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Virtual private networks, or VPNs, are one of the most effective ways to keep your data private and secure while online. They encrypt and hide our confidential web activity and are a key component in helping us to navigate safely while connected to the internet. As VPN usage continues to increase globally these apps are quickly becoming a cornerstone of our online security. Due to this importance, it’s worth looking at what’s in store for the next-gen VPNs to see how they’ll continue to provide us privacy and security into the future. From VPNs utilizing blockchain to new encryption standards even quantum computers can’t break—and maybe even anonymity for your smart appliances—here are the coming advancements in VPN tech I’m most excited for. Further reading: Best VPN services 2024: Top picks for speed, price, privacy, and more Blockchain technology is coming to VPNs The decentralized node structure of a dVPN may be the way of the future.NordVPN Decentralized VPNs, or dVPNs, offer a new twist on VPN technology and they are quickly growing in popularity. By distributing network functions across many nodes rather than routing traffic through one company’s centralized servers, they can theoretically afford better privacy and security to users. A dVPN runs on a peer-to-peer network that leverages blockchain technology. Decentralized nodes, operated by volunteer hosts, eliminate single points of failure and ensure that no single entity has control over every user’s data. Due to a dVPN’s more democratic functioning, they are also seen as being more resistant to censorship and government data sharing. Just over the last year or two, decentralized VPNs have started to gain traction in the global market. So does this mean crypto bros are about to take over your VPNs? Not likely. While dVPNs certainly seem like an attractive offer, more so with all of the hype surrounding everything crypto and blockchain nowadays, this decentralization doesn’t inherently mean a better experience.  With a traditional VPN, you have to put your trust in just one company. But this company, assuming you choose wisely, will run regular audits to prove it’s trustworthy, has a vested interest in keeping its network secure, and has the financial backing to continually make improvements to its applications. Using a dVPN on the other hand means that you have to trust each volunteer node host. Depending on how the dVPN company operates, these hosts may not be required to prove their trustworthiness or the privacy of their nodes.  So, while dVPNs are sure to become a popular choice for those seeking decentralized privacy, there will still be a place for traditional VPNs in the future. What is most likely is that you’ll see two separate markets develop, one for dVPN services and another for traditional centralized VPN services. It will then be up to you as the user to choose which you believe is best suited to protect your data. The post-quantum encryption revolution is upon us Post-quantum encryption will become the new standard for VPNs in the near future.Pixabay In August of this year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) made history by releasing the first quantum-resistant encryption standards. Outside of a few overly enthusiastic cryptographers, this news might not have made a splash but it’s set to have huge implications for the future of online privacy and security. Researchers and tech companies are racing to build quantum computers that will have the capability to crush the encryption standards of today’s machines in mere minutes—something currently impossible. So, how does this relate to VPNs? Well, VPNs are heavily reliant on cryptographic protocols for securing communication on their networks. When you connect to a VPN, it encrypts your traffic by scrambling the data into an unreadable form, thereby preventing third parties from viewing and understanding that data. If a quantum computer with vastly greater computational power were to get ahold of this same encrypted data, it could decipher it with ease. These new ‘post-quantum’ encryption standards will not only set the bar for VPN providers in the coming years, but also provide a roadmap to help them become more secure. “Post-quantum” encryption will become a selling point that VPNs will advertise and market to consumers. For users, it might seem like a boutique feature now, but once quantum computers are up and running—most experts believe it could be within the next decade—you’ll absolutely want your VPN to be using these new standards. We’re already seeing some VPN providers offer ‘post-quantum’ encryption. Just recently NordVPN took the initiative and launched an app with post-quantum support. Others such as ExpressVPN and Surfshark have also implemented their own versions as well. It’s only a matter of time before this becomes the new norm for all VPNs.  VPNs will soon protect your refrigerator, too The all encompassing internet of things, or IoT, refers to a network of connected devices that communicate and share data with each other. For most people, this takes the form of smart home devices such as thermostats, TVs, lights, refrigerators, and home security systems. Thanks to IoT devices we now have more control over our environment than ever before. When it comes to cybersecurity however, smart devices are generally some of the most vulnerable and least protected pieces on your home network. Cybercriminals love to exploit IoT devices and in many cases, simply hacking one device will give them access to everything else. VPNs are out to change this in the near future. By providing fully integrated home network security, a VPN can encrypt and protect communications for all of your devices. Unlike the typical personal VPN that requires you to connect each individual device, IoT VPNs extend across an entire network to safeguard all devices. At home this can already be done via a router VPN.  Unfortunately, there are still a few drawbacks to using a router method. Many VPN providers still impose simultaneous device connection limits that can be taken up quickly by all of your IoT devices. Router VPNs also create a single point of failure meaning you need to make sure failsafes, such as an automatic killswitch, are set up correctly. This all requires a bit of technical know-how which the average layperson may not have. Routers with built-in VPNs, like Aircove from ExpressVPN, are just one of the ways that next-gen VPNs will protect all of the devices on your home network. ExpressVPN VPN companies are working on new and innovative solutions for at-home IoT coverage. More and more services are switching over to unlimited device connection models. Others such as ExpressVPN have even started selling their own routers, ready to go right out of the box, with the VPN built into them. VPNs are likely to begin offering configurable IoT options in their mobile apps as well. This will allow users to easily control which devices on their home network are connected through the VPN, all in a centralized hub. So in the future, even the AI-generated grocery list from your smart fridge will be encrypted and secure from prying eyes. Read...

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The processor of current PCs is usually powerful enough to work smoothly with all types of content. However, some processes put a higher load on the processor — for example, when you watch videos. Still, playback is usually smooth because streaming providers automatically reduce the video quality if the internet connection is not fast enough or the PC’s performance is insufficient. Nevertheless, it makes sense to reduce the load on the CPU because this reduces power consumption and the battery lasts longer on laptops. The graphics unit (GPU) of the PC is located in the main processor, in a separate graphics chip, or on a dedicated graphics card. The GPU often doesn’t have much to do apart from displaying the desktop. But the graphics chip is often more powerful than the CPU when it comes to playing (decoding) videos. The GPU can also help when converting videos into other formats (encoding). The overall power consumption is reduced, videos can be played in higher quality levels or converted faster. Improve performance: Even the fastest graphics card remains almost unused under Linux when watching videos on the web. You first have to teach the browser hardware acceleration. IDG GPU utilization under Linux Whether and how hardware acceleration can be utilized by the graphics chip depends on several factors under Linux: The model of the graphics chip and its capabilities The driver used The display protocol (X11 or Wayland) The respective software (browser, video player, video editor) Example Nvidia: Older graphics chips often only support hardware acceleration for codecs that are now less common. Newer models usually have more to offer. IDG There are also several interfaces for different application areas that can be used for hardware acceleration: Vulkan is mainly used by games and can also be used when playing videos. Open GL is the predecessor of Vulkan and offers support for 2D/3D vector graphics on the desktop and in games. Vdpau offers hardware acceleration for video playback, comes from Nvidia, and is also supported by AMD graphics drivers. CUDA is a programming interface (API) from Nvidia with which program parts can be processed by the graphics processor (GPU). The API is used, for example, in AI applications and when playing (NVDEC) and converting (NVENC) videos. VA-API is an interface for decoding and encoding videos with AMD and Intel GPUs. Quick Sync Video is the name of the hardware acceleration of Intel GPUs, which is accessed via the VA-API. Media players usually recognize the available interfaces automatically and use hardware acceleration by default. Web browsers, on the other hand, usually do not offer this function with common graphics chips. Current graphics chips provide hardware acceleration for playback with the codecs H264 (AVCHD), H265 (HEVC), and VP9. This means you are well equipped because YouTube, for example, usually uses H264 or VP9. You can find out what a chip can do from Nvidia, Intel and AMD. Check VA-API: The vainfo tool lists which codecs for decoding and encoding (“VAEntrypointEncSliceLP”) are supported by the graphics chip in the computer. IDG In the foreseeable future, YouTube will increasingly switch to the license fee-free AV1 codec, the improved successor to VP9. Netflix will also be using AV1 in the future. However, only newer graphics chips such as Intel Tiger Lake (11th generation) or Nvidia GeForce from RTX 2050 offer hardware acceleration (decoder) for AV1. If you want to use the AV1 encoder for conversion, you need a graphics card from GeForce RTX 4050, AMD Radeon RX 7000, or Intel Arc. Even if the graphics chip supports a format, drivers and interfaces must also be compatible. VLC, for example, can use Vdpau for hardware acceleration if the Nvidia driver is installed. However, browsers such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome rely on VA-API, which the Nvidia driver does not support. A suitable driver with VA-API (“nvidia-vaapi-driver”) is only officially available in the distribution repository from Ubuntu 23.04 onwards. Support for VA-API is included as standard for Intel graphics; AMD drivers support VA-API and Vdpau. The open source driver Nouveau for Nvidia chips also supports VA-API and VDPAU, but only for older chipsets such as GeForce 700 or 600. Check support for Intel chips The graphics units from Intel are usually found in the CPU of the PC. Quick Sync Video has been included since around 2011, starting with the Sandy Bridge processors (Intel HD Graphics 2000 and 3000). Linux distributions contain the necessary drivers as standard. VA-API in practice: When started in the terminal, the VLC media player indicates whether it uses “hardware decoding.” The intel_gpu_top tool shows the GPU utilization.IDG You can find out what the chipset has to offer in the terminal with the vainfo tool, which can be installed via the package of the same name. It displays the version numbers of the VA-API and the Intel driver. You can also see the supported codec profiles, such as “VAProfileH264Main” and “VAProfileVP8Version0_3”. The addition “VAEntrypointEncSliceLP” indicates that encoding, i.e. accelerated conversion to this format, is also offered for this codec. You can check whether a program actually uses the VA-API with another tool, which you can install with sudo apt install intel-gpu-tools in the terminal. Then start sudo intel_gpu_top and in another terminal call the media player VLC in the form vlc If the video is encoded with a codec such as VP9 or H264, VLC provides information on the use of VA-API and the associated driver, intel_gpu_top shows the utilization of the GPU. Note: If a dedicated graphics card from Nvidia is installed in the PC, the functions of the Intel graphics unit cannot be used. For laptops with hybrid graphics, you can switch to the Intel chip via the Nvidia X Server Settings tool under “PRIME profiles.” If the option is not available, use the following in the terminal sudo prime-select intel You must then log out and log in again. Replace “intel” with “nvidia” or “on-demand” (if required) to switch back to the more powerful Nvidia chip. Play videos in Firefox with VA-API Firefox offers support for the VA-API under X11 (Linux Mint) and under Wayland (Ubuntu) by default. Call up the internal address “about:support” to check the function. Below the “Graphics” section, you will see “WebRenderer” after “Composing.” If “WebRenderer (software)” is displayed here, hardware acceleration is not active. Under “Media” you can find out for which codecs hardware decoding is offered. You can call up a list of YouTube example videos in high resolution here. Show “Statistics for interested parties” via the context menu of the video. If the line after “Codec” begins with “av01,” hardware acceleration is only available if the graphics chip already supports the format. Try out different resolutions after clicking on the cogwheel symbol behind “Quality” until “vp09” appears behind “Codec.” You can also install the “Your Codecs” extension in Firefox and use it to block the VP8, VP9, or AV1 formats. If all are blocked, YouTube will deliver videos with the AVC1 codec (H.264), but usually only in a lower resolution of up to 1080p. In the YouTube settings, which you can access via the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) at the top left, the behavior can be influenced under “Playback and performance.” If the graphics chip does not support AV1, activate the option “Prefer AV1 for SD” under “AV1 settings.” YouTube then only uses AV1 at low resolutions, which reduces the CPU load. Otherwise it will switch to VP9 or another format. In the terminal you can use sudo intel_gpu_top to see how much support from the GPU reduces the load on the CPU. Monitor AMD graphics chip: Radeon Profile shows information on the AMD GPU used and displays the temperature and utilization of the graphics processor.IDG AMD graphics chips: Linux automatically sets up the necessary drivers and the functions can be checked with vainfo. If the tool does not display anything, the kernel modules probably do not support the chipset. For newer AMD graphics cards, you should use kernel versions 6.2 or higher. Ubuntu 22.04 automatically installs this version through updates. Users of Linux Mint 21 go to “System management > Update management, and in the menu to “View > Linux kernel.” Select a more recent kernel version and click on “Install.” If you want to check the GPU utilization, install the Radeon-Profile tool with these three lines: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:radeon-profile/stablesudo apt updatesudo apt install radeon-profile The value behind “GPU usage” increases as soon as you play a video. Google Chrome and Chromium There are numerous tips circulating on the internet on how to activate hardware acceleration in Chromium-based browsers. Depending on the program version and desktop environment, you may be successful. In our tests, we were unable to persuade Google Chrome or Chromium to cooperate. One reason for this is the outdated version of VA-API in Ubuntu and Linux Mint. The browsers do not currently work with AMD graphics chips, regardless of which version is installed. The description therefore only applies to Intel graphics. Error message in Chromium: Without the latest VA-API version, the browser cannot use hardware acceleration under Linux Mint. An update can provide a remedy. IDG If you are not afraid of the effort, you can update the libraries and drivers. To do this, use the script “build_intel_ media.sh” (only for Intel chips). It installs the program packages required for development, downloads the source code to the “$HOME/src” folder, and compiles the files. Then restart Linux. In the terminal, vainfo now displays VA-API version 1.21 (or higher) (previously: 1.14). Under Linux Mint, set up Chromium as a system package via the application management. Google Chrome does not yet work with the new VA-API, nor does the Snap package from Ubuntu. Start the browser and play a test video. Open the internal address “chrome://gpu” in another tab. Behind “Video Decode:” it says “Hardware accelerated.” However, this means nothing because Chromium also provides this information if hardware acceleration is only theoretically possible. Detailed information can be found at “chrome://media-internals.” Click on the link with the addition “(kPlay)” while the video is playing. The “kVideoDecoderName” is followed by “VaapiVideo- Decoder” if GPU acceleration is active. Retrofitting VA-API for Nvidia You can already use the VA-API driver under Ubuntu 22.04 or Linux Mint 21. However, you must create the driver yourself from the source code. The prerequisite is that the proprietary Nvidia driver in version 470, 500 or higher is activated. The VA-API driver is primarily intended for hardware acceleration in Firefox; the function is not guaranteed for other software. In addition, the driver does not yet work optimally under Wayland and certainly not with Firefox installed as Snap or Flatpak. Linux Mint fulfils these requirements, Ubuntu users follow these instructions. VA-API with Nividia chip: If the hardware acceleration works in Firefox, Nvidia X Server Settings shows a percentage value behind “Video Engine Utilization”.IDG To install the Nvidia driver — if not already present — Ubuntu users search for “Drivers” via “Activities” and click on “Additional drivers.” With Linux Mint, the path leads via “Driver management.” Select the driver with the highest version number and the addition “Proprietary, tested” (Linux Mint “recommended”). Click on “Apply changes” and restart Linux after completing the installation. To be able to create the VA-API driver, install some packages in the terminal: sudo apt install build-essential git meson gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad libffmpeg-nvenc-dev libva-dev libegl-dev cmake pkg-config libdrm-dev libgstreamer-plugins-bad1.0-dev Then create a working directory and download the source code (four lines): mkdir ~/src && cd ~/src wget https://github.com/elFarto/nvidia-vaapi-driver/archive/refs/tags/v0.0.11.tar.gz tar xvf v0.0.11.tar.gz cd nvidia-vaapi-driver-0.0.11 Adjust the version numbers if necessary. Then compile and install with meson setup build sudo meson install -C build to compile and install the driver. Activating the Nvidia VA API driver for Firefox In order for Linux to load the driver, you must set some environment variables. Open the file “/etc/environment” as administrator in a text editor and add the three lines export LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME=nvidia export MOZ_DISABLE_RDD_SANDBOX=1 export NVD_BACKEND=direct is added. The last line is currently required for Nvidia drivers from version 525. The Linux kernel must also be informed. Open the text file “/etc/default/ grub” with root authorization and add this option to the line “GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT” nvidia-drm.modeset=1 Then execute in the terminal sudo update-grub and restart Linux for the changes to take effect. You can check the correct function with vainfo. The tool outputs “vainfo: Driver version: VA-API NVDEC driver [direct backend].” You need to change some settings so that Firefox takes the new driver into account. To be on the safe side, use a new user profile to test the settings first. In the terminal, start firefox -P and create and start a new profile. Call up the “about:config” address and set the following three options media.ffmpeg.vaapi.enabledmedia.rdd-ffmpeg.enabledwidget.dmabuf.force-enabled to “true” in each case. Then restart Firefox. To test the GPU utilization, start Nvidia X Server Settings and click on “GPU 0? ([Nvidia model]).” The values behind “GPU Utilization” and “Video Engine Utilization” increase when hardware acceleration is used. Read...

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At a GlanceExpert`s Rating Pros Easily navigable tabbed interface Comprehensive PDF edting features Streamlined sharing feature makes it easier to fill documents and get signatures Cons Rich feature set can be overwhelming for new users Our Verdict Acrobat Pro’s comprehensive PDF features show why it’s still the editor against which all others are judged. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Editor’s note: This review was updated December 9, 2024 to reflect the addition of AI Assistant and current pricing. Adobe created the PDF two decades ago and its PDF editor has continued to rule the category, despite what many users felt was its exorbitant price. But a couple of years back, Acrobat adopted a cloud subscription model that now makes it more affordable for folks without an enterprise budget. Acrobat Pro is composed of three components: Acrobat, which allows you to perform a variety of editing functions on your PDFs on desktop and mobile devices; Adobe Document Cloud, which lets you create and export PDF files, as well as store and send files and collect electronic signatures; and Acrobat Reader, which enables you to read, print, and sign PDFs. This review is part of our best PDF editors roundup. Go there to learn about our testing and how all the competitors performed. Acrobat’s workspace sports an easily navigable tabbed interface. The Home view is where you land if you don’t have a PDF open. It gives you quick access to recent files; PDFs you’ve sent for review or signature; and files stored locally, in Adobe Document Cloud, or in third-party services like Box or Microsoft OneDrive. Adobe Acrobat Pro’s Document view has an intuitive interface with tools neatly organized in a sidebar.Michael Ansaldo/Foundry The All Tools view organizes Acrobat Pro’s wealth of tools in a single pane, organized by function: “Create & Edit,” “Share & Review” “Forms & Signatures,” “Protect & Standardize,” and “Customize.” Any of the individual tools can be added as a shortcut to a sidebar so you can get to them with a PDF open without having to toggle back here. Selecting a tool opens the commands specific to it, or its associated toolbar if you are in an open document. Each PDF file opens in its own tab in Document view, which displays an All Tools menu in the left panel, a Quick action toolbar, and a right side panel. Here you’ll find commonly used editing options, and features like thumbnails, bookmarks, comments, and more. This context-aware design adapts to your workflow, making it simple to perform even complex tasks efficiently. Adobe continues to offer everything you need to work with PDFs in a business environment. You can create PDFs from a variety of file types (Microsoft Office files, images, HTML, scanned documents), send them out for comments and electronic signatures, and safeguard sensitive information with encryption, password protection, and text redaction. Acrobat AI Assistant allows users to generate text or image suggestions, summarize content, and provide intelligent editing recommendations directly within PDFs.Michael Ansaldo/Foundry Acrobat’s most significant recent addition are AI-powered tools designed to streamline PDF workflows and enhance productivity. At the forefront is the Acrobat AI Assistant, powered by Adobe’s Firefly generative AI, which allows users to interact with documents in new ways. This includes generating text or image suggestions, summarizing content, and providing intelligent editing recommendations directly within PDFs. These tools aim to simplify complex tasks, like extracting key information or customizing layouts, making the software even more versatile for both personal and professional use. Further reading: 5 ways Adobe Acrobat’s AI Assistant gives you a productivity edge The PDF editor’s document sharing experience remains one of it’s biggest strengths. The interface gives you the option of sending a PDF as an email attachment or as link to the file in Adobe Document Cloud. Filling and signing a document has also gotten easier, thanks to a new tool that asks you who needs to fill and sign first—you or others—and prompts you through completion of that task. Really, if there’s anything about Acrobat Pro to knock, it’s that the sheer amount of features and how they work together can be dizzying for a first-time user. Thankfully, Adobe has added a new on-boarding experience that progressively guides you through the process of making Acrobat your default PDF editor, adding your PDF files, and introducing you to capabilities like combining PDFs and organizing pages. You can access recommended tools at any time from the Home tab and for a quick walk-through. And still there are additional features you’ll undoubtedly discover through use over time. Adobe Acrobat Pro is available for Windows and MacOS for $19.99 a month with an annual commitment, or about $239 a year. The paired-back Adobe Standard drops some advanced editing features and is available for Windows only for $12.99 per month with an annual commitment. Both come with a free seven-day trial. AI Assistant for Acrobat is available as an add-on for either version for $4.99 per month. Is Adobe Acrobat Pro worth it? Though many of its comprehensive features are available in other less expensive PDF editors, Acrobat remains the industry standard and that alone is reason to consider it. Its subscription-based pricing guarantees you’ll always have the latest version of the software without the hassle of purchasing an entirely new install. That’s not insignificant as Adobe regularly updates and enhances its product. (A slightly less pricey option exists in Adobe Acrobat Standard, which has some of the core functionality of the Pro version but is less robust, as we point out in our comparison of the two products.) An Acrobat Pro subscription will also unlock a host of editing features on Adobe’s Acrobat Reader app for iOS and Android. The mobile interface closely mirrors the desktop version, though scaled-down a bit, and makes working with PDFs on the smaller screen surprisingly easy.  Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article. Read...

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If you need Windows 11 for your PC, you have two options: Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Professional. The Pro version is (obviously) the more expensive of the two because it offers a variety of extra features. The most compelling extra is full-featured BitLocker drive encryption for securing your data, as well as an intriguing Sandbox feature for testing software, plus some other stuff. But what if you’re just a regular home user? Are these additional features worth paying a bit more? Here’s what you need to consider. Windows 11 Pro and BitLocker encryption BitLocker drive encryption is the main reason to get Windows 11 Professional. BitLocker is a full-disk encryption feature that protects your files from unauthorized access. If your PC is ever stolen or misplaced, nobody will be able to access your protected files without signing in as you. It’s an essential modern security feature. Get Windows 11 Pro for cheap right now Windows 11 Pro Both Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Professional include some disk encryption features, but Microsoft’s BitLocker encryption is much more powerful, flexible, and configurable on Windows 11 Pro. On a PC running Windows 11 Home, you only get “Device Encryption.” When you sign into your Windows PC with a Microsoft account, Windows 11 Home automatically enables BitLocker encryption and saves your recovery key to your Microsoft account. Curious whether Device Encryption is enabled on your PC? Head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Device encryption. If you don’t see the option, your PC doesn’t support it. New Windows 11 PCs do, but some older PCs that were upgraded from Windows 10 may not. Chris Hoffman / IDG Device Encryption is an adequate solution for many, but it’s limited. For example, you must sign in with a Microsoft account, and you must store your recovery key in your Microsoft account online, and you can’t use it to encrypt external drives. That last one might be a big deal. If you want the full-featured BitLocker experience, you’ll need Windows 11 Professional. You get a lot more options for configuring BitLocker the way you want it, plus you get BitLocker To Go for encrypting files on portable USB drives, SD cards, and other external storage devices. Other restrictions in Windows 11 Home Apart from BitLocker, you aren’t missing out on that much else in Windows 11 Home. After all, Microsoft wants to sell those expensive Pro licenses to businesses, so it makes sense that most of the restrictions involve business-oriented features. For example, a PC running Windows 11 Home can’t join a domain or an Azure Active Directory setup. It also doesn’t have access to the Private Catalog feature in the Microsoft Store, which allows businesses to deploy their own apps to their PCs. These are things you’d never need to do on a home PC — they’re for computers being managed by a workplace. Chris Hoffman / IDG Similarly, you can’t set up a Windows 11 Home PC as a Remote Desktop server. In other words, you can’t Remote Desktop into a Windows 11 Home PC, but you can Remote Desktop from a Windows 11 Home PC into a Windows 11 Pro PC. (If you really need to remote into your home PC, you can always turn to third-party remote desktop tools.) Windows 11 Home also doesn’t have access to Microsoft’s Hyper-V software for creating virtual machines. This, too, can be done using other virtual machine apps like the now-free VMWare or VirtualBox. The Home version of Windows also doesn’t have access to the Local Group Policy Editor, which is mainly used by businesses to centrally configure their PCs. That said, the Local Group Policy Editor is a convenient way to adjust some system settings that would otherwise require modifying the registry instead. But is it so useful that it’s worth shelling out extra for a Pro license? Not really. Exclusive Sandbox in Windows 11 Pro Apart from a more fully featured and configurable BitLocker encryption experience, and apart from the business-oriented features that aren’t in Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro also offers another big feature called the Sandbox, which is really useful but admittedly niche. The Windows Sandbox uses Hyper-V software under the hood to give you a fresh, isolated Windows system that runs in a separate “sandbox” window every time you launch it. This separation gives you a way to test potentially sketchy software or malware to see what happens, all without modifying or affecting your actual operating system. And when Sandbox is closed, it destroys all the data within it — even if the sandboxed environment is infected with malware, it’s contained and wiped out as soon as it’s closed. Simply restart Sandbox and you once again get a fresh, untainted Windows system. It’s one of our favorite Windows features for security, especially when paired with a reputable VPN. It’s honestly so good that if you can find a use for it in your day-to-day, the Sandbox feature alone can make the upgrade to Windows 11 Pro worth it. Windows 11 Home vs. Pro: Pricing If you’re buying a Windows 11 license for a PC you’re building, Microsoft sells Windows 11 Home for $139 and Windows 11 Pro for $199. However, there are ways to find cheaper Windows 11 licenses. You can upgrade any Windows 11 Home PC to Windows 11 Pro whenever you want for just $99. Just head to Settings > System > Activation, expand the “Upgrade your edition of Windows” section, then click the Open Store button to get started. Chris Hoffman / IDG If you’re buying a Windows 11 laptop or desktop PC that comes with Windows 11 preinstalled, most will include a Windows 11 Home license. But some PCs do come with a Windows 11 Professional license, too. (Usually higher-end PCs marketed for business use.) And some PC manufacturers let you pay a few extra bucks for Windows 11 Pro while customizing your new PC during the shopping process. Windows 11 Pro is worth it if… Ultimately, Windows 11 Pro is worth it for two big reasons: the full-featured BitLocker experience and Windows Sandbox. If you don’t plan on signing into your PC with a Microsoft account, I recommend opting for Windows 11 Pro so you can securely encrypt your PC’s storage drives. And if you’re intrigued by Sandbox, that’s another good reason to plunk down cash for Windows 11 Pro. Even at retail prices, it’s only an extra $60 over Home. Of course, if you’re running a business, then Windows 11 Pro also makes sense for its business-oriented features, like domains and Azure Active Directory to centrally manage PCs, or the Local Group Policy Editor. Microsoft has gone out of its way to ensure that these features require the more expensive Windows 11 Professional license. Otherwise, most home PC users shouldn’t need anything more than Windows 11 Home, especially if you sign into Windows with a Microsoft account. That’ll get you the Device Encryption feature, which is almost as good as full BitLocker for average Windows users. Get Windows 11 Pro for cheap right now Windows 11 Pro Read...