Windows 11 gains ground as price hike looms for Windows 10 security updates

According to new figures from Statcounter, Windows 11 continues to gain users at the expense of Windows 10. The newer operating system is now estimated to account for 71.5% of all Windows computers globally, while Windows 10 has dropped to 27.8%, reports The Register.

Microsoft itself does not publish any user figures. Statcounter’s estimates are based on tracking code installed on websites globally. These figures are not broken out by consumer and business use.

A major shift to Windows 11 occurred when mainstream support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025. Just a month before that transition, about half of PCs still ran Windows 10, according to executives from Dell and HP.

Since then, businesses and consumers have been able to continue receiving security updates through Microsoft’s Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. Consumers can enroll in the program for free. After saying these updates would be available for only a year, Microsoft extended the consumer ESU program for another year, until October 12, 2027.

Business customers must pay to enroll user devices in the Windows 10 ESU program. The first year of updates cost $61 per device. As the second year begins, the price doubles to $122 per computer. The price will double once more, to $244 per device, for the third and final year. These price increases are expected to further accelerate the transition to Windows 11.

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