Windows 10: 500 Million PCs Could Receive Windows 11

In a call regarding Dell's Q3 2026 quarterly report, which concludes in November 2025, financial experts also discussed the installed base of Windows PCs. Hundreds of millions of computers could migrate to Windows 11 but have not yet done so, Dell explained to investors during the discussion.

According to the transcript of the call, Dell's COO Jeffrey Clarke mentioned, when discussing an expected wave of PC updates, that the transition to Windows 11 had not yet been completed. "In fact, we are 10, 12 points behind where we were with Windows 11 at the end of service for the previous operating system," Clarke explained. "If I recall correctly, the installed base is around [..] 1.5 billion units. We have 500 million of those that are capable of running Windows 11 but have not yet updated. We have another 500 million that are four years old and cannot run Windows 11."

Clarke sees this as a rich opportunity to upgrade them to Windows 11 and modern technology. AI PCs are also equally important.

Reliable Figures

So far, there has been little reliable data on operating system distribution. It is clear that Microsoft is pressuring companies to update their infrastructure to a current, still-supported operating system promptly due to the end of support for Windows 10. While Microsoft offers extended support that enterprise customers can purchase for up to three years, and private customers in the European Union can use for one year practically free after registering an online account with Microsoft.

However, the period will end in the foreseeable future. Windows 10 users will have to seek an alternative if they want to continue working with a system that still receives security updates. According to Dell, however, a large number of them can apparently easily upgrade their computers to the current Windows 11 standard and do not need to look for new hardware or operating systems like Linux.

(dmk)