Windows 11 on the upswing - majority continue to use Windows 10
In January, the number of Windows 11 users in Germany rose significantly and reached a record high. However, most users are still using Windows 10.
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For the first time since the release of Windows 11, more than a third of Windows devices in Germany are running the latest version of the operating system. Windows 10 is installed on the majority of the remaining computers. This is according to figures from Statcounter. Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said at last week's investor conference that sales in the OEM and device division of Windows had risen by four percent compared to the previous year. This was due to the build-up of inventories for the end of support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025.
Swiss increasingly rely on Windows 11
In terms of all Windows installations, the proportion of devices with Windows 11 in Germany was 35.2% at the end of the month. Compared to the previous month, this is an increase of 12.9%. Previously, the usage figures for Windows 11 were constant to declining in the fourth quarter of 2024. However, the German market share of Windows 10 fell to 62.3%, the lowest figure since April 2019. The remaining Windows devices have an older version of the operating system installed. Windows 7 still accounts for 1.5 percent, while other versions account for less than one percent.
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A similar picture can be seen on Austrian devices. Here, Windows 11 is installed on 34.6% of Windows devices, an increase of 11.3%. The situation is different in Switzerland: With the exception of last November, the usage figures for Windows 11 have been rising steadily here for almost a year. From December to January, its market share grew by four percent, meaning that 44.8 percent of Windows devices are now running the latest version of the system. Windows 10 accounts for 53.6 percent. To determine the non-representative usage statistics, Statcounter evaluates five billion visits to 1.5 million websites every month, but not the individual visitors.
Updates subject to a charge from October
Users who do not want to switch to Windows 11 or an alternative operating system can stay with Windows 10 and purchase a temporary support extension after the end of the free security updates. Corporate customers pay 61 US dollars per device in the first year and can take advantage of the extension option for up to three years. Prices increase in subsequent years. Private customers receive the option for a one-off price of 30 US dollars for one year.
Microsoft offers useful security functions, but these are not automatically active and must first be configured. In his workshop, Christian Biehler, expert in information management and IT security, uses typical threat scenarios to demonstrate the vulnerabilities and typical tools used by attackers to secure Windows 11 in the company and contrasts these with concrete hardening and protection measures.
Windows 11 places higher demands on hardware equipment than its predecessor and requires TPM 2.0-capable processors, for example. Microsoft is also integrating its Copilot AI service into the operating system and is increasingly focusing on so-called Copilot+ devices with an ARM CPU and dedicated AI processor. These devices recently received new AI functions for Microsoft Paint in a preview version of Windows 11.
(sfe)
