AK Azad. Related Articles. Added to wishlist Removed from wishlist 0. How to Troubleshoot Bluetooth Issues on Windows. Reply JohnIL April 1, at pm. I bought a cheap notebook and of course it came with Windows 10 S mode. Leave a reply Cancel reply. Share With Love. Share this page with your friends and family and help them find support whenever they need it. Share on facebook Facebook. Share on twitter Twitter. Share on linkedin LinkedIn.
Share on email Email. Share on whatsapp WhatsApp. Laptop Repair. Phone Repair. Other Pages. Techyuga Referral Program. Compare items. Like other OSs managed top to bottom by the manufacturer, it's interoperability is its strength when it comes to keeping you safe. As mentioned above, you can only install apps from the Microsoft Store. That may not seem like a big deal at first because surely the apps you need will be in the Microsoft Store , but there are a lot of things professional users need that are downloaded from the web or installed using other app management platforms.
S mode means no Adobe software, no Apple apps, no non-Microsoft video conferencing apps, and no third-party security software--in short, if it comes to a Windows PC via a third party it doesn't come to S mode at all. That includes web browsers and that's a deal killer for many people. S mode users are stuck with Edge as their browser and Bing as their default search engine.
To further restrict browsing matters, even if Chrome or Firefox were installed on an S mode computer neither are available in the Microsoft Store it couldn't be set as the default browser, nor can the default search engine be changed.
In offering S mode, Microsoft is trying to compete for two markets, both of which are currently dominated by Chromebooks : Students and large enterprises with lots of machines to manage.
Schools and businesses have hardware needs in common--they need to deploy a lot of machines to a lot of people, they need them locked down so users don't get infected with malware or lose a machine filled with sensitive data, and they need them to be cheap. S mode was built to address those needs, all while being a familiar interface that most computer users have worked with at least once in their lives.
Windows 10 S mode looks and feels no different than using Windows 10 home, Pro, or Enterprise, but it allows administrators to keep a short leash on users. Windows 10 in S mode is also built to run on far lower end PCs, without bogging down their hardware, meaning a simple PC deployment for a user that only needs access to Office apps and a web browser can be more affordable for businesses and schools than ever before, and is perfect for business and education users.
If you bought a Windows 10 PC with S mode installed, you may have been surprised by what you couldn't do. Don't be dismayed--you aren't stuck with S mode. In fact, you can switch out of S mode at any time. In the Activation menu, look for Switch To Windows 10 Pro or Home--you'll see one of the two depending on what version of Windows 10 your computer has.
Clicking Switch will open the Microsoft Store and prompt you to "Get" the full version, akin to installing an app. Once you do that, your PC will switch over to its full version of Windows 10 and you'll be free to install whatever apps you wish. Be forewarned: Switching out of S mode is a one-way street. Once you turn S mode off, you can't go back, which could be bad news for someone with a low-end PC that doesn't run a full version of Windows 10 very well.
The other trade-off to deactivating Windows 10 S mode is that you're taking security into your own hands, and without installation restrictions, it's much easier to find yourself infected with malware. As always, be sure you double-check that switching to the full version of Windows 10 is necessary for your needs and look online to find out if your computer meets hardware requirements to run the full version.
