions. If you manage a VPS running Windows and need to check connectivity or diagnose network issues, see our guides on using the ping command and using the traceroute command for related diagnostic tasks.

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