There Are About 500 Million PCs Still Running Windows 10

On October 14, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10. Users had two options to keep their PCs running safe and secure: upgrade to Windows 11, or enroll in Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates, to continue receiving security patches for another year.

That second option makes sense for anyone with a personal PC that cannot update to Windows 11. Perhaps their personal computers are too old, or don’t come with the proper TPM hardware requirements, and, as such, can benefit from another year of security updates. It also makes sense for anyone who runs software that is only compatible with Windows 10.

But for most users, updating to Windows 11 is the best option: Extended Security Updates are only security updates, which means you won’t receive any other upgrades without updating to Windows 11. Since the ESU program expires next year, Windows 11 is the only long-term solution.

Despite this, it seems Windows 10 users are slow to upgrade. According to Dell COO Jeffrey Clarke, there are about 500 million PCs that can update to Windows 11, but haven’t. Clarke revealed the statistic during Dell’s Q3 earnings call, though Clarke included all Windows 11-compatible machines, not just Dells.

It’s a sign the company has a challenge ahead of them over the next year. By October of 2026, Windows 10 will no longer receive any security patches, as the ESU will expire. It’s certainly difficult to try to convince users with outdated hardware to buy a Windows 11-compatible PC. However, Microsoft will need to encourage its users with PCs can that update to do so.