The migration of users from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is unfolding at a noticeably more deliberate pace than the transition witnessed when Microsoft released its previous operating system. Whereas the rollout of Windows 10 sparked a widespread and relatively swift wave of upgrades, many users today—both individual consumers and large organizations—are demonstrating marked hesitation to move to Windows 11. This slower adoption pattern is particularly striking given that Windows 10, now a decade old, has officially entered its end-of-support phase, which means it will no longer receive regular security or feature updates from Microsoft. Yet, despite the potential risks of remaining on unsupported software, the older operating system continues to maintain a strong foothold among its user base, valued for its familiarity, dependability, and extensive ecosystem of compatible applications.
Dell’s recent disclosure sheds light on the magnitude of this inertia. The company announced that approximately 500 million personal computers currently in circulation possess the technical capability to upgrade to Windows 11 but have not yet done so. Dell’s Chief Operating Officer, Jeffrey Clarke, elaborated on these figures during the company’s third-quarter earnings call earlier this week, underscoring that his estimates refer to the global PC landscape, not merely Dell’s own customer base. Clarke further revealed that there exists another pool of roughly 500 million PCs that are around four years old and lack the necessary hardware specifications to run Windows 11 at all. This divide—between capable yet un-upgraded machines and aging systems that are simply incompatible—presents both a challenge and an opportunity for hardware manufacturers and for Microsoft itself.
From Clarke’s perspective, this large population of outdated or unconverted devices represents fertile ground for encouraging users to invest in modern hardware equipped to fully take advantage of Windows 11 and its emerging features, particularly those centered around artificial intelligence integration. However, despite this potential, he cautioned investors that the overall PC market would likely remain relatively stagnant over the coming year, suggesting that widespread refresh cycles could take longer to materialize.
Notably, this is among the first times any major industry figure has quantified how many PCs are effectively holding off on or locked out of upgrading. The revelation that half a billion eligible machines have not transitioned, alongside an equivalent number that technically cannot, underscores the profound impact of Microsoft’s decision to tighten Windows 11’s hardware requirements. By instituting more stringent CPU and security-related criteria, Microsoft inadvertently left behind millions of computers sold within the last decade—systems that remain perfectly functional yet fall short of the newer OS’s baseline standards.
Given these restrictions, it was reasonable to predict that many users whose hardware failed to meet the minimum specifications would remain steadfastly on Windows 10. However, what is striking is the depth and persistence of this attachment even among machines that could upgrade seamlessly. The data implies that Windows 10’s resilience exceeds prior expectations, and its loyal user base spans both personal and enterprise sectors, suggesting that convenience, stability, and proven reliability often outweigh the allure of modernized interfaces or features.
These findings arrive a week after Microsoft’s Windows chief, Pavan Davuluri, mentioned that nearly one billion individuals currently “rely on Windows 11.” The phrasing, however, introduces a degree of ambiguity, as Microsoft historically has quantified active usage by the number of devices rather than by users. Without clarification, it remains uncertain whether the term “rely” reflects installations, active usage, or another metric altogether. Regardless, the juxtaposition of Davuluri’s optimistic claim with Dell’s more conservative insight paints a nuanced picture of the Windows ecosystem—one in which technological capability, user preference, and industry economics converge to shape the evolution of a platform used by hundreds of millions around the world.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/news/831364/dell-windows-11-upgrade-numbers-earnings-call-q3-2025
