It’s helpful to know the name and version of programs or operating systems you regularly work with. You can then look up information about it on the internet and, if something is wrong, ask specific questions about it. In this article you can read how to find out this information.
Which Windows version?
The operating system of your computer is usually already present when you purchase your PC or laptop. Many computers run some version of Windows. The most recent version is Windows 11, before that came Windows 10, 8.1, 8 and 7. Your computer may have a sticker with the Windows version on it. Without sticker, you can find out the version as follows:
- Open File Explorer with the keyboard shortcut Windows Key+E.
- In the left menu, right click on This PC or Computer.
- In the menu that now appears, click Characteristics.
- A new window will now appear with information about your Windows version. View the information under ‘Windows specifications’.
There are different versions of Windows 10 and 11. Read the tip ‘Which Windows version do I have’ to find out which version you are using.
System version of tablet or smartphone
Just like a computer, your tablet or smartphone also has an operating system. To find out which version your device is using, read the article ‘The system on your tablet or smartphone’.
Web browser
You can open your web browser and then look up the version. This is slightly different for different browsers.
- Microsoft Edge: open the browser. Click on the three dots icon > Institutions. A window opens. click on About Microsoft Edge. Here is the Edge version.
- Mozilla Firefox: open the browser, click the icon of three horizontal bars in the top right
. In the panel that appears, click Help > About Firefox. - Google Chrome: Open the browser. Click on the icon with the three dots
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. click on Help and then on About Google Chrome. - Safari: open the browser. Click in the menu on Safari > About Safari.
IP address
Every computer connected to a network or the Internet has a unique number. This allows computers to recognize and communicate with each other. The number is called IP address. Sometimes it can be useful to find out your IP address. This is easiest via a website that displays your IP address. An example of such a website is whatsmijnip.nl.
Version of Word- Excel- or Powerpoint
Microsoft Office is an office bundle with several programs. A program from this bundle is, for example, the word processor Word.
Check the version of an Office program in the following way:
- Open an Office program, such as Word.
- For Office 2010: click on File > Help > View additional version and copyright information.
- For Office 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2021: if necessary, click File. click on Account. Under ‘Product information’ you will find which Office package you have. For more specific information, click Info about [programma].
Computer Security
In the case of computer security, it is not really interesting to know which version your device is running. But of course you want to know whether your security needs an update. Find out like this:
- click on Start > Institutions.
- In Windows 10, click Update and Security. In Windows 11, click Privacy & Security.
- click on Windows Security.
- There you will find the status of the security. If it says ‘Actions recommended’ under a certain section, click on it and go through the steps.