Even as more businesses adopt Windows 11, Microsoft is extending Windows 10 support—for a price.
Microsoft Windows 11 has been available for three years now, but some businesses have been slow to make the move. This is pretty normal: every time Microsoft releases a new version of Windows, many businesses wait to see whether everything they need to run their businesses will still work normally in the shiny new version of Windows.
Well, we’re finally seeing a significant uptick in businesses upgrading to Windows 11: By late 2024, Windows 11 was installed on a little more than 35% of business PCs.
We’ll get into some of the reasons why Windows 11 adoption is on the rise and why now might be the right time for you to upgrade if you haven’t yet. But first, we need to talk about the other ~65%.
Windows 10 Still Dominates the Market — But Changes Are Coming
Windows 10 is still running on nearly 61% of business PCs, almost twice as many as are running Windows 11. (The “missing” 4% are legacy machines running even older versions of Windows, along with machines running Linux or other alternate OSes.) This high percentage still using Windows 10 isn’t exactly a crisis, but it isn’t great on several levels. Plus, changes are coming: up until now, Microsoft has supported both Windows 10 and 11 equally: customers receive free support, and both operating systems are being actively updated.
Microsoft had announced the end of support for Windows 10, scheduled for October 2025. That would’ve meant that, while Windows 10 would still work after that date, Microsoft would no longer create security updates or help businesses that run into trouble.
Since that announcement, the company has changed course: now it will offer extended security support for an extra year (through October 2026), but there’s a big catch. Extended support isn’t free; it’ll cost $30 per device. That can add up quickly in a midsized business!
So we’re rapidly approaching a future where many businesses still running Windows 10 will be left without support. Any future security vulnerabilities that are discovered will remain open, giving attackers new ways to compromise these systems. Some businesses will pony up the $30 per machine and stay more secure than the first group, but they’ll still be at a disadvantage compared to those who switch to Windows 11.
Why Windows 11 Adoption Is Rising Now
Back to the topic at hand: why is Windows 11 adoption spiking right now?
There are several reasons. One is the end of support for Windows 10 we just discussed. Even if you pay up, you’re still up against the clock. In a year and a half or so, you’ve got to upgrade — so many businesses are doing the math and saying “why wait?”
Another reason is the natural life cycle of PCs. Some older machines weren’t physically capable of running Windows 11: they were missing some security features that Microsoft required. These machines are getting, well, really old now. So businesses that were stuck with Windows 10 due to hardware limitations are by and large replacing those limited machines.
There’s also a lot of interest in so-called AI PCs, next-gen machines built to better handle the demands of generative AI applications (including the AI features built into Windows and Microsoft 365).
Early bugs or compatibility issues have largely been resolved by year three, so businesses with those concerns can generally upgrade by now.
But perhaps the biggest reason for installing Windows 11 now? Better cybersecurity protections. Windows 10 is still supported, but Windows 11 has next-gen defenses built in that don’t exist in its predecessor.
If you’re still on the fence about upgrading, we can guide you through the decision — and the eventual upgrade. Get in touch today!