Despite end of support: Windows 10 installations remain the majority in Germany

Windows 11 has overtaken its predecessor Windows 10 in terms of the global share of Windows versions, according to figures from the analytics service Statcounter. According to the figures, the operating system has made continuous gains since the beginning of the year, reaching 53.51% as of July 2025. Windows 10, whose support expires on October 14, 2025, has fallen continuously over the same period to 42.88%.

However, while the global IT world is apparently preparing for the end of support and the migration to Windows 11, the picture in Germany is very different, according to Statcounter: Here, Windows 10 is still in the lead with 56.64 percent and has thus even seen a slight increase since its low of 54 percent in April. Last December, the share was still around two thirds. Meanwhile, Windows 11 accounts for 41.08% of Windows installations here, down slightly from around 43% in April. In Austria, Windows 10 is also still in the majority with 51.17, but its share is falling continuously. Meanwhile, Windows 11 has steadily worked its way up there with 46.84 percent. In Switzerland, Windows 11 has been in the lead since March and reached around 51% in July.

Security updates after end of support

To determine the non-representative usage statistics, Statcounter evaluates five billion hits on 1.5 million websites every month, but not the individual visitors. It is not possible to tell from Statcounter's figures whether the comparatively high proportion of Windows 10 users in Germany is due to rather slow migration processes at companies and public authorities. Or whether many end users are simply sitting on hardware that no longer meets the requirements of Windows 10.

However, Microsoft has removed the immediate pressure to switch with its Extended Security Update (ESU) program, which is now also available to end users. Paying corporate customers can receive three years of security updates beyond October 14 via ESU, while private customers can receive one year until October 13, 2026. The latter must either activate Windows Backup, which synchronizes the settings to the cloud, redeem 1000 Microsoft Reward points or pay around 30 US dollars as a third and final option, although local prices may vary.

From mid-August, an ESU wizard added via Windows updates will be generally available, allowing end users to activate their ESU membership in Windows notifications and Windows settings. Those who do not want to make the switch to Windows 11 anyway can, of course, also switch to free alternatives such as Linux.

(axk)